Reasearch and Advocacy
The ERRC’s extensive research programme has provided reliable data about the human rights situation of Roma. The focus includes racially-motivated violence against Roma and the impact of individual practices and structural forms of discrimination on the access of Roma to economic and social rights. This work aims to assess the impact of law and policy and contribute to awareness-raising, policy development and strategic litigation.
The ERRC works to ensure that human rights issues facing Romani communities are firmly on the political agenda in Europe and beyond.
Some recent and ongoing ERRC campaigns include support for: effective state responses to violence and hate speech against Roma; school desegregation; an end to forced evictions and other housing rights abuse; implementation of comprehensive anti-discrimination law; justice for victims of coercive sterilisation; and Romani women’s rights.
The ERRC is involved in a number of NGO coalitions, which pursue joint advocacy goals:
- European Roma Policy Coalition, a network of national and international NGOs working on different aspects of discrimination against Roma people (Co-chair)
- Together to Schools Coalition, which advocates for the desegration of education for Romani children in the Czech Republic
In recent years, the ERRC has conducted research on the human rights situation of Roma and produced a number of reports on behalf of European institutions, including:
- European Commission: Improving the tools for the social inclusion and non-discrimination of Roma in the EU (2010)
- European Commission: Improving the tools for the social inclusion and non-discrimination of Roma in the EU - summary and selected projects (2010)
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights: Housing Conditions of Roma and Travellers in the European Union (2009)
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights: The situation of Roma EU citizens moving to and settling in other EU Member States (2009)
- European Union: Situation of Roma in an Enlarged European Union (2004)
