Listen to Roma Rights

Music is a strong part of Romani culture and is widely appreciated by audiences across the world. Through the album Listen to Roma Rights, Amnesty International is working with Romani people to make their voices heard and to help fight the discrimination and stigmatisation. Amnesty International asked Romani musicians to write or donate a song for this album.

Please support our cause for Roma equality in Europe. Sharing this album helps to tell the story of millions of Roma. Enjoy the music and take action yourself! The money raised by this album will be used by Amnesty International to continue our work for the human rights of the Roma in Europe.

What is Amnesty International doing for the human rights of the Roma?

Amnesty International documents human rights violations against Romani people and communities and campaigns against discriminatory policies and practices affecting them throughout Europe, including in the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. We are part of an international coalition pressing the European union to support the human rights of the Roma. We support local Romani organisations and campaign with them. Our members have written letters, collected signatures and demonstrated in front of embassies to press governments to: introduce new laws which comply with international human rights standards; halt forced evictions of Romani communities; ensure Romani settlements have access to basic services such as water and sanitation; and ensure that Romani children are not segregated at school.

Amnesty International's campaign for the human rights of the Roma

The Romani people are Europe’s largest single minority and continue to be among the groups which face systematic discrimination. Across Europe, Romani communities continue to face serious obstacles in securing their rights to housing, health care, education and work. Millions of Romani people live in informal settlements which lack adequate sanitation, and suffer from high unemployment and limited access to health care. In some countries Romani children are often placed in special schools designed for pupils with “mild mental disabilities” or segregated in separate schools and classes as a result of their ethnicity.

Throughout Europe, Romani people are poorly represented in political and administrative structures and face major difficulty integrating into mainstream society while preserving their distinct cultural identity. They often live on the edge of society and are forced into a cycle of poverty which is extremely difficult to break. This widespread and systematic discrimination takes place in a continent which praises itself as a standard-bearer for human rights.

Visit www.fightdiscrimination.eu to see how you can support our actions and read more about our work.