Timişoara and Cluj,

Transcription

1 Cnclusins f the Internatinal Cnference Rmani Wmen fr Equal Opprtunities Organized within the prject Equality thrugh Difference. Rma Wmen s Access n the Labr Market Timişara, June 30-July 2, 2011 T the attentin f General Secretariat f the Rmanian Gvernment Ministry f Labr, Family and Scial Prtectin Natinal Agency fr Rma DG Emplyment f the Eurpean Cmmissin Sectrial Operatinal Prgram fr Human Resurces Develpment Timişara and Cluj, Rma Wmen's Assciatin Fr Our Children had the hnr t hst in Timişara, between the 30 th f June and the 2 nd f July 2011 the Internatinal Cnference Rmani Wmen fr Equal Opprtunities. The cnference was rganized within the prject Equality thrugh Difference. Rma Wmen s Access n the Labr Market, implemented by Rma Wmen's Assciatin Fr Our Children frm Timişara, in partnership with Desire Fundatin frm Cluj, Parudims Assciatin frm Timişara, the Natinal Agency fr Rma, the Timişara City Hall, and Autnmia Fundatin frm Hungary. The prject is c-financed by the Sectrial Operatinal Prgram fr Human Resurces Develpment Invest in peple, Eurpean Scial Fund ( On the ne hand, the cnference Rmani Wmen fr Equal Opprtunities aimed at prmting the results f the prject Equality thrugh Difference. Rma Wmen s Access n the Labr Market. On the ther hand it prvided a space fr interreginal, transnatinal and interdisciplinary dialgue abut the situatin f Rma wmen in the cntemprary sciety, and abut Rma wmen s activism n the behalf f equal pprtunities fr all, and first f all f persns disadvantaged n the base f their ethnicity, gender and/ r their age.

2 The guests f hnr frm the DG Emplyment f the Eurpean Cmmissin, the Eurpean Ecnmic and Scial Cmmittee, the Open Sciety Institute and Central Eurpean University frm Budapest, the United Natins Entity fr Gender Equality and the Empwerment f Wmen frm Bratislava, the Directrate fr Equal Opprtunities between Wmen and Men frm the Ministry f Labr, Family and Scial Prtectin, the ERSTE Fundatin frm Rmania, and the Western Reginal Intermediate Bdy f the Sectrial Operatinal Prgram fr Human Resurces Develpment highlighted the imprtance and difficulty f prgrams regarding emplyment. Eventually, they appreciated the results f the prject Equality thrugh Difference. Rma Wmen s Access n the Labr Market, which, due its cmplex apprach, was able t act n lcal, reginal and transnatinal level n several factrs that act as barriers in assuring equal emplyment pprtunities fr wmen and yuth belnging t marginalized Rma cmmunities. Representatives f partner rganizatins, the Rma Wmen's Assciatin Fr Our Children, Desire Fundatin, Parudims Assciatin, the Natinal Agency fr Rma and the Autnmy Fundatin stressed the imprtance f mutual trust and slidarity that characterized the multiethnic team f the prject and made it pssible t vercme the administrative difficulties encuntered thrughut its implementatin. They revealed the results f activities fr scial inclusin, which prvided infrmatin services, cunseling, mediatin, accmpanying children and placement in training curses fr mre than 3,000 persns and thus has imprved the chances f finding a jb r launching their wn business; they recalled the imprtance f frmative and infrmative actins aimed at changing anti-gypsy attitudes, institutinal discriminatin and unequal treatment, being directly addressed t several hundred representatives f public authrities, emplyers, NGOs and mass media; they presented the research cnducted within the prject that resulted in the critical analysis f the scialecnmic system that prduces structural inequalities at the expense f marginalized grups, in a detailed knwledge abut the experiences f the latter in terms f paid and unpaid wrk, and in recmmendatins n plicies and prgrams fr Rma regarding the need t ensure access t decent wrk and ecnmic empwerment; they discussed the imprtance f exchanging experiences between the natinal teams and the transnatinal partner; and last, but nt least brught t the attentin f the public the three issues f the internatinal magazine Nevi Sara Kali. Rma Wmen's Jurnal, and the films prduced in the first tw years f the prject ( A prject fr scial justice, and Striving fr dignity ). We had the hnr t hst representatives f nn-gvernmental rganizatins frm Rmania and frm abrad, such as Rmani Criss frm Bucharest, Center Amalipe frm Velik Turnv Bulgaria, the Civic Alliance f Rma in Rmania, MONA - Fundatin fr Wmen frm Hungary, the Clrful Pearls Assciatin frm Pecs Hungary, Drm Ktar Mestipen frm Barcelna, Spain, the Agency fr Cmmunity Develpment Tgether frm Bucharest, and the Natinal Rma Centrum frm Kumanv Republic f Macednia. The rundtable discussins abut the activism f Rmani wmen revealed that they wrk in lcal rganizatins, meeting the specific needs f Rma wmen and advcating fr cmbating

3 multiple discriminatins they are faced with lcally, but as well as it highlighted their effrts and achievements in rganizing at a Eurpean level. The cnference Rmani Wmen fr Equal Opprtunities gave the ccasin fr presenting the new Eurpean netwrk Rmnia. Rmani Wmen United. Preceded by several earlier internatinal initiatives, this netwrk has been recently established in respnse t the need t ensure the participatin f Rma wmen at all levels f decisin-making and t the necessity t create a platfrm fr cperatin between Rma and nn-rma activists wrking fr the empwerment f Rma wmen in all areas f life. Attending the cnference, the internatinal bard members and editrs f the jurnal Nevi Sara Kali expressed their decisin t cntinue publishing the jurnal after the cmpletin f the prject, and t keep prviding a space in which these effrts find wrthy representatin at Eurpean level and beynd. Debates abut research findings regarding disadvantaged ethnic Rma s access t emplyment, abut public plicies prmted in Rmania, in the Eurpean Unin and by the United Natins t ensure equal pprtunities and cmbating multiple and intersectinal discriminatin, and abut pssibilities and limits f civic activism were cmpleted by artistic prgrams. We want t highlight here the cntributin brught t the cnference by Rmani Design frm Budapest, which, thrugh its uncnventinal prgram, nt nly gave participants a mment f relaxatin, but raised awareness abut the scial and plitical relevance f fashin in terms f human and cultural recgnitin. * As an utcme f the cnference Rmani Wmen fr Equal Opprtunities we want t bring t the attentin f decisin-makers and f a wide audience frm Rmania, but nt nly the fllwing cnclusins: disadvantaged Rma wmen are nt nly victims f multiple and intersectinal discriminatin, but are als agents f scial change twards prmting equal pprtunities, ensuring scial justice and human dignity, eliminating prejudices and unequal treatment, increasing self-esteem, and affirming ecnmic independence, cultural recgnitin and civic and plitical representatin; in the light f the abve statement there is a need that EU institutins, and natinal and lcal decisin-makers assure the chance t Rma wmen activists t participate n decisin-making prcesses and t have access t decisin-making psitins; Rma wmen, tgether with wmen with ther ethnic backgrunds based n their expressed slidarity arund ensuring fundamental human rights and their activism against manifestatins f racism and sexism in bth mainstream sciety and minrity cmmunities, advcate fr the creatin f sci-ecnmic cnditins in which everybdy has equal access t gds and services prvided by the mdern Eurpean scieties;

4 prjects implemented by NGOs in the dmain f emplyment may prvide services that imprve the chances f disadvantaged peple t access decent paid wrk, but cannt generate sustainable changes in a labr market shaped by the market ecnmy; structural funds made available t Member States f the Eurpean Unin will becme instruments f structural change nly t the extent t which central and lcal gvernmental institutins assume their related respnsibilities and imprve the management system f these funds, and t the extent t which they and ther stakehlders (such as private and public cmpanies) supprt civic rganizatins in their effrts t prvide services fr lcal cmmunities in need; NGOs effrts will nt have sustainable impact if they are nt supprted and backed by the implementatin f an adequate system f scial prtectin that ensures decent living, and abve all by a legislatin f labr, which shuld acknwledge that scial and ecnmic inequalities are due t structural factrs, which defend emplyees rights, and which cnsistently requires the assurance f equal pprtunities and the eliminatin f discriminatin in hiring and prmtin at the wrkplace thrugh active measures targeting disadvantaged grups; the Gvernment shuld prvide legal and institutinal mechanisms in terms f ensuring equal pprtunities in all areas f life; in this respect, the Rmanian Gvernment is respnsible t rerganize the central and lcal institutins that are meant t elabrate, implement and mnitr public plicies fr equalizing pprtunities in educatin, emplyment, husing and public health services; the research cnducted within the prject Equality thrugh Difference. Rma Wmen s Access n the Labr Market and the experiences accumulated by ther prject activities shw that gender disadvantages and inequalities faced by a persn may intersect with ther scial inequalities due t his/ her status, age r stigma related t his/ her ethnicity; therefre we emphasize: public plicies fr equalizing pprtunities and cmbating discriminatin shuld cnsider intersectinality f these factrs, s that appraching equality shuld nt be limited t equality between wmen and men, r between Rma and nn-rma, but must cnsider hw varius scial inequalities intersect and verlap; the develpment, implementatin and mnitring public plicies that take int accunt intersectinality require setting up an institutinal bdy, which has authrity in decisin-making, crdinatin capacity, financial standing and prfessinal expertise in the field f equal pprtunities and plicies addressing disadvantaged grups, such as a Ministry fr Scial Inclusin and Equal Opprtunities, r an Inter-Ministerial Directrate fr Scial Inclusin and Equal Opprtunities;

5 public plicies and prjects regarding emplyment fr disadvantaged grups, amng them marginalized Rma cmmunities, shuld be based n an integrated apprach at least in three senses: be designed s as t act n multiple causes that generate and reprduce the disadvantaged psitin f Rma in the labr market (e.g. pr schl educatin and schl segregatin, sub-standard living cnditins and residential segregatin, unequal access t health care, negative prejudices twards Rma, lack f self-cnfidence, and fear f assuming identity); Rma emplyment plicies have t be integrated int the general plicies aimed at imprving the emplyment rate f all citizens, but as lng as structural inequalities will persist, the verall effrt t imprve access t decent wrk must be strengthened with affirmative measures fr disadvantaged grups, amng them Rma, whm, in additin t the sci-ecnmic cnditins shared with ther vulnerable grups, are als faced with unequal treatment based n their ethnicity and their cultural stigmatizatin; all emplyment plicies need t be analyzed in terms f their impact n disadvantaged grups, s that their elabratin, implementatin and mnitring need t take int accunt this analysis; the Natinal Strategy fr Rma Inclusin t be develped and implemented in Rmania in this year, shuld rganically integrate the gender and intersectinal perspective, s that interventins regarding the imprvement f living cnditins, ensuring fundamental human rights and cultural recgnitin take int accunt the specific needs f multiple disadvantaged Rma wmen; due t the interdependence f the factrs that structure the everyday life cnditins f Rma living in pverty, plicies and prjects fr Rma need t be integrated, multisectrial prjects; interventins in lcal cmmunities have t treat all the prblems they are faced with in rder t generate sustainable changes; prgrams that aim at the scial inclusin f Rma must act nt nly n Rma cmmunities, but als n the majrity ppulatin, s that n the ne hand t strengthen self-esteem and cnfidence amng ethnic Rma, and n the ther hand t eliminate discriminatry cultural cncepts and practices existing amng the majrity.

6 The rganizers f the internatinal cnference Rmani Wmen fr Equal Opprtunities reaffirm the key messages f the prject Equality thrugh Difference. Rma Wmen s Access n the Labr Market (Jiekhipen andar` i diferincia. O akces le rrmneang p` fr la butiak): dignity (rtaims), scial justice (pakiaims ande peste), decent wrk (sukar butyi), self-esteem (lumiak ciacipe), and eliminatin f steretypes ( ankalavims le anglune-krisange). Expressing their gratitude twards all the funding agencies f the prject (Eurpean Scial Funds, Srs Fundatin and Open Sciety Institute), they transmit t decisin-makers the synthetic cnclusin f the cnference and f the prject: the imperatives f the Eurpean framewrk strategy regarding the bjectives f the Natinal Strategies fr Rma Inclusin up t 2020, assumed als by Rmania as a member state f the Eurpean Unin, might be accmplished nly by putting int practice at natinal and lcal levels f an integrated and intersectinal apprach, in which the perspective f mainstreaming is cmpleted with that f targeting; in which all scial actrs assume the principle f shared respnsibility fr the sake f ensuring scial inclusin, cultural recgnitin and Rma plitical empwerment; and which aims at the assurance f fundamental human rights by creating sci-ecnmic cnditins favrable fr equalizing the pprtunities f the multiple disadvantaged scial categries. Thrugh ur cnference and prject Rmani wmen expressed again their desire and frce t participate n this endeavr. Letiţia Mark, president f the Rma Wmen s Assciatin Fr Our Children, Timişara Enikő Vincze, president f Desire Fundatin, Cluj