Deadline: 30 April 2013
Region: Europe
Amnesty International and ERGO Network have launched the contest with the aim of highlighting the voices of young Roma in Europe. The two organisations are calling young Roma to contribute to the RomaReact interactive map for the contest “My story, my rights”.
“Share your story with the world, make everyone see, through your own eyes, who the Roma are, and help us fight anti-Roma prejudice and discrimination”, say Amnesty International and ERGO.
The story sent for the completion could be anything that “concerns the contribution of Roma to their wider community; that shows that Roma should be considered equal members of society, who hold rights that must be respected”.
The story should represent the positive approach of Roma individuals and groups who want a better relationship between Roma and non-Roma and who demand equality and rights for themselves, their families and communities. It can be also about the participants.
The contest will close on 30 April 2013. The award ceremony will be held in June 2013 in Brussels.
The contest is part of the Amnesty International’s campaign “Human Rights Here. Roma Rights Now”. The campaign that will be launched on 4 April 2013 has the aim of getting the EU and governments to take stronger action to end anti-Roma discrimination and racism.
“Hundreds of thousands of Roma have been forced to live in informal settlements and camps, often without heating, water or sanitation; tens of thousands are forcibly evicted from their homes every year. Thousands of Romani children are placed in segregated schools offering inferior education. Roma are often denied access to jobs and quality health care. Across Europe they are victims of racially motivated violence and are often left unprotected by the police and without access to justice. This is not a coincidence. It is the result of widespread discrimination and racism that Roma face throughout Europe”, says Amnesty International calling on the European Union to take decisive action to fight discrimination and racism against the Roma.