The plight of the Gypsy community

Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne

GYPSIES: It is encouraging that yet another Presidential initiative, by which President Rajapaksa has given instructions to grant electoral rights to the minority Gypsy community, while planning to settle them in the Vakarai area, has been taken.

In this regard it is reported that this initiative has been welcomed by the Gypsy community and representatives of the Gypsy community have agreed to settle in Tamil dominated Vakarai.

It is also reported that the minority Gypsy community lives in sub human conditions and no politician has paid attention to their problems since they have no electoral rights.

The gypsies of Sri Lanka are called Ahikuntikas. The etymology of the word is uncertain and one view is that 'Ahi' means serpents and that the prefix could well have been attributed to them because gypsies make a living by using snakes, monkeys and palm reading or fortune-telling.

Some academics and experts on Sri Lankan culture are of the view that Ahikuntikas are believed to have come to Sri Lanka from Andra Pradesh in India. A chronological estimate as to when they arrived in Sri Lanka has not been made. Gypsies have been perennially regarded as nomads as they have no fixed abode and they travel from place to place as frequently as in seven day intervals.

It is this peripatetic nature that keeps the gypsies from establishing their roots and integrating with society and

 preclude them from participating in economic activities and social practices as others do.

There is little doubt that gypsies are gradually changing as a result of evolving economic and social factors, although the change cannot be marked as a radical change towards total social and economic integration. It is also a high possibility that at least some (if not all) within the clan would like to integrate with society so that they could enjoy the lifestyle of the average citizen.

There have been instances where the government has made attempts at settling portions of the Gypsy community. For example, A group of Ahikuntikas were given houses in the North Central province in a village called Kuda Wewa.

It is also reported that a community of 25 Gypsy families with a population of about 100 persons speaking the Thelingu language encamped on the banks of the Mahakanadarawa tank at Mihintale during the New Year season.

Gypsies around the world

In global terms the word "Gypsy" is descriptive of anyone leading a nomadic life, although generically it is usually applied to the Roma, who have traditionally spread throughout the world as a nomadic people.

It is internationally recognised that they have a distinct ethnic identity and share a common heritage that sets them apart as an ethnic group.

The early history of the Roma is somewhat sketchy and not much is known about their roots or ancestry. However, it has now been established that early Roma ancestors left India in great numbers as early as the 5th century, although the bulk of the migrations occurred much later, in the 11th century, after the Muslim invasions of India.

It is also chronicled that, following this exodus, and during the early 14th century, the Roma travelled west across Iran into Asia Minor, and from there most went to Europe through Greece.

The historical conclusion is that the Roma first arrived in Europe over 500 years ago, and were called "gypsies" because of the erroneous assumption that they had originally come from Egypt. Although they were well received in Europe initially, their "strange" and unfamiliar customs and reclusively closed society soon caused them to be marginalised and unwelcome.

The Roma in Spain were free under Muslim rule until the Christians conquered Spain again in 1492. After that there were legislative enactments that made it an offence to wear or display the Romani dress, and speak the language and practice Romani customs.

The Roma in France were expelled from Paris in 1539, and had to leave England in 1563 under the threat of death. In the beginning of the 15th century, many Roma were forced into slavery by Hungarian and Romanian nobles who needed labourers for their large estates.

It is now documented that during World War II there was mass persecution of Roma people and over 500,000 Roma perished in Nazi concentration camps. They were forced into government sponsored assimilation

programmes depriving them of their language and culture. Even today they are still persecuted and under pressure to abandon their nomadic life.

The Roma are dispersed throughout western Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Americas. Because of this, the Romani culture varies in different areas of the world. One thing that all Romani have in common is a strong sense of group identity.

They are very family oriented, and the elderly are held in high regard. This culture stresses the sacredness of its traditions. They see contact with "non-Roma" as polluting. This view probably came from the religious beliefs of their Hindu ancestors. However, they usually adopt the religious faith of the countries they live in.

Growing tendencies

Seemingly, the most compelling social need of the gypsies around the world is to be considered equal as human beings whatever their aspirations in life are. At present they are being marginalised and stigmatised in various parts of the world. However, some countries are showing growing tendencies toward treating them with compassion and equanimity.

There is some information available on the Roma in the Russian and Eastern European regions. A census carried out in 1989 in the then Soviet Union documented 47,915 Roma living in Ukraine, constituting roughly 0.09 per cent of the population.

In 2001, the State Statistics Committee carried out Ukraine's first census since the Communist period, and found that in 12 years the population had stayed stable at 47,587.4 The Ukrainian government's report to the Committee states, "According to the 2001 national census figures, at that time there were 47,600 Roma (Gypsies) living in Ukraine, constituting 0.1 per cent of the country's population."

Widely recognised

It is widely recognised that among the Roma community, children are encouraged to distinguish between people based on differences in cultural practices and physical features, and learn that it is appropriate to associate those traits with fear, danger and distrust. The Roma are considered to instil a certain culture in their children that drive them to becoming drug traffickers, thieves and criminals in general.

They are known to develop a work-shy, dirty, unhealthy, and immoral personality, and such views are at times officially promoted.

For example, it is known that one particular government had recently reported to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that, in many cases, the authorities faced outrageous instances of non-observation of social rules of conduct by the Roma, and violations of community laws.

It was claimed that the Roma did not know their rights, and that they did not even make an attempt at getting to know them. There was no single observed case where parents in Romani families considered it necessary for their children to go through periodic medical check-ups and observe a calendar of vaccinations.

Also, and more importantly, it was reported that parents did not aspire to provide their children with education, even at the elementary stage. The Reports from Kosovo offer an interesting case study of recent socio-political attitudes towards the Gypsy Community.

It must be remembered that, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999), Kosovo remains a part of Serbia and Montenegro and continues to be bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ("ICCPR" or "Covenant").

The Human Rights Committee has, however, noted that although Kosovo remains a part of Serbia and Montenegro, the protection and promotion of human rights" is the responsibility of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo ("UNMIK"), which constitutes the primary international civilian presence in the province.

Beginning in June 1999, following the end of the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia and the establishment of United Nations administration over Kosovo, Roma, Ashkalis, Egyptians and others regarded as "Gypsies" ("RAE") were violently expelled from their homes in Kosovo by means including killings; targeted "disappearances" in which in many cases the persons concerned remained missing and are presumed dead; threats of killings; rape - including gang rape in the presence of family members; mass arson; wholesale destruction of houses, whole neighbourhoods and/or community infrastructure; wholesale appropriation of property; and general threats of violence carried out in the context of ethnic cleansing.

As is well-known, these events followed decades of repression in Kosovo by Yugoslav authorities, and were immediately preceded by several years of effective civil war between a guerrilla movement known as the "Kosovo Liberation Army" and Yugoslav forces. Today, persecution of the members of these communities continues, manifested in their systematic exclusion from access to fundamental human rights.

Racial discrimination against RAE communities in Kosovo is pervasive, depriving tens of thousands from even a bare minimum of dignity.

Anti-Gypsy sentiment among the majority is widespread, ranging from assaults on RAE individuals to verbal abuse and dissemination of defamatory images, including images stigmatising RAE as perpetrators of crimes against Albanians, in the media.

Living in an atmosphere of persistent threats to their security which is unprotected.

Action by the International Community

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a group within the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, in its concluding observations at a meeting in late 1999 expressed its concern at manifestations of xenophobia and racial discrimination, including acts of violence directed against certain ethnic groups, particularly Blacks, Roma (Gypsies), immigrants and foreigners frequently perpetrated by skinheads, although the Committee acknowledged the efforts of the State party concerned to combat such acts.

The same Committee at its hearing in August 2004 recommended to the United Nations that State parties investigate thoroughly, impartially and effectively all allegations of ill-treatment, violence or excessive use of force by police officers, bring those responsible to justice and provide adequate remedies and compensation to the victims.

Furthermore, in light of its general recommendation XIII, the Committee recommended that the State party continue to provide intensive training to law enforcement officials so as to ensure that in the performance of their duties they respect and protect human dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons without distinction as to race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin.

The Committee also encouraged the State parties to continue taking measures to avoid the marginalisation of some groups of immigrants and members of ethnic minorities in ghetto-like neighbourhoods and guarantee the equal enjoyment of the right to adequate housing to all.

What should be done?

These concerns call for a concerted national and global strategy at settlement of the Gypsy community that would address two issues.

Firstly, their integration into society should be accompanied by full civic rights and their right to their own cultural heritage should be preserved.

What this means is that the Gypsies, like any other community in society, should be entitled to the respect and legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of their own society, no matter how they are settled. They should also have the right to citizenship, the right to political representation and the right to vote.

What they have inherited from past generations should be maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. Secondly, their settlement should be with full and equal human rights, in particular social, cultural and religious rights.

As a final gesture of democracy, and taking into consideration their traditional proclivity of moving from place to place, they should have the freedom of choice to move their abode and should not be tied down to a particular settlement for any length of time.

(The writer is the Coordinator, Air Transport Programmes International Civil Aviation Organisation, Montreal, Canada.)