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Roma children
Romani children are widely affected by poverty in all European countries. Poverty rates among Roma are four times higher than for non-Romani households in the same (geographical) community. The effects of poverty inside the Roma community particularly affect children. Around 40% of Roma live in households where somebody went to bed hungry at least once in the last month because they could not afford to buy food. According to UNDP survey data, between 70% and 90% of the Roma they interviewed live in conditions of severe deprivation. The proportion of non-Roma in such conditions is significantly lower.
Basic facts on Roma children
With about 12 million people, Roma constitute the largest ethnic minority group in the EU.
Roma have been a part of European civilisation for hundreds of years, as they migrated from the Indian subcontinent Although Roma are often described as leading a nomadic way of life, 95% of European Roma are settled in one place.
Roma have the same rights as any other European citizen, yet poverty and social exclusion is widespread among the Roma population in the EU, as they are frequently discriminated in the fields of education, employment, housing and healthcare.
Roma do not have an independent national homeland state to provide authority over a certain geographic area. This means that the Roma do not have a unified political body to look after and advocate for their best interests.
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