and Balkan Europe
by IECOB & AIS Università di Bologna
European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)
The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) is an international public interest law organisation working to combat anti-Romani racism and human rights abuse of Roma through strategic litigation, research and policy development, advocacy and human rights education. The ERRC was established in 1996 and since then has endeavoured to provide Roma with the tools necessary to combat discrimination and achieve equal access to justice, education, housing, health care and public services.
Within the daily activities of ERRC are, advocating for Roma Rights every single day, pushing States to reform their legislation and policy, highlighting and fighting racism and discrimination. ERRC's vision is a future where Romani children have access to quality mainstream education; where Roma families live in decent housing and have every chance to access the labour market. ERRC is fighting to aim all Romani individuals to be accepted as full members of society as they fully deserve, and not be treated as second class citizens.
The ERRC maintains an extensive archive of Roma rights related information on its website and publishes human rights reports, press releases, a regular newsletter, the prestigious journal Roma Rights, pamphlets, position papers and educational materials. Information is regularly shared via an electronic listserve.
The ERRC has published over 25 book-length reports documenting the human rights situation of Roma in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The ERRC has also produced more than 100 advocacy submissions to international treaty-monitoring bodies.The ERRC works closely with various media through outreach, education and information sharing, in order to improve coverage of Roma rights related matters in Europe and ensure balanced reporting concerning Roma.
ERRC Achievements
ERRC has:
- Exposed and condemned the systemic abuse of Roma rights across Europe;
- Focused public attention and political priorities on the human rights situation of Roma in Europe;
- Contributed to the development of public interest law in the region, through litigation and legal training in the field of Roma rights;
- Secured access to justice and redress for human rights violations for Roma across Europe;
- Developed significant jurisprudence on discrimination in access to education and the state response to racially-motivated violence through a series of landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights;
- Influenced the human rights aspects of EU enlargement, through monitoring of compliance with the “Copenhagen criteria” by EU candidate countries and ensuring that the situation of Roma is addressed as a priority issue by both EU Member States and candidate countries;
- Written several significant policy documents on behalf of the European Commission (Roma in an Enlarged European Union) and the Fundamental Rights Agency (Housing Conditions of Roma and Travellers in the EU and The Situation of Roma EU Citizens Moving to and Settling in Other EU Member States); and
- Become one of the leading advocates in implementing anti-discrimination and human rights law in Europe.
Strategic Priorities
The ERRC's thematic priorities for 2013-2017 include:
- State response to violence and hate speech
- Access to education
- Access to housing
- Free movement and migration
- Identity documents
- Women’s and children’s rights
- Disaggregated data collection
Reasearch and Advocacy
In recent years, the ERRC has conducted research on the human rights situation of Roma and produced a number of reports on behalf of European institutions, including:
- European Commission: Improving the tools for the social inclusion and non-discrimination of Roma in the EU (2010)
- European Commission: Improving the tools for the social inclusion and non-discrimination of Roma in the EU - summary and selected projects (2010)
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights: Housing Conditions of Roma and Travellers in the European Union (2009)
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights: The situation of Roma EU citizens moving to and settling in other EU Member States (2009)
- European Union: Situation of Roma in an Enlarged European Union (2004)
Strategic Litigation
The ERRC has set in motion more than 500 court cases in 15 countries to bring to justice state and non-state actors who have discriminated against Romani individuals or have committed violence against them. It has secured over 2 million EUR in compensation for Romani individuals for the abuse they have suffered and the subsequent failure of their respective governments to ensure justice. The ERRC engages in strategic litigation seeking to reverse patterns of human rights abuse and discrimination against Roma. ERRC legal work aims to empower Roma through law and strengthen the network of legal advocates working on behalf of Roma.
The ERRC is active in both domestic and international litigation. The ERRC supports local lawyers in domestic legal proceedings both professionally and financially. When domestic remedies are exhausted, the ERRC prepares legal submissions to international tribunals, including the European Court of Human Rights, the European Committee of Social Rights and UN treaty bodies.
The ERRC is currently involved in 43 cases in 11 States (at domestic and European levels), and is following up the implementation of judgments in another 10 cases.
Internships
The ERRC offers professional internships for Romani and non-Romani individuals every year. Work with the legal or programmes department, and be involved in a wide range of activities, depending on ERRCs needs and your interests and abilities.
ERRC interns may, for example, provide administrative support, arrange events and research missions, monitor human rights developments through desk and/or field research, draft or edit reports or legal documents, translate texts, conduct legal research and assist in preparing cases for litigation, work on advocacy or support human rights education activities.
If you are interested for an internship in ERRC, clich here.
Available languages:
- Englsih
Direct link
- Surf the website of the European Roma Rights Centre in (English)
PECOB: Portal on Central Eastern and Balkan Europe - University of Bologna - 1, S. Giovanni Bosco - Faenza - Italy
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