Women's rights and the national minorities
| Author | Frasie Cristina Otovescu |
| Position | Assist. prof. Ph.D. Faculty of Law and Administrative Sciences, University of Craiova; Departament: Public Law and Administrative Sciences, Coordinator of Department of Human Rights Studies at Social Institute Oltenia, University of Craiova |
| Pages | 328-332 |
WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND THE NATIONAL MINORITIES
Otovescu Frsie Cristina *
Abstract
When they are less integr ated in the society, the women from the ethnic minorities a re more vulnerab le
to different forms of violence and exploitation from men, unlike the women that belong to the majority society.
Key words: ethnic minorities, women, legislation, education, socia l integration
Introduction
The women tha t belong to the ethnic minorities a re in disadvantage to the women tha t belong to the
majority. That's why, there must be dr awn policies for the social integration of the women from the ethnic
minorities that should encompass measur es to combat the discrimination and to facilita te their access to
dwellings, to having a job, to education, hea lth and social ser vices and to promote the respect for the
fundamental rights.
The right of the national women minorities
At European level, under the d ispositions of the Treaty regar ding the Europea n Union and the Cha rter
of fundamental rights, are stipulated the rights of the women who belong to some ethic minority gr oups.
Although art. 2 1 from the Char ter of Funda mental Rights of the Europea n Union forbids any form of
discrimination based on the belonging to a national minority, practically, many ethnic minority communities that
live in EU are affected by discrimination, social exclusion and segregation. Discrimination must be eliminated in
all the countries of the European Union, especially Romania, both in school and at t he working place.
The women that belong to the ethnic minorities are in disadvantage to the women that belong to the
majority. That's why, there are policies regarding the social integration of the women from the ethnic minorities
that e ncompass measures of fighting against discrimination and facilitate the access to dwellings, to having a
working place, education, health and social services and to promote the respect for the fundamental rig hts.
Through a proper education is desired a better inclusion on the labor market and, in such a way, raises
the life quality.
In Romania, after 1989, is noticed a n obvious tendency of proliferation regarding the illiteracy. The
phenomenon concerning the growth of the illiteracy took place in parallel with the decreasing of the interest for
the participation to the school activities. Some statistic data indicates the fac t that, generally, 14.5% of the Rroma
men didn't go to school, while the percent of the uneducated women was higher of 23.5%. Also, 17.3% from the
Rroma children of 7-16 years old had never been to school. The low rate of implication of the Rroma children in
the educational system is considered to have multiple economic and cultural motivations
1.
For a better integration, the legislation referring to migration and asylum 2 should be improved to
promote even more the integration of women from the ethnic minorities. Referring to the social inclusion of
these women, there are programs of the institutions or NGOs through which is desired the avoiding of the
multiple discrimination, the stereotypes, the stigmatization and the ethnic segregation.
The women3 that belong to the ethnic minorities are subjected to a multiple discrimination and are more
vulnerable to the social exclusion and poverty and to extremely serious infringements of the human rights 4.
In t he Romanian society, many Rroma people5 can 't hire with a legal working contract because they
don't have any identity cards. Even the Rroma with identity cards have difficulties when employing. In a
presentation film, realized on the Prelungirea Ferentari street from Bucharest, a Rroma woman tells about an
experience she had when she wanted to become employed: “I first went there dressed as poorly as I was. Where
from to get a nicer piece of clothes to wear? I went plainly, as I were” “and when that lad y saw me, she didn't
want to hire me. She refused although I told her I had four children and I was poor”. “Then, I went the second
time, because a Romanian woman advised me. She had told me: «Try to dress nicer, put some lipstick on... Do
whatever it is necessary not to have such a blackly tint to sho w t hat you are a gypsy». So, that Romanian girl
spoke to me plainly. I went home, I asked a girl I knew: “give me something to wear” she gave me and then I put
* Assist. prof. Ph.D. Faculty of Law and Administrative Sciences, University of Craiova; Departament: Public Law and Administrative
Sciences, Coordinator of Department of Human Rights Studies at Social Institute Oltenia, University of Craiova, e-mail: otocris@yahoo.com
1 F. Buhuceanu, Statutul social al minoritii rome, in Social Assistance Magazine, No. 4-5/2002, p. 168.
2 For more details see Elena-Ana Nechita, Libera circulaie a persoanelor în spaiul Uniunii Europene, AGORA University Press, Oradea,
2010, p. 115-116.
3 Maria Pescaru, Asistena şi protecia social a familiei, Tiparg Publishing House, Piteşti, 2011, p. 14.
4 For example, the human beings traffic.
5 Maria Pescaru, Ibidem
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