Strategy for the empowerment of Roma and Traveler Women and Girls in post - Covid 19 period

<< Background >>Roma is one of the most vulnerable groups and regrettably, Roma are primarily viewed and treated as a social problem, through the lens of marginalization, exclusion, and poverty. Roma ethnic identity is frequently problematic and it is associated with a social stigma- as if the socioeconomic problems that many Roma face were typical of an ethnicity rather than symptomatic of structurally unjust societies and a consequence of centuries of oppression, prejudice, discrimination, and genocide. Romani women and youth are facing double discrimination, one as representatives of their ethnic minority and one, as being pushed to the margins within and outside their own community. The pandemic came to worsen an already burdened situation, leaving more and more Roma women out of employment or being trapped in violent domestic environment at the edge of poverty. The National Roma Integration Strategies should be improved and revised to reflect the issues facing Roma women and girls today and to suggest concrete remedies. Romani women and girls need to become more self-sufficient, generate their own income, be able to make their own decisions regarding their lives, including those relating to their employment, education, and place in society.<< Objectives >>The aim of the project was to develop a strategy for the empowerment of Roma and Traveler women and girls especially after the consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic that impacted them in a much greater level. So, the main objective was to create Roma Youth Women Action policy recommendations report applicable for the realities in Greece, Belgium and Sweden. Other objectives of the project included: •Drafting the current situation of Romani women and youth (via 15 local action groups with 195 participants) and drawing lessons from the Covid-19 crisis and how this affected them in each country. •Updating and upgrading the 3 National Strategies for Roma Inclusion and integration actions promoting Romani women empowerment and inclusion. •Researching and elaborating of 24 good practices / initiatives that support Romani women and you throughout Europe. •Common Policy planning and strategy proposal for Roma and Traveler Feminism and Youth Activism on local, regional, national and international level. •Policy recommendations for Roma Youth Action in 9 categories (Integration, allocation of funds, housing, employment, etc.), as a result of the previous actions<< Implementation >>Act1: The opening meeting with 2-days duration that was hosted by WINNET in Sweden with two representatives from each partner where specific aspects of the implementation were discussed such as activities, financial management and coordination.Act2: Management and Coordination. The lead partner FOR ME was responsible for the overall management while each partner was responsible for the management and coordination of their actions.Act3: Organization of 15 local action groups that met to discuss different subjects concerning Romani women and the post-Covid period and engaged participants .Act4: Each partner developed a national report based on the results of the action group meetings and how these can be incorporated in their National Strategies for Roma Inclusion.Act5: Each partner developed a research and report on good practices implemented in the field of Romani Women and Youth support in Europe.Act6: Think Tank. The partners organized a 2-days workshop in Greece bringing together experts from all partner countries to discuss on Roma feminism and youth activism.Act7: The partners developed a paper with recommendations to develop a Roma Women Action PolicyAct8: Organized the closing meeting in Brussels with 2-days duration<< Results >>Through the organization of the opening meeting, all partners acquired a clear view of their tasks and responsibilities. In addition, through the management and coordination activity, they were all familiar with the processes of implementing their actions, the allocation of their budget and the process of making decisions and resolving conflicts. 15 local action groups were organized to discuss different aspects of Romani Women challenges. 3 different reports were developed on the current situation of Roma women and national strategies in each partner country. Research was developed on good practices on Romani women and youth on European level and three reports were developed presenting the findings. 1 workshop, in the form of a think tank was organized with the participation of 44 experts from partner countries and other European origins. Through this event, partners gathered valuable information for developing suggestions for planning new policies or updating existing ones and creating strategies for Romani women feminism and youth activism. Taking into account all the outcomes and results of all the previous activities, the partnership developed paper with numerous recommendations to develop a Roma Youth Action Plan Policy.