Research on the Social Norms Which Prevent Roma Girls from Access to Education
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RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NORMS WHICH PREVENT ROMA GIRLS FROM ACCESS TO EDUCATION RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NORMS WHICH PREVENT ROMA GIRLS FROM ACCESS TO EDUCATION UNICEF Sofia, 2016 This publication was prepared by Sophia Zahova as per UNICEF Bulgaria assignment. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. This publication should be quoted in any reprint, in whole or in part. RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NORMS WHICH PREVENT ROMA GIRLS FROM ACCESS TO EDUCATION © 2016 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) February 2016 ISBN 978-954-92855-6-7 Permission is required to reproduce the text of this publication. Please contact the Communication section of UNICEF Bulgaria, tel. +359 2/ 9696 208 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Blvd Dondukov 87, fl oor 2 Sofi a 1054, Bulgaria Cover photo: © UNICEF Bulgaria/2015/Noorani For further information, please visit the UNICEF Bulgaria website at www.unicef.bg Contents 1. Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1 2. Approach and methods ........................................................................................................... 4 2.1. Aim and objectives ...............................................................................................................4 2.2. Subject and object ............................................................................................................... 4 2.3. Main definitions ....................................................................................................................5 2.4. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 5 3. Romani communities and girls’ access to education ........................................................... 7 3.1. Romani Communities ..........................................................................................................7 3.2. Roma educational status and Romani girls dropping out of the educational system.......... 9 3.3. Romani family. Gender roles – traditional models and their dynamics ............................. 13 3.4. Roma marriage ................................................................................................................. 16 3.5. Age at marriage. Child marriages and early births ............................................................17 3.6. Educational factors related to ethno-culture and the way of living ....................................26 4. Legislative framework, practices, policies and strategic documents ............................... 30 4.1. Legislation in the fields of education, social assistance, and protection of the child’s rights .................................................................................... 30 4.2. Criminal Code and Case Law ........................................................................................... 34 4.3. Strategic documents and analyses that address the problem .......................................... 38 4.4. Practices and initiatives for prevention among Romani communities ...............................41 4.5. The problem with child marriages and Romani girls’ education in Europe ....................... 42 5. Socio-cultural norms of the Romani communities in the three regions ........................... 43 5.1. Attitudes and practices of Romani communities in Montana region ................................. 43 5.2. Attitudes and practices of Romani communities in the region of Sliven ............................50 5.3. Attitudes and practices of Romani communities in the region of Shumen ........................ 60 6. Conclusions and recommendations..................................................................................... 68 6.1. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 68 6.2. Recommendations .............................................................................................................77 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................81 7. Appendixes ............................................................................................................................. 87 7.1. Appendix: List of locations and target groups, participating the in field work ....................87 7.2. Appendix: List of experts and activists interviewed ...........................................................88 RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NORMS WHICH PREVENT ROMA GIRLS FROM ACCESS TO EDUCATION 1 2 RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NORMS WHICH PREVENT ROMA GIRLS FROM ACCESS TO EDUCATION Social norms in Romani communities that prevent girls’ access to education and particularly to secondary education 1. 1. INTRODUCTION UNICEF Bulgaria/2013/Pirozzi Romani children and youth, and girls in particular, tend to drop out from the educational system in some communities despite the constitutionally guaranteed right to education and the regulated compulsory education for all Bulgarian citizens aged 5 to 16. The reasons for that are, on the one hand, rooted in the socioeconomic living conditions, and on the other, connected with the communities’ socio- normative peculiarities and the view of girls’ self-realization and life path. Institutions and stakeholders in Bulgaria are still facing the challenge of what measures to implement in order to fulfill the right to education and how to improve the educational status of Romani communities. The steps taken so far are rather in the mode of sanctions and penalties imposed upon the Romani children’s families. There is a lack of effective and systematic measures that are designed according to the variety of reasons hindering the access to education, which would facilitate the prevention of school dropouts. Several documents adopted at the government level address the problem of Romani girls’ dropping out of school and view child marriage as one of the reasons for it. Among them is the National Strategy for the Child 2008-2018, the Action Plan on the implementation of the final recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Other strategic RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NORMS WHICH PREVENT ROMA GIRLS FROM ACCESS TO EDUCATION 3 documents such as the National Strategy for Demographic Development in the Republic of Bulgaria (2012-2030), the National Roma Integration Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria (2012-2020), the Strategy for Reducing the Share of Early School Leavers (2013-2020), the Strategy for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities, and the Action Plan for its implementation for the period 2015-2020 also pay attention to the need for preventing school dropouts, pointing to the ethno-cultural, social, and economic reasons related to the higher proportion of such dropouts among the Roma. In the Country Programme Action Plan 2013-2017, signed with the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, UNICEF-Bulgaria commits to contribute to the implementation of policies supporting the creation of an educational environment for young people and disadvantaged children, especially Romani girls. The report summarizes and analyzes behavior patterns viewed as part of the Romani communities’ socio-normative system and associated with the issue of child marriages and early childbirths. The patterns are regarded in relation to their impact on Romani girls’ access to education and school attendance. The report is the result of research on the main factors and actors/parties/members of a community or a family that all affect the social norms and contribute to maintaining child-marriage practices. Along with the study of issues and factors for Romani girls’ dropping out of school, the research aims to reveal the positive trends in Romani communities by giving examples of Romani families where children are encouraged to continue their education. For the research, it was important to register not only the characteristic profile of Roma communities and families where fulfillment of the right to education is problematic for girls, but also to observe those groups where the right to compulsory education is fully implemented and the youngsters’ level of education is comparable to the national average. The hypothesis was that via examination of groups or communities where youngsters have lower education (and their comparison to those where the average level does not differ from that of the country) the research can secure solutions for engagement that aim to achieve a qualitative change in communities with lower levels of education. The following analysis is an outcome of the research “Social Norms in Romani Communities that Prevent Girls’ Access to Education and Particularly to Secondary Education”, commissioned by UNICEF-Bulgaria. It was conducted in the period September 2014 – January 2015 and is comprised of two phases: 1) analysis of existing reports, studies, data and strategic documents discussing the issue of socio-cultural norms, child marriage and education among the Roma in Bulgaria and in other countries of the Balkan region and Europe, and 2) a field research among Romani communities in the local administrative regions Shumen, Montana, Sliven, as well as interviews with Roma activists and experts in the field of education and