Brochures of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2004:2 Finland´s Romani People Finitiko romaseele Helsinki, Finland 2004 Contents The Roma today 3 The Roma and legislation 5 History 6 Language and culture 7 Living conditions 8 Social and health care services 10 Child daycare and school attendance 11 Labour market training 13 Participation and organisational activities 14 International cooperation and human rights 15 The Advisory Board on Romani Affairs 17 Provincial Advisory Boards 18 Points of emphasis 18 The Romani Education Unit 19 The Romani Language Board 20 Development of the Roma’s position in Finland 21 Finitiko romaseele 23 Translation: Mark Waller ISSN 1236-2123 ISBN 952-00-1461-6 4th edition Edition of 1,500 Lay-out: AT-Julkaisutoimisto Oy 2 Printing: Suomen Printman Oy, Hyvinkää 2004 The Roma today Finland’s Roma are a linguistic and cultural minority who have lived in the country for over 500 years. There are an estimated 10,000 Roma in Finland and about 3,000 Finnish Roma living in Sweden. The majority of Roma live in the cities of southern and western Finland, though there are Roma communities throughout the country. Like other Finns, most Roma belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Some are also active members of the Pentecostal Movement and other nonconformist Christian denominations. FThe Roma are Finnish citizens and enjoy full civil rights and are subject to the civic duties these entail. They have a strong cultural identity of their own but also emphatically regard themselves as Finns. Finnish Roma are actively involved in building Finnish society. Their participation in Finland’s wars during 1939 – 1945 had a strong influence in shaping their national identity. Finnish policy concerning minorities started to change at the end of the 1970s, with the enactment of the first anti-discrimination legislation. The assimilation policy of the early part of the century was abandoned and special measures were introduced to im- A Roma family enjoy prove the economic, educational and social position of the Roma and Sami. The powerful traditional Finnish food. structural changes that swept through Finnish society after the end of the Second World Photo: Pekka Elomaa War undermined the traditional Roma means of livelihood. At the same time, general welfare policy has improved and stabilised the living conditions of the Roma. The Roma have preserved their own lan- guage and culture for hundreds of years, but in each period of their history they have faced different challenges. On average, they are in a weaker economic and social position compared to other Finns. Earlier, the Roma tended to be wary of education, as schools were one of the means used to assimilate them into the major- ity population. The constant lack of housing, too, made it difficult for decades for the Roma to attend schools. During the 1990s they be- gan to take a more positive view of education – with having an education something to be 3 proud of – and this has been influenced by the growing strength of Romani language and culture in Finnish society. State backing for the learning of Romani language and culture started in the 1980s. Despite their equal legal status, the Roma have yet to achieve full equality in Finland. They continue to experience discrimination in the everyday lives. The general courts deal with cases of discrimination, but only a small fraction of actual cases involving discrimina- tion in working and business life are ever brought before the courts. The position of the Roma has nevertheless improved due to the combined efforts of the authorities and the Roma themselves. The majority population have learned to understand Romani customs and to respect Romani culture. The more positive climate has been influ- enced by the active work of the Romani organisations and the various forums and informa- tion sessions that have been arranged for the majority population. The Roma press and radio news service further enhance and develop the Romani language. The Roma are recognised among the majority population for their input into cultural life. In addition, the participa- tion of the Roma in society has increased their interaction with the majority population. It is considered important to develop cooperation between the different fields of ad- ministration to improve the situation of the Roma and to eradicate all forms of dis- crimination against them. In this it is essential to sup- port the participation of the Roma population in society. Education lies at the heart of policy concerning mi- norities and is an effective means to prevent social ex- clusion among the Roma. Family communality is integral to Romani culture. 4 Photo: Pekka Elomaa The Roma and legislation The acting principle of Finnish policy towards the Roma is to take account of the hopes and expectations of the Roma population in matters and measures concerning them. A general change in attitudes was reflected in the 1995 reform of constitutional rights, which for the first time secured the position of the Roma in legislation. Under the 2000 reform of the Constitution: ”No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differ- ently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, Thealth, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person.” Another important reform was the right of the Sami and Roma to maintain and develop their own language and cul- ture. This was also bolstered by the Decree on Children’s Daycare, which enabled support for Romani language and culture, and by the Basic Education Act, which confirmed the place of the Roma language as a mother tongue. The law mentions the right of the Roma to maintain and develop their own language and it obligates the public authorities to back this. This is a substantial support for improving the situation of the Roma. The European Union (EU) also requires its member states to take measures to prevent ethnic and racial discrimination. Two Council of Europe treaties which came into force at the beginning of 1998 and which have been ratified by national legislation are milestones in strengthening the position of the Roma in Finland. In ratifying the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages Finland identified Romani as a non-territorial minor- ity language, and in ratifying the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Finland identified the Roma and the Sami as traditional national minorities. In 2004 the Equality Act came into force, which strengthened Finland’s anti-discrimina- tion legislation. The aim of the act is to promote and safeguard equality and boost the legal protection of people who are targets of discrimination. The law is based on the EU’s directives on racism and workplace discrimination. It forbids both direct and indirect discrimination and applies to everyone in public and private activities covered by the act. The Equality Act saw the creation of a new legal rights agency, the office of Ombudsman for Minorities of the Discrimination Board. An important reform at the European level is Protocol 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights Human which broadens Article 13 of the Convention to cover all forms of discrimination. The Office of the Ombudsman for Minorities was founded under the ordinances of the Ministry of Labour in 2002. The duties of the Ombudsman are to promote good eth- nic relations and to monitor the situation and rights of foreigners and ethnic minorities. 5 The Ombudsman for Minorities is also tasked to oversee the fulfilment of the equal treat- ment of people regardless of their ethnic origin in cooperation with other authorities. These legislative reforms, international treaties as well as the government action pro- gramme help develop the position of the Roma and promote good ethnic relations. This requires that attention is given to carrying out legislation. In reality, the laws that afford protection to the Roma are insufficient, as they encounter discrimination in their every- day lives. Romani women can be considered to suffer from double discrimination due to their sex and their ethnic background and related style of dress. History The Roma came to Finland via Sweden, the Baltic countries and Russia during the 16th century. Finland was at that time part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The attitude of the Swedish-Finnish authorities to the Roma was distinctly negative, and they were denied access to all church sacraments and services and to hospital care. The ‘hanging law’ of 1637 made it legal to kill any Roma found in the kingdom. During the 19th century, when Up until the 1960s the Roma still lived Finland was a Grand Duchy of Russia, some effort was made to integrate Roma into soci- a roving life. A horse Tety. Contact between the Roma and the majority population took place at grassroots level and caravan were most valued possessions. through commercial activity. th Photo: Advisory Board In the early 20 century, public opinion sought to assimilate the Roma into the major- on Romani Affairs ity population. The means used included taking Romani children into custody and placing them in children’s homes. As- similation continued to be the main aim of official policy until the middle of the century. When Finland became independent in 1917 all population groups became Finn- ish citizens. At the same time, the cultural and linguistic rights of the Swedish speak- ing minority were guaranteed. The service of the Roma in the Finnish armed forces during the war years of 1939 – 1945 had 6 a strong influence in shaping their Finnish identity. The Finnish Roma see themselves primarily as a national minority. They ground this in their having lived in Finland since the 16th century and having become deeply rooted in the country.