Today, on International Roma Day, the ERRC Roma Rights Network was launched after its first meeting was held in Budapest. The network includes 18 human rights organisations from 15 different countries and seeks to unite activists, Roma and non-Roma alike, who are fighting to protect the human rights of Romani people throughout Europe.
The Roma Rights Network exists to promote a human rights based approach to Romani activism. Its members are both Roma-led organisations and human rights groups focussed on improving access to basic rights for Romani communities. The network aims to impact the human rights agenda for Roma in Europe, improve rights-based advocacy efforts, foster debate about Roma Rights issues and increase the use of human rights litigation as a tool of activism.
The network is facilitated by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) which acts as an equal partner alongside other members. It is envisaged that the network will grow and the members are open to new partnerships with human rights focussed non-profits who are active in challenging rights violations of Romani communities.
The ERRC Roma Rights Network consists of:
- European Roma Rights Centre, Belgium
- Equal Opportunities, Bulgaria
- Organization Drom, Bulgaria
- Forum for Human Rights, Czech Republic
- The Finnish Roma Association, Finland
- La Voix des Rroms, France
- Rom e.V, Germany
- Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece
- Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Hungary
- Associazione 21 luglio Onlus, Italy
- Naga, Italy
- Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, North Macedonia
- RomaJust, Romania
- Group for Children and Youth Indigo, Serbia
- Vojvođanski Romski Centar, Serbia
- EduRoma, Slovakia
- Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Spain
- Vested, Ukraine
For further information, see the website of the European Roma Rights Network.