ERRC Urges Restraint and Responsible Reporting in Child Removal Cases

The ERRC is concerned by increasing reports of children being removed from
Roma families, following reports about a child taken from her home in a Romani
settlement in Greece. Another child has since been removed from her home in
Ireland, according to media reports.

We ask the media to act responsibly in reporting the situation, especially as
the full facts of the original case have still not been established.

The ERRC is aware of at least one report from Serbia where skinheads tried to
take away a two-year old boy from his parents because he was "not as dark as his
parents". Irresponsible reporting could have severe, negative consequences for
Roma families across Europe.

If a crime has been committed in Greece, and this is still by no means clear,
those who committed it should be treated as individuals, not as representatives
of their ethnicity. Such a case could arise in any racial, ethnic, religious or
national group.

Criminality is not related to ethnicity. Roma children are, however, much
more likely to be put into state care, trapped in segregated education, and
forcibly evicted from their homes. These are the stories that don’t make it to
the front page.

We urge restraint, and we urge all local authorities, media outlets and other
stakeholders to fully examine the facts before acting.