International meeting of young activists in Budapest discussed how to combat antigypsyism
Last week in Budapest, Hungary a group of young people from around Europe got together. The meeting was called "Youth Ambassadors of the Decade against Antigypsyism" and aimed to shine a light on the issue of antigypsyism through informal education, to teach young people about human rights, and to provide them with tools for standing up to this kind of discrimination.
The event was organized by the Council of Europe, the European Roma Grassroots Organizations (ERGO) Network, and ternYpe and took place in Budapest at the European Youth Center. I personally attended with the desire to learn more about the issue of antigypsyism and to get to know other young activists from all over Europe.
Meeting the human rights activists Gwendolyn Albert and Elena Gorolová, who have been combating the forced sterilization of Romani women for years, was very inspiring to me. Our discussion about their work, their motivations and the obstacles they face motivated me greatly.
The work done by Albert and Gorolová demonstrates that individuals can have a fundamental impact on human rights protections and the fight for justice. Antigypsyism is the discrimination and racism against Roma and those who have characteristics similar to the Roma.
As a mindset, antigypsyism is a limiting factor in the lives of Roma all over Europe to a significant degree. The meeting showed us that it is a problem that affects us all.
We discussed specific steps we can take to aid the change that needs to happen in this regard. Another important moment was the presentation by Gabriela Hrabaňová, director of ERGO, who shared her strategy on lobbying for the rights of Romani people at different levels, from the EU to the local level.
Hrabaňová’s “sandwich” method shows how we can collaborate effectively with EU institutions and aid the creation of legislation to protect the rights of Romani people. The method consists of convincing politicians at EU level to co-create both policy and pressure on governments from above.
Domestic organizations then share that information with their partners to push on governments from below. The meeting reminded us that antigypsyism is a problem of society as a whole and that through common efforts we can achieve positive transformations.
We are the Youth Ambassadors of the Decade against Antigypsyism, and it is our obligation to raise awareness about this issue and to actively work to eliminate it. I believe that together we can create a better, more just future for all irrespective of their ethnicity.
