GIVE YOUR VOTE NOW for the ERTF Charter of Rights for the Roma
With regard to the situation of Roma in terms of human rights in Council of Europe member states, the Forum has agreed to develop a country-by-country approach, and following the analysis of the situation, make suggestions and proposals as to how the problems of racism and Anti-Gypsyism identified in each country might be overcome.
Existing recommendations and resolutions have two weaknesses: Firstly, inter-governmental bodies, such as the OSCE, the UN-Commission on Human Rights, or the Council of Europe, tend to work in a vacuum and their conclusions are sometimes diluted as a result of negotiations. Participation of representatives of the Roma community in the preparation of these texts would resolve part of this problem.
Secondly, these recommendations and resolutions are usually not binding; and often not applied by member states. If improvements are to be made to protect the human rights of the Roma, a binding European Charter on Roma Rights needs to be drafted and ratified by member states. This would enable the Roma and their representatives to use all legal means to ensure the implementation of measures.
The Plenary Assembly of the European Roma and Travellers Forum in November 2006 entrusted its Executive Committee with the preparation of a draft of this charter which would bring together all the existing recommendations on the situation of Roma into a single binding legal instrument. The Plenary Assembly adopted a document which would serve as a basis for drafting such a charter.
In 2007/08 the Forum’s Directorate on Human Rights and Directorate on Migration organised several discussion groups with Roma and non-Roma experts on Human Rights and International Law to examine a first draft of the text which was prepared in early 2007.
A legal expert has also provided a second draft which was discussed at the Plenary Assembly of the Forum in November 2008.
A Charter of Rights for the Roma have been created based on this analysis.
The final version of the document is now available for you and we need your vote. We kindly ask you to visit our web-page: www.ertf.org/referendum to have a look at the ERTF Charter of Rights for the Roma and vote either YES or NO.
Each person who feels that he belong to Roma, Sinti, Traveller and all related groups all over the world will have an unique opportunity to express themselves in the next 72 hours starting October the 9th 2009 at 00:00h by entering his/her e-mail address and by clicking the Yes or No button.
Your participation and your vote in this unique e-referendum is vital and will contribute to shaping of the Roma movement.