Romani people in Romania

The Romani: a nomadic group

The term ‘Romani’ was assigned to describe the last nomadic people of our time. According to a study by the European Council (1994), the Romany minority is considered “the most influential” in numerical terms.

The Romany people originated in India one thousand years ago, and by now have dispersed throughout the world, reaching a population of more than ten million in Europe alone.

The Romani people and Romania: a valuable contribution

In Romania, the two largest minorities are the Romani and the Hungarians.

These minorities receive financial support from the state to meet their substantial needs. The poorest of Hungarian families receive “social” assistance to survive. To receive this financial aid the Hungarian families must renounce their rights to valuable possessions, unlike Romani families who receive the same assistance unconditionally.

In the case of unemployment, whether Romanians and Hungarians are obligated to provide evidence of an unremitting job search in order to receive welfare per 1-year period. A Romani receives the same welfare, with no time restriction whatsoever, nor conditions of job search.

Particular living conditions

The minimum wage in Romania is around 200€ per month, and the average salary between 200-400€. The average size of a Romany family tends to consist of two adults with five to ten children. Accounting for the social aid and unemployment benefits they receive, it is not uncommon to see Romany families with a higher income than families in which adults are employed and do not receive social assistance. This disparity in justifiable income begs the question: do differences in government-provided welfare discourage citizens from actively seeking employment?

“The ability to claim child support and financial aid per child in the short term is often motivation enough to have several children, as many do not think ahead to financial sustainability over the duration of the children’s lives. Many families have more than ten children. In one case study, a 46-year-old mother of eleven children does not own a bed to sleep in

Romany education system

Due to complete lack of monitoring from the parents, education is often overlooked. Parents are simply not interested in their child’s education, despite the fact that school attendance is mandatory to receive child support. When this is not respected, which still happens on a regular basis, the child support is suspended, and the children unwillingly return to school. These conditions were imposed recently to avoid wandering children on the streets.

Different kind of people

As a consequence of Romanian history and its tragedies, to this day there are conflicts between Hungarians, Romanians and Romany. Over time the different groups have learned to co-exist and accept each other, as no other choice is available. Today’s youth and children carry less hatred towards other groups than earlier generations.

Testomonial:

“I can only hope that people are aware of the fact that not all Romany are thieves or beggars. Some of us make an honest living, and do whatever we can to integrate and adapt to society. And some beggars do actually beg because they have no other choice; elderly people, sick people, people no one wants to give a chance. I think the most important thing to remember is that it’s not necessarily the person sitting on the street holding out his hand who is the real victim, but often the true victim is the person fighting the battles of discrimination in his everyday life as he is trying to make an honest living providing for himself and his family. I hope people think twice before judging and are intelligent enough to look beyond what meets the eye.” (Anonymous Romany construction worker, 39, Csikszereda, Romania)