Anti-Roma hate crime

OSCE participating States recognized the danger of ethnic hatred targeting Roma and Sinti as early as 1990. Anti-Roma rhetoric, including that focusing on "Gypsy criminality", can be perpetuated in the media and by political actors. EU enlargement, coupled with Roma marginalization, have led many Roma individuals and families to seek better conditions and opportunities elsewhere through migration, often encountering negative reactions in destination countries or areas. ODIHR's annual reporting on hate crime has presented a range of hate crimes targeting Roma. Assault, property damage and murder, involving the use of explosives, firearms or Molotov cocktails have featured in these reports. Among the particularly worrying incidents reported to ODIHR have been arson attacks against Roma homes.

More recently, Ministerial Council decisions in Maastricht (2003), Athens (2009) and Kiev (2013), as well as the Astana declaration (2010) have reconfirmed the need to combat violence against Roma and Sinti and urged participating States to step up their efforts in this regard.

A number of factors suggest that the reported data provide only a fragment of the overall picture of hate crimes against Roma and Sinti. While some participating States record anti-Roma hate crimes, these may not be disaggregated in their statistics and, instead, be included under the heading of racist and xenophobic hate crimes. In addition excessive force against or ill-treatment of Roma, including, for example, in the course of evictions or during stop-and-search actions by the police, can contribute to a lack of trust in the authorities. This, combined with a lack of means and knowledge on the part of Roma communities to monitor and report hate crimes means that these are likely significantly under-reported.

ODIHR TANDIS

Overview of incidents reported by other sources

Violent attacks against people Threats/Harassment Attacks against property Total
43 8 16 67

Date Country Type of incident Source Description
2018 Austria Attacks against property ZARA Show info
2018 Italy Threats/Harassment Association 21 July Show info
2018 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018 Greece Violent attacks against people Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) Show info
2018-01 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-01 Moldova Violent attacks against people OSCE Mission to Moldova Show info
2018-02 Czech Republic Attacks against property In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-02 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-02 Belarus Violent attacks against people Human Constanta Show info
2018-02 Italy Threats/Harassment Lunaria Show info
2018-03 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-03 Czech Republic Attacks against property In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-03 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July Show info
2018-03 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-03 Greece Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-04 Ukraine Attacks against property Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-04 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-04 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-04 Poland Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-04 Bosnia and Herzegovina Violent attacks against people OSCE Mission to Bosnia And Herzegovina Show info
2018-04 Ukraine Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-04 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-04 Ukraine Attacks against property OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-04 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-05 Czech Republic Attacks against property In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-05 Bulgaria Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-05 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July, Lunaria Show info
2018-05 Italy Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-05 Ukraine Attacks against property Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-05 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July Show info
2018-05 Ukraine Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-05 Slovakia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-05 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU, OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-05 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU, OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-06 Czech Republic Attacks against property UNHCR Show info
2018-06 Ukraine Threats/Harassment OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-06 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-06 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July Show info
2018-06 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU, OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-06 Slovakia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-07 Ukraine Attacks against property Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-07 Czech Republic Attacks against property In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-07 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-07 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-07 Italy Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-07 Italy Attacks against property Association 21 July Show info
2018-07 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July Show info
2018-07 Italy Violent attacks against people Lunaria Show info
2018-07 Slovakia Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-07 Ukraine Violent attacks against people Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-08 Russian Federation Attacks against property SOVA Center Show info
2018-08 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-08 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July Show info
2018-08 Hungary Violent attacks against people UNHCR Show info
2018-09 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-09 Italy Threats/Harassment Lunaria Show info
2018-09 Croatia Violent attacks against people Croatian civil society coalition Show info
2018-09 Italy Threats/Harassment Lunaria Show info
2018-10 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-10 Ukraine Attacks against property United Jewish Community of Ukraine Show info
2018-10 Bulgaria Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-10 Bosnia and Herzegovina Attacks against property OSCE Mission to Bosnia And Herzegovina Show info
2018-10 Ukraine Attacks against property Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - CNCU Show info
2018-11 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2018-11 Poland Attacks against property OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2018-12 Italy Violent attacks against people Association 21 July, Lunaria Show info

International Reports

Bulgaria

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

Czech Republic

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the combined twelfth and thirteenth periodic reports of Czechia."

Finland

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

Greece

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

The United Nations Committee against Torture published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of Greece."

Ireland

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

Italy

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

Poland

The United Nations Committee against Torture published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of Poland."

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the combined twenty-second to twenty-fourth periodic reports of Poland."

Romania

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

Slovakia

The United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) published relevant recommendations in its "Report from the Thirty-second session: Compilation of UN information on Slovakia."

Spain

The Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee Of Experts On Roma And Traveller Issues (CAHROM) published relevant recommendations in its "Thematic Report on Roma and Travellers' Access to Justice (with a gender focus)."

OSCE Region

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published relevant recommendations in its "Fundamental Rights Report 2019: FRA opinions."

The Commission of the European Union published relevant recommendations in its "Report on the implementation of national Roma integration strategies – 2019."