Roma children and their access to services summary by UNICEF Moldova

ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR ACCESS TO SERVICES Participatory Assessment of Barriers

Qualitative Sociological Survey

2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This assessment is the result of collaboration among many individuals and institutions. The assessment was conducted by Anastasia Oceretnîi, Natalia Vlădicescu and Veaceslav Bătrânescu under the overall coordination and contribution from UNICEF Moldova. Logistic support in carrying out the survey was provided by DACIA Youth Resource Centre and the following community teams: Petru Cobzaru, Lidia Gulică, Galina Chiperi, Simion Ibrian (Vulcăneşti); Vasili Pleşco, Natalia Placsina, Angelica Priseajniuc, Priest Andrei (Otaci); Artur Cerari, Robert Cerari, Steliana Imanverdieva, Natalia Bazarschi (Soroca). Special thanks go to all respondents, managers of educational institutions, LPAs, and other community actors involved in the development of this report.

The data and findings in this report reflect the opinions of interviewees and do not necessarily represent the views of UNICEF.

Extracts from the publication may be freely reproduced with due acknowledgment using the following reference: UNICEF, 2016, Participatory Assessment of Barriers Hampering the Access of Roma Children and their Families to Services, Chisinau, UNICEF Moldova Office.

All correspondence should be addressed to: UNICEF Moldova Office 131, 31 August 1989 Str. Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

Cover Photo: © Dan Gutu/2012

Design: Silvia Lunevi

CONTENTS

GENERAL BACKGROUND OF THE SURVEY

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS 10

PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES

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GENERAL BACKGROUND OF THE SURVEY Roma vulnerability in accessing various services is a current issue worldwide, with Moldova being no exception. According to official data, the Republic of Moldova is home to around 12,000 Roma citizens, accounting for about 0.6% of the country’s population1. While actions to improve the quality of life and to reduce the social exclusion of Roma have been and are still being carried out, both by governmental institutions2 and the civil society, with support from international organizations, the identified solutions for Roma communities do not always reflect their real needs, focusing more on effects and less on the causes of their problems. Some of the services developed in Roma-populated communities are in fact little or never used by the Roma.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES The survey’s purpose was to examine the social and institutional barriers hampering the access of Roma children and their families to

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services, and to find solutions for enhancing the services’ usability by Roma ethnics. Research objectives are aimed at:  Identifying attitudes and practices of Roma children and families related to accessing services available in the surveyed communities;  Determining the barriers faced by Roma children and families to accessing such services;  Participatively designing solutions to improve the access of Roma children and families to services available in the community. The findings of the survey are meant to aid local service providers and other public actors, along with civil society and international organizations concerned with improving Roma people’s quality of life, in directing their interventions toward solving the real problems of Roma communities by considering their sociocultural background, and facilitating efforts through reducing the risk factors specific to Roma ethnics as well as individually surveyed communities.

2004 National Census Action Plan in support of the Roma population in the Republic of Moldova (2011-2015)

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PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES

METHODOLOGY The survey was conducted in three localities: the cities Otaci and Soroca, and the village of Vulcăneşti (included in the Ciorești commune, Nisporeni rayon). The research design included participatory investigative techniques that allowed for a holistic view of the Roma community in terms of access to services. The concept of the survey was to have the research team working jointly with the community team comprised of both representatives of Roma leaders and other community actors (social workers, community mediators, teachers) known and appreciated by Roma ethnics in the selected localities throughout the whole process: from developing the research methodology and research tools to collecting the data and, finally, analysing and interpreting the collected data. The sociological survey included qualitative techniques such as:  focus groups with Roma and non-Roma children, as well as Roma and non-Roma parents (23 group sessions);  in-depth interviews with child beggars, underage mothers, educational and medical institution representatives, social workers, LPA representatives, civil society representatives, Roma leaders, vendors, venues executives, representatives of religious denominations (68 interviews);  case studies based on success stories (10 case studies);  visits and observations at the homes of Roma families that schooled their children (7 visits);

 visits and observations at the homes of Roma families that did not school their children (7 visits);  observations in preschool institutions / attending children’s activities (4 observations);  observations in schools / attending classes including Roma children (2 observations);  other observations and discussions in public places. Data collection took place from October to December 2014.

RESEARCH CONSTRAINTS In using and interpreting the data provided by this survey, the following constraints should be considered:

 Lack or deficiency of statistical data collected in the survey.

 Data collected from community actors are

sometimes approximate and may not coincide with data from other sources.

 No knowledge of the Romani language among team members.

 Selection of interviewees from among the

entourage of local leaders, given that access to the Roma community was initially gained through them. Besides the benefits of this situation, some disadvantages arose from the very specifics of Roma communities and the divergences between certain ‘castes’.

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FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS LIFESTYLES AND SOCIO-CULTURAL NORMS OF ROMA PEOPLE The lifestyles of Roma people in the surveyed localities are largely influenced by their traditions and socio-cultural norms. Family roles are clearly divided, having a strong paternalistic bent: while men are responsible for ensuring the family’s socio-economic well-being, women manage the household and children’s education. Early marriages are one of the main reasons for school dropout, especially among girls, but also involve other socio-cultural connotations. Roma children are mostly protected; their wishes are typically respected, with boys favoured over girls in what concerns provision of material goods and the access to various services. On the other hand, girls are protected against possible ‘risks’ of unwanted marriages. Roma ethnics in the surveyed communities are largely involved in migration: whole family migrations – even for the shortest periods of time – are something of a specific trait. The Roma interviewed asserted their concern over the increasingly difficult task of finding new income sources. They were also concerned about the decay of Roma traditions and a perceived endangered ethnical identity perpetua-

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tion as a result of mixed marriages, marriage at older ages, or the decline in the number of children per family. Some leaders see schooling as a threat to the preservation of Roma specifics. The interaction of Roma residents from the same locality is determined by each person’s socio-economic situation and by their respective clans/families of origin. In all of the surveyed localities there exists animosity between different clans. However, the most pronounced criterion of segregation between Roma is economic status, as Roma from wealthy families lack any apparent interaction with poorer families. In some localities, such as Otaci, this class division is also territorial. Information spreads very rapidly among the Roma. Roma ethnics in cities included in the survey are used to meeting in special places meant for socialization, leisure, or problem solving. The Roma consider themselves stronger and more influential when standing as a group; therefore they often come together as a group where they wish to benefit from certain services or to solve certain problems. The survey has revealed weak forms of relationships between Roma and non-Roma people, under the influence of attitudes and opinions towards the Roma that have developed over time. Non-Roma ethnics mostly do not trust the Roma population, maintaining that they rarely tell the truth, lead a disorganized life, are emotional, loud and superstitious. At the same time, non-Roma ethnics show appreciation for how Roma people organize their

PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES

parties/celebrations, as well as for their cuisine and their insistence to get what they want. By living side by side with other ethnic groups, the Roma have borrowed certain aspects of household care, clothing style, etc.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES Compared to the other two localities included in the survey, Vulcăneşti has a less developed infrastructure, with a single educational facility in place. Located within the same building is a kindergarten and a secondary school, plus a medical centre with only a nurse to care for patients while the doctor offers services only one day per week. The Mayor’s office and all relevant institutions (social assistance, post and police offices) are located in the neighbouring locality of Ciorești. By contrast, virtually all above-mentioned services are available in the communities of urban localities included in the survey. In Soroca, however, no Roma children were attending kindergarten at the time of the survey, in spite of there being nine operational preschool units, while of the two preschool facilities in Otaci, only one was attended by Roma children. In all of the surveyed localities, it was found that pre-university educational institutions are largely attended by Roma children only at the primary education level, with a share ranging from about 80% in Otaci, to 65% in Soroca, and 39% in Vulcăneşti (Roma ethnics only). Very few children reach secondary school, and they are most often boys rather than girls. Enrolment of Roma children in preschool institutions is made difficult by deep-rooted preconceptions, according to which young children must be kept under the mother’s constant supervision. The Roma consider it “shameful” for a family to place their child in kindergarten, from a double perspective: the family is seen as lacking the financial ability to raise children, on the one hand, and, on the

other, the mother is perceived as irresponsible and negligent. In addition, parents are concerned about their children’s security in kindergartens. Other factors that affect enrolment in preschool institutions are related to: poverty, the morning schedule, bad weather, required respect for rules, the old age of teachers, etc. In Soroca, the access of Roma children to preschool facilities is also hampered by limited capacities of kindergartens, and the inconvenience caused by waiting lists. The development of preschool age children not attending kindergarten is not appropriate to their age. Most Roma ethnics cannot see the benefits of schooling for themselves or their children. Positive examples of Roma individuals who have managed to achieve success due to higher education are also largely missing. However, the survey found that within mixed families (Roma/ non-Roma), parents are showing increasing interest for education and children’s involvement in educational institutions. Schooling is generally perceived as simply a stage at which children learn to read and write, and as such, most children are limited to primary studies. For various reasons, however, many children do not achieve the goal of learning to read and write. Both failing to attend preschool and the language barrier jointly contribute to Roma children’s difficult adaptation to school schedule and requirements, leading to disinterest and, eventually, dropout. Migration and early marriage are the most important factors associated with school dropout. Early marriage drives boys to abandon studies and to engage in income-generating activities, at the same time compelling girls to “protect themselves” while preparing for wifehood. In most cases, girls who reach puberty face restrictions in attending education institutions. Among other factors that contribute to school dropout are the lack of vision on the benefits of educational attainment; lack of schooling tradition and family support; the perceived threat on the freedom of movement

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and action; absenteeism; complicated curricula; disinterest and boredom; inappropriate relationships with teachers and peers; poorly developed infrastructure; the mixing of differently aged children in the same class, etc. Unhealthy day-to-day routines such as computer games and/or watching TV until late prevent children from adjusting to school schedules. The key factors in attracting children to pre-university institutions are: a perceived usefulness of studies based on the experience of schooled parents or relatives; teachers’ competencies and activism; use of information technologies as part of the educational process; good relationships with teachers and classmates; free food. Learning assessment is not the same for Roma and non-Roma children, with teachers usually giving higher grades to Roma ethnics, so as to encourage their learning process. Visits to the homes of children enrolled in the education system have uncovered situations where, in spite of having attained the highest grades, some were unable to write and read fluently.

(given that the vast majority of Roma adults are not employed on a regular basis and therefore are not insured for healthcare services under the Single Programme) and the frequent informal payments to medical personnel. Roma people who pay for healthcare services will rather visit health facilities in Chișinău (or in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, as is the case of Otaci city residents), seeking the best price/quality ratio. Roma people wish to benefit from free services and subsidized drugs even when lacking health insurance. State-insured persons resort to healthcare services more frequently, especially when they are longer present in the community, although some deviations (e.g. from the vaccination schedule) due to migration may still occur. Overall, the Roma have a predominantly responsible attitude to children’s health status. Among the issues revealed by the survey in the provision of health services to Roma people are: the failure to understand information provided by health workers; the use of natural remedies, including for serious diseases; the failure to schedule medical visits in advance; aggressive behaviour; the use of double names, which makes it more difficult to identify and recall patients where needed.

HEALTHCARE SERVICES SOCIAL SERVICES The Roma population’s health status is affected by late presentation to medical care – due to migration and/or a certain lack of health culture – and common vices like alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Due to early sexual activity and childbearing, reproductive health risks are higher among Roma women when compared to their non-Roma counterparts. However, it should be noted that survey results show a decline in the percentage of early teenage births and a higher share of women who accept contraception. The access of Roma people to healthcare services bears a direct correlation with a household’s financial ability to pay for provision thereof. This phenomenon is determined both by the requirement of paying for services

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The implemented reform in the social protection system and the change in methods to support the socially vulnerable through social assistance on the basis of an assessment of available resources and assets have served to disadvantage and reduce the number of Roma ethnics who previously benefited from certain allowances/benefits. A relevant example is that of single mothers – a category that until recently included most Roma women, given that the Roma do not usually register their marriages. Under the new provisions, state institutions may only provide support to distressed families – a category under which not all Roma people can be covered. In such circumstances, it is difficult for some to understand the reasons for no long-

PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES

er receiving support, as they come to have an increasingly strained relationship with community social workers. The Roma have high expectations of support from state institutions, LPAs, NGOs and international organizations. There is a perception that significant resources are allocated for solving Roma problems, none of which actually reach the Roma themselves. On the other hand, there is a degree of frustration among the non-Roma population, including community actors, over the material support or privileges enjoyed by Roma families which allegedly do not demonstrate substantive effort to improve their living standards. A significant obstacle faced by vulnerable families in accessing social services is the lack of identity documents. Over recent years, all surveyed localities have witnessed joint efforts to address this issue. Other identified obstacles include inherent difficulties in preparing the set of documents; the inability to complete the request for social benefits (this obstacle was somewhat alleviated in Soroca, due to the mediator’s assistance); incomplete or inaccurate declaration of assets and/or of family situation; provision of social/material support subject to certain obligations (payment of taxes, schooling of children, restraining from vices, etc.). While the Roma are insistent over accessing social services, the employment of a community mediator in Otaci and Vulcăneşti should help facilitate the process. Particularly in Vulcăneşti, the social worker should become a more frequent presence (he is currently available only one day per week). A higher level of trust and relationship between social workers and the Roma is also important to consider.

OCCUPATION AND EMPLOYMENT The vast majority of Roma people are informally employed. Most of them rely on their 3

earnings from goods sold both locally but, most importantly, abroad. Begging and fortune-telling practices are also present, the former involving children as well. Cases of Roma ethnics who are formally employed are exceptions to the rule in all localities surveyed: in Vulcăneşti – a teacher and a saleswoman; in Soroca – two persons employed as street sweepers and one person working as a porter3, while in Otaci no records of formal employment were found. The Roma have no employment traditions whatsoever, are mostly used to having flexible schedules, and favour activities that generate large revenue in short periods of time. Employment obstacles are primarily related to lack of qualifications and low education levels, and oftentimes the outright inability to write or read, the unwillingness to work, the shirking from physical labour, the blaming of Roma persons hired by non-Roma employers, but also the reluctance of employers to hire Roma ethnics, given the very few positive outcomes of such experiences. Low qualifications greatly reduce employment opportunities for Roma people. Roma leaders have voiced concern about the expulsion of Roma from other countries and the decline of street and door-to-door commerce, stressing the need for developing new businesses and activities in which the Roma would be engaged.

OTHER SERVICES The Roma often face difficulties in understanding the formalities and mechanisms behind documentation services. The access of Roma people to community services provided by certain private institutions such as cafes, restaurants, or beauty parlours is restricted by owners or managers. This attitude is due, in large part, to previous negative experiences, as well as to stereotypes concerning Roma misbehaviour.

All three are members of the same family. PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES

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RECOMMENDATIONS In order to increase Roma access to education services it is recommended that:  central public administration shall contribute to: - developing adult-oriented, eveningschool type training programmes; - simplifying the school curriculum in terms of ensuring access for all children; - developing practical skills that would facilitate employment and household management; - financing (practical-oriented) interest circles within educational institutions; - keeping parents accountable for children’s schooling by applying a set of measures for parents who do not enrol their children in school, insisting on their fining or on the refusal to grant certain social facilities (e.g. welfare), as well as by signing Partnership agreements between families and educational institutions; - implementing a register of all children, which will allow better monitoring thereof, including those crossing the border; - organizing a preparatory class (within schools) for children who did not attend preschool; - organizing classes with extended hours for homework help, which is needed for Roma children whose parents are often illiterate; - simplifying procedures for student assessment to ensure inclusion of Roma children; encouraging the enrolment of children with disabilities in educational

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programmes and supporting children with special educational needs; improving nutrition and ensuring its gratuity, including within secondary schools, for cases where some students travel to school from neighbouring localities; developing an action plan to facilitate the school inclusion of Roma children by providing logistical and financial support for its implementation and fine-tuning the mechanism for referral of Roma children through more cooperation between institutions, so that schooling would be a goal of all actors involved; providing support in enhancing the conditions of children’s transportation to educational institutions; restricting the issuance of a driving license for persons who have not completed at least secondary education.

 local public administration shall contribute to: - opening and ensuring the sustainability of community centres in localities with high Roma populations, that would provide educational services to both children and adults through interactive methods and strategies; - involving the community mediator in working with Roma families to encourage children’s schooling/education; - channelling resources towards schooling/education by replacing the financial aid for the school readiness of children in vulnerable families with packages that include the necessary.

PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES

 educational institutions shall contribute to: - teachers’ friendly and tolerant attitudes toward Roma children; the adoption of non-traditional strategies for relating to children; - the use of modern teaching technologies and strategies; - harnessing Roma children’s potential by their involving in self-management approaches and extracurricular activities; - organizing public lectures to attract parental involvement and increase parents’ confidence in the education system.  Roma leaders shall contribute to: - active involvement in promoting the need to include Roma children in educational institutions at all levels; - supporting Roma children in continuing their studies and in gaining acceptance from their community; - promoting education by presenting positive examples; - schooling their own children or the children of relatives, neighbours, etc. Recommendations for increasing Roma access to health services: - friendly and tolerant attitude of health workers toward Roma ethnics; - improving infrastructure and provision with technical and medical equipment, as well as medical personnel; - conducting public information campaigns on healthy lifestyles and on accessing health services; broadening of the community mediator’s activity in this context; - raising Roma population’s degree of health culture. Recommendations for increasing Roma access to social services: - friendly and tolerant attitude of social workers toward Roma ethnics;

- training social workers on strategies for different population categories; - informing the Roma population on existing social benefits; - monitoring social workers’ activities and involving the mediator in assessing the living conditions of Roma ethnics; objective assessment of benefits claimants; - strengthening the social worker’s relationship with other community actors; - stimulating merit-based activism among the Roma (e.g. the system scholarships based on merit or other non-social achievements). Recommendations for increasing Roma access to documentation services: - issuance of compulsory birth certificates in maternity homes; - keeping Roma parents accountable for documenting their children; - promoting marriage registration; - keeping a record of immovable property owned and the payment of related taxes. Recommendations for increasing Roma employability: - raising Roma people’s educational and qualification levels; organizing shortterm vocational training programmes for Roma; - offering of benefits to employers who employ Roma ethnics; - non-discriminatory and tolerant attitude of employers towards Roma ethnics; - conducting social information campaigns and attracting Roma in the field of work; - promoting successful people as role models; - facilitating the development of small and medium businesses, with local tourism as a possible niche for sharing Roma culture and traditions.

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Recommendations for streamlining the use and accessing of all community services: - employing community mediators in all communities; - simplifying the procedure for selecting community mediators; improving working and wage conditions; providing support in the form of mentoring during the initial period of activity; - enhancing the recreational infrastructure, organizing recreational services taking Roma needs into account; more tolerant attitudes should be exhibited by venue owners and staff; - facilitating the interaction between Roma and non-Roma ethnics, using various means and strategies with the active involvement of LPAs and the voluntary sector; - active involvement & monitoring of all community services in terms of Roma inclusion; - more harmonious cooperation between the voluntary sector and the Roma population; - development of and involvement in community projects with LPA support; targeted and unified actions of active Roma NGOs;

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- ensuring transparency of carried out activities – including financial and material resources – so as to increase public confidence in civil society capabilities; - training leaders and NGO staff on writing and managing projects and on the cooperation of Roma leaders with the voluntary sector specialized in different areas, which could act as a remedy to problems in the community. Compliance with and respect for social standards will increase the confidence of both Roma and non-Roma ethnics in Roma’s potential to make use of their capabilities and skills, and to get involved in solving their own problems. While some of the Roma traditions have helped toward perpetuating own communities, revising certain socio-cultural aspects – particularly children’s inclusion in schools – will help strengthen the Roma community in the context of contemporary society and the age of technology. To achieve this, the Roma parents should show greater opening and get more awareness of the need for education for their children, and provide own positive examples. Concurrently, community actors should strengthen efforts to adapt community services to the specifics of Roma population.

PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENT OF BARRIERS HAMPERING THE ACCESS OF ROMA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SERVICES