Roma
apartheid must end, group told EU presidency
 |
| Ireland's Higgins EU president |
Hindus
have urged the new Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU),
which started on January one, to work for uplifting European Roma (Gypsies)
from apartheid like conditions faced by them.
Hindu
statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, hoped that the new
Irish Presidency would not stay apathetic and silent spectator when fellow
about 15-million Roma brothers/sisters were facing blatant injustice and
discrimination in Europe day after day. Zed
urged it to show strong political will, courage, and commitment in support of
Roma cause.
Alarming
condition of Roma people was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the
world as they reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard
education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower
life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers,
stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization,
appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, racist slogans on
Internet, unusually high unemployment rates, etc., Zed, who is president of
Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.
The
maltreatment and almost total societal exclusion of Roma was outside even the
EU norms. Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human rights
agenda of Europe and world, Rajan Zed
stressed.
The
Presidency of the Council of the EU rotates among the 27 Member States. Michael
D Higgins and Enda Kenny are President and Prime Minister respectively of Ireland
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