CIVIL SOCIETY: 276 PRACTICES
The non-profit organization Equal Society acts against "social exclusion, unemployment and poverty" in order to raise awareness of equality issues in every aspect of social life.
Read more: www.equalsociety.gr
The initiative aims to advocate for and protect the human rights of vulnerable groups (such as Roma, women, people with disabilities, the elderly, etc.) through documenting cases of human rights violations, educating and empowering communities and groups regarding human rights and how they can advocate for them, and informing and raising awareness among public and private entities and organizations involved in the social inclusion of vulnerable groups.
Specifically concerning the Roma community in Greece, the Observatory acts as a link between the community and relevant authorities and organizations, significantly contributing to the advocacy and protection of Roma rights. It addresses the social need to combat the multiple forms of discrimination the community faces in Greece and bridges the relationship between the community and the broader society.
The Observatory targets various groups due to the multifaceted nature of its actions. Specifically, the primary aim of the Observatory is to inform and educate vulnerable groups about human rights issues and how they can advocate for them, based on European and national legislation. Additionally, to mobilize local authorities to support vulnerable groups at the local level, the Observatory team organizes informational meetings with representatives of Community Centers and Municipalities to empower them on issues of more effective outreach and collaboration with local communities, particularly Roma communities, while also strengthening advocacy for the protection of their human rights.
Furthermore, the Observatory team informs and sensitizes 1) relevant Ministries, 2) Municipalities, Regions, and Community Centers, 3) private organizations and entities active in the social inclusion of vulnerable groups in Greece, and 4) journalists and students of Mass Communication departments. Finally, through announcements and posts on social media and websites, the Observatory informs and attempts to raise awareness among the broader public.
The Advocacy and Human Rights Defense Observatory began operating in March 2020 and continues to this day.
In recent years, socio-economic conditions combined with the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted even more the difficulties that vulnerable groups face in their daily lives. Indeed, despite the fact that social inclusion and the protection of human rights are high on the political agenda at local, regional, national, European, and international levels, the challenges faced by vulnerable groups remain significant, stemming not only from the prevailing socio-economic conditions but also from the stereotypes, discrimination, and racism they encounter.
For example, in the case of the Roma, despite the Greek state's adoption of the "Integrated Action Program for the Social Inclusion of Greek Gypsies 2001-2008," the "National Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Roma 2012-2020," and the "National Strategy and Action Plan for the Social Inclusion of Roma 2021-2030," the Roma continue to experience multiple forms of discrimination. According to the EU MIDIS II (2016) survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Roma still face discrimination in access to education, employment, housing, and healthcare. Specifically, according to data for Greece, 61% of Roma reported experiencing discrimination in the past five years due to their ethnicity, mainly when looking for work (63%), accessing public and private services (52%), and housing (44%). Furthermore, the percentage of Roma who consider ethnic/racial discrimination to be widespread in Greece is also quite high (65%). Despite this, most Roma do not report incidents of discriminatory treatment. According to the survey findings, only 7% of Roma reported the most recent incident of discriminatory treatment due to their ethnicity. This can be attributed to both the high rate of discrimination and the fact that only 8% of Roma are aware of organizations that offer support to victims of discrimination.
It is therefore concluded that there is a significant gap between the actual number of human rights violations against Roma and those reported to the relevant authorities. This gap is partly due to the lack of connection between the Roma community and the relevant authorities, as well as the lack of coordination among the involved entities. Thus, there is an urgent need to strengthen the connection between the Roma community and the relevant authorities.
In this context, the Advocacy and Human Rights Defense Observatory acts as a "bridge" between the relevant authorities and the Roma community, contributing to enhanced advocacy on issues related to the human rights of Roma, raising awareness and sensitivity of the broader public regarding Roma human rights issues, documenting cases of human rights violations, and implementing educational and informational activities related to Roma human rights. Specifically, the Observatory team collects, processes, and forwards reports from the Roma community regarding human rights violations to the relevant authorities, raising awareness and mobilizing them to resolve these issues. At the same time, it informs and sensitizes representatives of Community Centers, municipalities, regions, ministries, educational institutions, media, private enterprises, and media studies students about the socio-economic situation of Roma, the prejudices and stereotypes they face in all aspects of their daily lives, and incidents of human rights violations against them.
To date, the Observatory has implemented a series of actions and interventions with significant impact on the target groups.
Specifically, on 11/01/2022, the Advocacy & Human Rights Defense Observatory was invited to participate in the joint session of the Special Permanent Committee on Equality, Youth, and Human Rights and the Standing Committee on Social Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament to present the initial results of the Observatory's efforts to defend the human rights of the Roma. This presentation served as the basis for discussions on the socio-economic conditions in which the Roma live, the extent of racism and prejudice they experience, and the policies that need to be implemented.
Additionally, from 2020 to the present day, the Observatory has published a series of interventions such as:
- Intervention regarding the increase in cases of sexual harassment during teleworking
- Intervention on the effectiveness of measures to protect the health of prisoners in correctional facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Intervention on the homicide of an 18-year-old Roma in Perama
- Intervention on a workplace accident in Xylokastro
Overall, and particularly regarding the Roma, it is noted that to date, 28,453 individuals have directly or indirectly benefited from the actions of the Observatory. Specifically, the Observatory: 1) has implemented 28 actions aimed at increasing awareness and sensitivity regarding the human rights of the Roma, targeting 1,333 individuals (including 1,049 public servants/functionaries), 2) documented 800 cases of human rights violations against the Roma in the regions of Attica, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, and Central Macedonia, 3) trained 2 Roma Women's Associations on issues related to human rights, 4) trained 35 media studies students on the challenges faced by the Roma both nationally and at the European level and the role of the media in perpetuating "anti-Gypsyism," 5) trained 25 mediators and members of the Roma communities in the use of computers, 6) published quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports that present both the actions of the Observatory and the results from the processing of collected reports, and 7) posted informational material on the Observatory's website and social media pages, which have been read by 27,120 individuals.
The activities of the Observatory have a national scope, while specifically in relation to the Roma community, it should be noted that the team has so far focused on collecting reports from communities in the regions of Attica, Western Greece, Central Greece, Thessaly, and Central Macedonia.
From its inception to the present day, the Observatory seeks collaboration with a wide range of entities and organizations. Depending on the vulnerable group targeted by the Observatory's actions, the team aims to create synergies for the most effective advocacy and defense of the human rights of the respective social group. For instance, in the case of the Observatory's actions to defend the human rights of the Roma, Equal Society collaborates with the Association of Greek Roma Mediators and Associates and the Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma "Ellan Passe."
The Association of Greek Roma Mediators and Associates comprises 186 members from all over Greece. The organization has many years of experience in defending the human rights of the Roma and consists of scientific personnel covering a wide range of sciences, offering numerous services to the Roma in Greece to improve their socio-economic status and promote their social inclusion.
The Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma "Ellan Passe" was founded in 2016 and is the first tertiary association of Greek Roma. Its main objective is to improve the living conditions of the Roma with the ultimate goal of eliminating all obstacles faced by the Roma in their daily living and social integration.
For the operation of the Observatory, 24 individuals have been employed from 2020 to the present (lawyers, Roma mediators, economists, administrative staff, social scientists, a web developer, and a digital content editor).
In recent years, the Observatory has become an integral part of the Advocacy and Human Rights Department operated by Equal Society from its inception to the present day, contributing to the empowerment and expansion of the Department's activities in favor of vulnerable groups facing multiple and multifaceted problems. Through the Observatory, and especially concerning the Roma community, Equal Society has managed to document the issues faced by the Roma community in Greece (more than 1000 reports have already been collected), inform and educate more than 1300 individuals, act as a "bridge" between the community and relevant authorities for the social inclusion of the Roma (more than 100 informational and mobilization letters have been sent to relevant authorities), and advocate for the need for immediate measures to combat racism and discrimination faced by the Roma in Greece, improve their socio-economic status, and protect their rights.
These efforts contribute to achieving the organization's statutory goal of a society of equal opportunities, strengthening the active participation and role of Equal Society in civil society, and its contribution to creating a more solidarity-driven society and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
