Roma Groups Demand Real Power and Policy on World Roma Day

Roma Groups Demand Real Power and Policy on World Roma Day Roma rights organizations marked World Roma Day with a unified call for governments to stop designing policies from afar and instead create binding, concrete plans in direct partnership with Roma communities themselves [124005]. The demand for a shift from talking to tangible action was the dominant theme of the day. The Turkish DEM Party's Peoples and Faiths Commission issued a statement calling for "equal citizenship, justice, and a dignified life" for Roma people, highlighting persistent discrimination and poverty [124006]. Echoing this, the international group Romani Godi stressed that effective policy must be made *with* Roma people, not *about* them, to combat deep-rooted, "multi-layered discrimination" [124005]. Both groups emphasized that discrimination is not uniform and often falls hardest on the most vulnerable within Roma communities. Romani Godi specifically noted that young people, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals face the strongest inequalities [124005]. The parallel discussions extended to questions of identity and recognition. Experts pointed to the struggle of some Dom people, who feel pressured to publicly identify as Romani for wider acceptance. They argue that true equal citizenship requires a system that recognizes and accepts people for who they say they are, without forcing name changes or assimilation [123723]. The collective statements frame World Roma Day not just as a cultural celebration but as a direct challenge to governments. The core message is that achieving justice requires moving beyond symbolic statements to inclusive policymaking and the recognition of self-identified community identity. Turkish Party Marks World Roma Day, Calls for Equality and Justice Roma Rights Group: "Stop Making Policy About Us, Start Making It With Us" Who Must You Be? The Fight for Names and Equal Citizenship