[NYTr] Conditions Worsen for Roma Women in Albania

Mon Aug 13 20:31:46 EDT 2007

[As elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the former "captive nation" of Albania
has become more of a hell for all women, particularly those who belong
to minorities such as the Roma. The destruction of communism has
emboldened misogynists -- from politicians to clerics -- and education,
reproductive freedom, legal protections and other political rights have
been seriously affected. The trafficking in women and children has also
skyrocketed. Welcome to FreedomLand. -NY Transfer]

Womens eNews - Aug 13, 2007
http://www.womensenews.org

[The Roma in Albania have always faced poverty and discrimination, but
since the fall of communism in 1991, the situation for Roma women has
worsened, Nicole Itano reports today. Marriage ages have dropped and an
increasing number of girl children never attend school at all.]

Conditions Worsen for Roma Women in Albania

By Nicole Itano
WeNews correspondent

TIRANA, Albania (WOMENSENEWS)--The trendy cafes of this colorful and
resurgent city are a long way from Breju Lumi, a slum of muddy, rutted
roads and metal shacks, where Nexhmije Daljani lives.

Once Europe's poorest and most isolated country, today Albania's
economy is growing fast as the country makes the transition from
communism to democracy and free market capitalism.

But in Breju Lumi--whose name means "river side" even though the only
nearby water is a dry stream bed cluttered with rubbish--most houses
lack running water, sanitation or electricity, and children race
through the streets at midday when they should be in school.

The poorest families here, like the Daljanis, belong to the Roma, the
term that members of the community prefer to the more derogatory
"Gypsies."

"The two small ones and I go and beg," says Daljani, who at 22 has
three small children and no husband or job. "It's the only way we can
eat."

Daljani had her first child at 17. By 21, when her husband left her,
she had three. Now she lives in a borrowed one-room metal shack and
relies on begging--the only source of income for many Roma women--to
keep her three small children fed and clothed.

The oldest child, who is mentally disabled, goes to a day-care center
run a local nongovernmental organization called Children of the World.

Life Got Harder

For many Roma, especially women, life has gotten harder since the end
of communism. Girls are marrying and having children younger, poverty
and unemployment are rampant and access to health care and education
has declined dramatically.

During communist times, Roma--like all other citizens--were given jobs
and houses and forced to go to school. In those days, all Albanians
were poor, but the Roma were not necessarily any poorer than other
groups.

As social services have collapsed, though, the disparities over wealth
and living standards between the Roma and other Albanians have
increased. A recent study by the United Nations Development Fund found
that the average income of Roma was less than half that of non-Roma
living in the same communities.

"The quality of services has decreased," says Dr. Arlinda Ymeraj, a
social policy officer with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund,
in Albania. "There's more disparity in access to services than in the
past and certain groups have suffered from this."

Today, 57 percent of Roma women in Albania--compared to 48 percent of
Roma men--have never been to school, a decline from the communist era,
according to data from the World Bank.

Since the end of communism, the average age of marriage for Roma women
has fallen to levels that worry development experts.

Ages of Marriage, Childbirth Drop

In Albania, the average age of marriage for Roma women is now around
15, compared to an average of 23 across the country and 18 for Roma
men. The average age of Roma women at the time of birth for a first
child has fallen too. Before 1990, it was almost 19; today it is under
17. For Roma men it's 21.

The young age of marriage and childbirth among Roma women puts them at
high risk for abuse and trafficking, limits their access to education
and can lead to higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, the
United Nations says.

Between 7 and 9 million Roma live in Central and Eastern Europe;
Albania's Roma number around 95,000. As a group, they remain one of the
poorest and most discriminated against groups on the continent and
often live on the fringes of society. Over 70 percent of Roma families
in the country are considered very poor and many, like Daljani and her
children, live in slum-like conditions.

The causes of this social exclusion are in dispute. Many Roma blame
discrimination, but others say they refuse to integrate into mainstream
society. The Roma--traditionally nomadic, but now largely settled or
semi-nomadic--are a distinct ethnic group with their own language and
belief systems.

"The Roma families have a very different culture," said Marinela Cani,
a social worker who works with families in Breju Lumi. "They don't
think about tomorrow."

Jalldyz Ymeri, a 42-year-old grandmother who lives in a two-room house
with eight family members and begs for a living, says life has gotten
much harder since the fall of communism.

Fewer Years in School

She went to high school, but her daughters haven't. According to the
World Bank, before the end of communism, Roma women had an average of
6.2 years of education. Today, they average less than four.

Roma women in Albania also say their access to health care has
deteriorated. They say more Roma children are being born at home and
many women have no prenatal care. Albania has no reliable statistics
about maternal and infant mortality, but many experts believe that
rates among Roma are much higher than the national average.

Public health care in Albania is supposed to be free, but many doctors
demand bribes.

"They treat us this way because we are Roma. If we can't pay, they send
us away," says Ymeri, whose 3-year-old grandson recently nearly died
because she did not have enough money.

Conditions are so bad in Albania that many Roma have left the country
and gone to neighboring Greece, which is part of the European Union.
Although they face discrimination--as well as the risk of
deportation--many say life there is better because it is easier to find
odd jobs or to make money by begging or playing music for tourists.
Ymeri and her family spent several years in Greece and say they regret
returning to Albania.

But even in Greece--a promised land for many Albanian Roma--life is
hard.

In a Roma settlement called Grthaios, in an industrial area of Athens,
families live in wooden huts surrounded by piles of rubbish. The
one-room house of Elena Zerollari, a 39-year-old mother of five, is
neat and tidy. Magazine advertisements plaster the walls and the
family's belongings are neatly stored away. Zerollari, who is
originally from Albania, says many things are better in Greece: the
doctors treat them better and jobs are easier to find. The children she
has given birth to since moving to Greece were all born in hospitals.

But Zerollari says she'd like a house with running water and for her
children to go to school. The schools accept Roma children, she says,
but many drop out because they are teased for their ragged clothes and
lack of shoes.

"Roma shouldn't live like this forever," she says. "We want to be like
you."

[Nicole Itano is a freelance reporter based in Athens, Greece. Before
moving to Greece in 2006, she spent five years reporting from across
the African continent. Her book, "No Place Left to Bury the Dead,"
about AIDS in Africa will be published in November by Atria Books.]

For more information:

"Roma Women Organize to Fight Triple Bias": -
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1412

European Roma Rights Center: - http://www.errc.org/