Hindus urge Albania to facilitate integration of Roma community

Hindus have urged Albania to urgently empower and integrate its vulnerable Roma community, who are reportedly trapped in extreme and chronic poverty and had suffered social exclusion and economic marginalization for a long period.

US-based Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that according to reports about 80 percent of Roma still lived below poverty line and had been practically excluded from the economic growth of Albania.

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Roma in Albania reportedly regularly faced ill-treatment, substandard or inadequate access to education and healthcare, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, lack of infrastructure, unrest, living on desperate margins, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, malnutrition, discrimination, unacceptably appalling living conditions many times with no access to potable water-sewers-electricity, prejudice, unusually high unemployment rates, extremely low literacy rates, etc., Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, argued.

Zed further said that major reforms were reportedly needed in health, culture, employment, justice, public administration, education, infrastructure, etc., areas to bring them at par with rest of the population. Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 initiative appeared to have not yielded the desired results in their socio-economic status.

Rajan Zed pointed out that effective implementation, firm commitment and strong political will was needed to address the multiple dimensions of their social exclusion and poverty. Roma inclusion and integration programs needed to immediately take off the ground providing them with better health and education avenues, higher economic opportunities, sources of empowerment and participation, etc., Zed added.

According to the recently released Human Rights Report by US Department of State about Albania: “The government did not fund its National Roma Strategy, which sought to improve the livelihood of the community.”

It was moral obligation of Albania to improve the plight of its Roma population and stop human rights violations suffered by them, who were the most disadvantaged, Zed said and added that all religious groups of Albania should also come out in support of the cause of this distinct ethnic and cultural group of Roma, because religion taught us to help the helpless.

Zed urged that Albania, the country of Mother Teresa, Skanderbeg, beautiful pristine beaches on Ionian Coast, fascinating classical sites like ancient Berat, dramatic mountain citadels; and whose history went back to prehistoric times, should do more to uplift its Roma brothers/sisters.

Photo Credit: Roma Education Fund