A unanimous decision on May 13 by the Council of Europe’s European Committee of Social Rights is an important victory for the Romani people in Italy in their human rights struggle.
The Committee ruled that Italy had breached the European Social Charter with respect to the housing situation of Romani communities. Italy must now ensure adequate, non-segregated and non-discriminatory housing for Romani people.
Romani communities in Italy have long faced segregation, forced evictions, and discrimination. Across Italy, the authorities have placed Romani families in camps, often in appalling living conditions.
The European Committee of Social Rights’ decision was in response to a complaint filed by Amnesty International in March 2019. Amnesty’s complaint drew on more than a decade of research by Amnesty and partners into the housing situation of Romani people in Italy.