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To learn more about how we use and protect your personal data, please view our privacy policy founder and chair of the Open Society Foundations a small Roma village on the outskirts of Bucharest the Roma Education Fund—supported by the World Bank and other donors—is working to remove the barriers local Roma children face to complete their primary school education but the conditions in which the Roma families live here are not A dusty track leads from the local school to the village Most houses—made of mud walls with corrugated roofs—have no electricity Children in Frumuşani often do their homework by candlelight Frumuşani is not the only village in Romania facing these challenges repeated all around Central and Eastern Europe tells a bigger story of generational poverty “We are one of the richest regions in the area and yet until recently no one knew how the budget was divided,” says Cristian Buceanu The lack of opportunity permeates every part of Frumuşani During a visit by George Soros and Jim Yong Kim to one house Gheorghe Mircea explains: “The Roma are different they won’t hire us.” Asked by George Soros how life now compares to life under Ceaușescu—Romania’s former communist leader who oversaw a brutal and repressive regime until 1989—Gheorghe Mircea replies “Life was better; at least then we had jobs.” To make ends meet Gheorghe Mircea and his family collect worms his house burnt down after faulty electrical wiring used to siphon electricity from his mother’s house next door All participate in the Roma Education Fund School After School Program; his daughter is top of her class the only Roma representative on the council introduced a proposal to allocate approximately 10,000 euros to expand the electricity network to houses in Frumuşani The other councilors voted against the proposal alleging that the Roma townspeople do not contribute to the local budget and therefore should not benefit from public funds almost entirely ignores the town’s inhabitants most of the homes in Frumuşani do not exist A recent land registry exercise from the mayor’s office recorded the area as largely empty The asphalt road that joins the village to the main road stops on the town’s border—another sign that officially But the sprawling lanes of Frumuşani tell a different story Filled with rudimentary lean-to mud buildings as well as sturdier and older brick houses that predate the Ceaușescu era horses gallop past the town’s blacksmiths where local men congregate and children on their way back from school mill past small vegetable gardens Children like 14-year-old Simona Nedelcu attend the local school where 700 students are split evenly between Roma and non-Roma Roma children participate in School after School and Equal Opportunities in Education two Roma Education Fund programs that offer mentoring and overall extra support in Math and Romanian--core subjects for national entry test for high school the programs have provided mentors to Roma students offering guidance and building relationships between parents and students; stipends to cover school books and uniforms; homework clubs where students can complete their lessons undisturbed; and training so that teachers can play a positive role in Roma education I have the sense that someone cares about us,” comments one Roma student during a visit by George Soros and Jim Yong Kim to the local school “Working with parents is as important as working with children,” explains Mihaela Gheorghe from the Romanian NGO the Center for Education and Social Development “Most parents do not know how to read or write so even if help exists for their children’s education it is nearly impossible for them to find out about it.” Better access to schools and improving educational outcomes are key parents all agreed on one thing—education is the key to change for their children’s future “Many countries often think of education as an expense,” he comments “We want to say these are the most strategic investments you can make in a country.” finding somewhere quiet to do her homework is a challenge Uniforms and books present more obstacles and often children will stay home from school if they don’t have a clean uniform—not uncommon when washing materials despite the lack of support from his fellow councilors He was elected last year with the support of local Roma townspeople who were familiar with him from the many years he spent working in the community “We need to raise awareness with Roma in Frumuşani that they must ask for their rights,” says Cristian Buceanu talking with the local Roma is the best way to mobilize people behind change Pushing change with his fellow councilors is an uphill struggle They do not see assisting local Roma as a priority If Roma start to have their own representatives It’s not difficult to see the changes education is bringing—and can bring—to Frumuşani and other Roma villages like it in Romania the Roma at nearly two million is a young population Education offers a path for Roma to claim their own rights: the right to employment the right to political participation and representation All of this—all inalienable rights in an open society—begins with education and ideas as simple as a quiet place for Simona and her classmates to do their homework and a mentor to encourage them to keep coming back to the classroom despite the overwhelming challenges Roma children face at home and partners about how we’re working around the world to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people Every year the Open Society Foundations give thousands of grants to groups and individuals that work on issues we focus on—promoting justice Gender-based violence (GBV) — the various forms of violence directed at an individual or a group based on their gender both in public places and within the home — is a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality GBV does not just have a profound impact on individuals and violates their basic human rights including the right to life in extreme cases; it also carries a heavy cost for society while improving the wellbeing of women and girls Since ratifying the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention in 2016 Romania has taken important steps to integrate the treaty’s provisions into the national legal framework and strategies the country had already adopted legislative amendments to criminalize various forms of violence and established a National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (ANES) which has been instrumental in instituting policy measures and coordinating service provision to address gender-based violence These include: i) deficiencies in relation to investigation and prosecution of GBV cases ii) gender stereotyping in public institutions in the determination of what constitutes an offence and iii) a lack of measures to address specific needs of women facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination These factors contribute to a lack of trust in the criminal justice system and lead to underreporting of cases …but lack of data hides the magnitude of GBV Despite these national efforts, the full extent of GBV in Romania remains hidden in plain sight. The country lacks key data that are critical to understand the magnitude of the problem, inform policy actions, and monitor progress. The 2023 World Bank Gender Assessment for Romania which involved extensive consultations with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders Romania needs a comprehensive study to assess the magnitude of GBV, as well as the availability and accessibility of various response services. The most extensive GBV assessment ever conducted in Romania and still widely cited is based on the EU-wide Survey on Violence Against Women conducted nearly a decade ago Moreover, the World Bank’s Gender Assessment Report confirms what the Council of Europe has also observed that Romania lacks an integrated system of data collection on domestic violence as well as a comprehensive system of data collection covering all other forms of violence against women the Romanian General Prosecutor’s office’s records show that only 1,512 cases were heard in court meaning that a mere 3.3 percent of those who reported their cases to the police found legal remedy In terms of access to services for survivors of GBV the administrative data compiled by ANES shows that annually only 2,000 women receive services from public and NGO-based providers meaning that only 4.4 percent of survivors who reported their case to the police have access to services Few studies cover social norms in Romania and only two comprehensive perception surveys have been conducted on GBV indicated a positive shift in social attitudes towards violence against women compared to the results of a similar 2003 study other forms of GBV also persist and the underlying factors that drive them are not well understood These various forms of GBV are rooted in harmful gender norms and stereotypes coupled with gendered socio-economic inequalities and other forms of discrimination Understanding the underlying driving factors is critical to devise policies that address them effectively Addressing GBV in Romania requires concerted efforts Civil society has led various efforts of championing local action to prevent and respond to various forms of GBV including awareness raising and prevention activities as well as complementing government efforts to provide shelters and other services to survivors The World Bank is also supporting the government of Romania, through projects such as Strengthening Foundations for Improved Justice Service Delivery which seeks to deliver a user-centered approach to how justice services are provided across jurisdictions including through improvements to the management of legal aid Targeted beneficiaries of this project include survivors of GBV people with disabilities and sexual minorities These groups are expected to benefit from the prioritization and non-discriminatory treatment of vulnerable groups and new monitoring processes there is an opportunity to demonstrate its leadership in investing in GBV prevention and response  This would include prioritizing amendments to legal frameworks such as the Domestic Violence Law and the criminal code to fully incorporate the principles of the Council of Europe To improve data on incidence and prevalence of various forms of GBV; as well as tracking of measures for prevention Romania needs to legally mandate a harmonized cross-institutional framework for compilation of administrative data the country needs to invest in collecting more evidence on the roots of GBV and identifying best practices to shift social norms Policy responses will remain insufficient if survivors of GBV feel unable to come forward for fear of stigma Combating discrimination and entrenched perceptions of gender requires sustained and coordinated efforts through collaboration between public agencies as well as an adequate allocation of resources To receive weekly articles, sign-up here  Thank you for choosing to be part of the Protect and Invest in People community The latest blog posts and blog-related announcements will be delivered directly to your email inbox We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services You have accepted additional cookies. 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You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports Representatives of the embassies of Austria the United Kingdom and the Representation of the European Commission to Bucharest together with Agentia de Dezvoltare Comunitară Impreună the Roma Education Fund and the Center for Education and Social Development nearby Calarasi city (center Romania) on 8 April 2013 The aim was to spend time on the International Roma Day finding out more about the situation of the Roma minority in Romania out of which 1,120 are self-declared Roma ethnics The delegation met with the Mayor of Frumusani village and the representatives of the Roma community The participants had an extensive discussion about the challenges local authorities faced in addressing the social and the economic inclusion of the Roma community The delegation visited the local school whose After School Club has been effective in supporting attendance at the school and the attainments of school pupils how to finalise property deeds for over 250 houses in the predominantly Roma community there are over 150 houses that need to be connected to the public electriciy grid The members of the diplomatic corps discussed solutions to these issues with the local authorities teachers and members of the local community The Ambassadors aim to return next year on April 8 in order to see how the situation in the community had developed The participant embassies remain committed to assist the partner central and local authorities in Romania in addressing the issue of social inclusion of minorities Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Kape Premium Imobiliare – a residential developer active in France and Italy – is investing approximately EUR 9 million in building 100 villas in Frumusani Vitalis Consulting is responsible for the project management. 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