Mission Roma

Roma in France are subjected to extreme living conditions. They often live in deplorable hygiene conditions in shantytowns. It is very difficult for them to access their rights or healthcare, and the increase in expulsions makes their situation even more vulnerable. These expulsions break the continuity of care, a fundamental principle in medical care. The entrance of Romania and Bulgaria into the EU raised hopes that were not realised in practice.

Improving the living conditions of the Roma population

» Suburbs/Saint-Denis, Bordeaux, Calais, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Strasbourg

Activities:

After months of different practices between Departments, now all unemployed Europeans (often poor), including Roma, no longer have access to the CMU health cover and now have to resort to the AME. This decision was confirmed in November 2007 by the Ministry of Health.

Suburbs: 1,136 medical consultations carried out for almost 850 people. 295 people, including 246 children, were vaccinated and 86 women were monitored as part of the maternity care activities. Bordeaux: since May 2007, following an appeal from the Romeurope collective to monitor two women in the final stages of pregnancy, the MdM Bordeaux team has had contact with around 40 people.
Calais: 38 outreach sessions were carried out. 190 individuals were seen and more than 400 medical consultations carried out.
Marseille: regular visits to eight Roma settlements (land or squats), representing in total around 460 people, including 120 children.
Lyon: 73 outreach sessions carried out. 360 medical consultations and 553 individuals seen.
Nantes: 100 outreach sessions, 527 medical consultations and 336 people seen.
Strasbourg: 51 outreach sessions carried out, 475 medical consultations and nearly 200 people seen.

Types of work:

• Health monitoring: primary healthcare and referral to mainstream health services.
• Facilitating schooling for children: raising awareness, administrative procedures and vaccinations.
• Sanitation: lobbying councils for improved hygiene conditions in settlements (refuse collection, access to water…); Negotiations to find appropriate housing solutions.
• Maternity care: Prevention of abortions, ante-natal monitoring, information on contraception, child vaccination, accompaniment to mother and child health services and family planning services.
• Bearing witness to the living conditions, repeat expulsions, obstacles which prevent access to their rights.
• Mobilisation of support committees for Roma families, health service providers, town councils and public services.

August 2008