Breaking the barriers: romani women and access to public health care

This project aims to build upon on the findings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Report on the Situation of Roma and Sinti in the OSCE Area (April 2000). Specifically, the inadequacy of available information relating to this self-evidently important subject merited a substantial study and report with a policy orientation. As such, the project sought to reveal and understand better the situation of Romani women with regard to the vital subject of health care, to examine it in terms of applicable standards and the genuine needs of the population, and to draw appropriate conclusions and to propose practical recommendations. The project thus sought to stimulate the interest and action of others, especially governments, and to contribute momentum to a nascent European-wide movement of Romani women for their own empowerment as free and responsible citizens.