Kimberley Mannion
ANDALUCIA has won the European Commission’s first annual prize for the inclusion of the Roma community.
The region came out on top thanks to its Comprehensive Plan for the Inclusion of the Roma Community, published in 2017.
The plan looked at key goals such as improving Roma educational attainment by adding more of the community’s history to the curriculum, reducing unemployment as well as eradicating communities living in slums and reducing the number living in substandard housing.
Another key focus of the plan was improving equality between Roma men and women and implementing policies to prevent gender based violence against women in the community.
Roma women were also highlighted specifically as a group amongst whom the Plan aimed to increase social and public participation.
Photo: Flickr
The Junta was also interested in preserving the Roma culture, stating it wanted to institutionalise it as part of Andaluz culture, at the same time as fighting anti-Roma sentiment in the rest of the Andalucian population.
The European Commission applauded the fact that Andalucia has “a long history of policies to promote diversity and inclusion in all areas”.
Barcelona and Antequera were also recognised for their diversity and inclusion policies.
The awards commence the 2022 European Diversity Month.
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