Roma communities in Greece face discrimination and inequalities in housing, healthcare and education
Roma communities in Greece continue to face discrimination and significant inequalities in housing, healthcare, education, employment and access to public services, according to a report by the Greek National Commission for Human Rights and assessments from a Roma community representative.
The findings were highlighted in the eighth instalment of Anadolu Agency’s series on discrimination in Europe, published by Millet News on October 13. The report draws on the commission’s September publication, The Rights of Roma in Greece, and comments from Kostas Paiteris, president of the Association of Roma Mediators of Greece.
The human rights commission found that Roma people experience disadvantages compared with other groups across several areas of public life. It also highlighted concerns about discriminatory policing and called for public policies with measurable targets and monitoring indicators.
According to the report, some Roma families live in housing without access to basic utilities such as water and electricity and face difficulties accessing social welfare services.
ROMA REPRESENTATIVE WARNS OF RISING HATE SPEECH
Paiteris said Roma communities were seeking improvements in housing, employment, education and healthcare. He also expressed concern about what he described as an increase in anti-Roma sentiment and hate speech in Greece over the past five years.
He argued that media coverage and statements by some political parties can reinforce negative stereotypes, particularly when Roma identity is highlighted in crime reporting before a suspect’s responsibility has been established.
According to Paiteris, such portrayals contribute to an “us versus them” mentality, encouraging perceptions of Roma people as collectively responsible for criminal behaviour or as unwilling to participate in education and employment.
He stressed that Roma communities in Greece are not homogeneous, with significant differences in social integration and living conditions across regions.
EDUCATION AND EARLY MARRIAGE
Paiteris acknowledged that Roma participation in education had improved over the past decade, but said substantial challenges remained.
He also raised concerns about early marriage in some parts of Greece, reporting that some people marry at 13 or 14. He linked the practice to low levels of educational participation in certain communities.
Paiteris further referred to the deaths of two Roma teenagers during police pursuits: Kostas Frangoulis, who was shot by a police officer in Thessaloniki in 2022, and Nikos Sampanis, who died after police gunfire during a pursuit near Athens in 2021.
He argued that anti-Roma prejudice may have played a role in the incidents. These comments reflect his assessment of the cases.
Paiteris said both incidents had been brought to the attention of European Union institutions and described them as cases recorded as hate crimes. He also called for police training on prejudice, racism and the handling of encounters with members of vulnerable communities, alongside stronger cooperation between police and the public.
BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING
Discrimination also affects Roma people seeking work and accommodation, Paiteris said.
He described cases in which applicants encounter difficulties during job interviews after employers become aware of their Roma identity, despite having initially progressed through the application process. He added that some employers are reluctant to recruit Roma workers even during the tourism season, when demand for staff increases.
Finding rental housing can also be difficult, as some landlords are unwilling to rent to Roma tenants, he said.
Paiteris noted that Roma people had historically worked in agriculture and animal husbandry in Greece. He argued that, following increased migration from the Balkans in the 1990s, employers in these sectors increasingly turned to migrant workers for low-cost labour, reducing opportunities for some Roma workers.
CALL FOR STRONGER PUBLIC POLICIES
Paiteris said Greece had taken steps to address inequalities in housing, education, employment and healthcare, but argued that existing efforts were insufficient.
He called for more effective use of public resources and European funding, stressing the need for policies that improve access to essential services and tackle discrimination.
The human rights commission’s recommendations similarly underline the need for measurable objectives and monitoring mechanisms, alongside action to address prejudice and ensure that police interventions are proportionate and do not treat entire communities as inherently suspicious.
The report highlights the interconnected nature of the challenges facing Roma communities in Greece, with housing insecurity, limited access to services, educational disadvantage and employment discrimination reinforcing one another.
