The Roma of Rome

Sara Dominici

Set Ref:139

Date:18/07/2009

The Roma form a group of approximately 160,000 in Italy, a minority of less than 0,3\\% of the country's population. In the city of Rome, almost 20,000 Roma are to be found. Most of them migrated during the Balkan Wars in the 90s, and many more have come from Romania since the country joined the European Community in 2007.

Italy's common perception of Roma is full of prejudices: generally considered as thieves and beggars, the Roma are marginalised from society. Even if some settlements are sometimes shelter to illegal activities, most Roma aren't criminals. An already precarious situation, got worse when Rome's city administration decided to move all Roma settlements 30 Km outside the city centre. Hopes for integration have since become even less.