Romani people in Portugal

Romani people in Portugal

The Romani people in Portugal are known as Ciganos, and their presence goes back to the second half of the 15th century. Early on, due to their socio-cultural difference and nomadic style of life, the Ciganos were the object of fierce discrimination and persecution.[1] They belong to the Iberian Kale (Kalos) group, like the Spanish Romani people or Gitanos.

The number of Romani people in Portugal is difficult to estimate, since it is forbidden to collect statistics about race or ethnic categories in the country. According to data from Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance[2] there are about 40,000 to 50,000 spread all over the country.[3] According to the Portuguese branch of Amnesty International, there are about 30,000 to 50,000.[4]

Social situation

The majority of the Romanis do not have today a nomad life style, rather concentrating themselves in the most important urban centers. This population was characterised by very low levels of educational qualification, self imposed social exclusion and residential and housing difficulties (many living in degraded ghettos). However, from the late 1990s to the 2000s, major public housing (bairros sociais) policies were targeted at providing housing for the poor, including the Portuguese Romani people.[5][6]

The Ciganos are the ethnic group that the Portuguese most reject and discriminate against[citation needed], and are also targets for discriminatory practices from the State administration, namely at a local level, finding persistent difficulties in the access to job placement, housing and social services, as well as in the relation to police forces, although the most recent reports name a number of positive measures by the central administration.[7]

See also

  • Romani people in Spain

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Romani people by country — Distribution of the Romani people in Europe (2007 Council of Europe average estimates , totalling 9.8 million)[1][dead link] * The size of the wheel …   Wikipedia

  • Romani people — For other uses, see Romani (disambiguation). Romani people Rromane dźene Romani flag created in 1933 a …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Romani people — The Romani people, also referred to as the Roma or Gypsies, are an ethnic group who live primarily in Europe. They are believed to have originated in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. They began their migration to Europe and North… …   Wikipedia

  • Demographics of Portugal — This article is about the demographic features of the population of Portugal, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.… …   Wikipedia

  • Portugal — This article is about the country. For other uses, see Portugal (disambiguation). Portuguese Republic República Portuguesa (Portuguese) …   Wikipedia

  • Roma people — Infobox Ethnic group group = Roma image caption = Khamoro Roma Festival Prague 2007 flag caption = Flag of the Roma people pop = 15 million or more region1 = flagcountry|IND pop1 = 5,794,000 ref1 = lower| [cite… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Roma people — The Roma people, also referred to as the Roma or Gypsies, are an ethnic group who live primarily in Europe. They are believed to have originated in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. They began their migration to Europe and North… …   Wikipedia

  • Timeline of Romani history — The Roma have long been a part of the collective mythology of the West, where they were (and very often still are) depicted as outsiders, aliens, and a threat. For centuries they were enslaved in Eastern Europe and hunted in Western Europe: the… …   Wikipedia

  • Brown people — Map of indigenous skin color distribution in the world based on Von Luschan s chromatic scale. Brown people or brown race is a political, racial, ethnic, societal, and cultural classification, similar to black people and white people. Like t …   Wikipedia

  • Mardijker people — A Mardijker and his wife, detail, Churchill 1704. The Mardijker were a community in amongst others Batavia (modern Jakarta), made up of descendants of freed slaves. They could be found at all major trading posts in the East Indies.[1] They were… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”