05 April 2008, 12:41
ADC "Memorial" draws authorities' attention to situation with Gipsies
From now on, the Anti-Discrimination Centre "Memorial" (ADC "Memorial") starts to hold actions dated to the International Day of Gipsies marked annually on April 8.
Thus, today at 1:00 p.m. the Culture Palace of Leskolovo village, Vsevolozhsk District of Leningrad Region, will start the annual festival of Gipsy schools pupils of the region, and on April 7 at 12:00 a.m. a press conference will take place at the office of the ADC "Memorial" in St-Petersburg with participation of human rights activists, lawyers and experts in children's rights.
In 2008, the ADC "Memorial" is calling the Russian authorities to pay attention to the difficult situation of the residents of compact Gipsy settlements. Special concern is given rise to by the situation of Gipsy children: they live in poor settlements, in anti-sanitary conditions, suffer from cold and famine, sometimes they do not go to school at all, or study at schools where the conditions for Gipsies are obviously worse than for other children.