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The Roma (Roma in Romani; Romi, Rromi or Ţigani in Romanian) constitute one of the major minorities in Romania. According to the 2002 census, they number 535,250 people or 2.5% of the total population, being the second-largest ethnic minority in Romania after Hungarians. The Roma are, however, also Romania's most socially and economically disadvantaged minority, with high illiteracy levels, and unofficial sources claim that there are between 0.7 and 2.5 million Roma in the country, or approximately 3 to 11% of the total population. This may be caused either by the fact that many Roma do not declare their ethnicity in the census, or do not have an identity card or birth certificate. Since 2007 members of this ethnic group have migrated in Spain, France and Italy. Florin Cioabă, the self-styled "King of all Gipsies" declared recently that he worries that Romania may lose its Romani minority.

Terminology

In Romani, the native language of the Roma, the word for people is (phonemically) /roma/ or /ʀoma/ depending on dialect (/rom/ or /ʀom/ in the singular). Starting from the 1990s, the word has also been oficially used in the Romanian language, although it has been used by Romani activists in Romania as far back as 1933.

There are two spellings of the word in Romanian: rom (plural romi), and rrom (plural rromi). The first spelling is preferred by the majority of Roma NGOs. The two forms reflect the fact that for some speakers of Romani there are two different "r-like" phonemes: /r/ and /ʀ/ . In the government-sponsored (Courthiade) writing system /ʀ/ is spelt rr. The final i in rromi is the Romanian (nor Romani) plural.

The traditional and colloquial Romanian name for Roma, also widely used by the press, is "ţigani" (cognate with Hungarian cigány, Greek ατσίγγανοι (atsinganoi), French gitans, Spanish gitanos, Portuguese ciganos, Dutch zigeuner, German Zigeuner). The term is highly pejorative in Romania.

Demographic history

The presence of the Roms within the territory of the present-day Romania dates back to the XIV-th century. The number of Roms fluctuated in dependence of diverse historical and political events.

Before 1856

Until their liberation in 1856, most Roms lived in slavery. They couldn't leave the property of their owner (the boyars and the orthodox monasteries). Around 200,000 to 250,000 Roms (around 7% of the country's population) lived in slavery.

Between 1856 and 1918

After their liberation in 1856, a significant number of Roms left Walachia and Moldavia.

In 1886, the number of Roms was estimated at around 200,000 or 3.2% of Romania's population. The 1899-census counted around 210,806 "others", of whom roughly the half (or 2% of the countries population) were Roma.

In Bessarabia, that was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812, the Roms have been liberated in 1861 and many of them migrated to other regions of the Russian Empire, while important communities left in Soroca, Otaci and the surroundings of Cetatea Albă, Chişinău, Bălţi.

Between 1918 and 1945

The 1918 union with Transylvania, Banat, Bukovina and Bessarabia increased the number of ethnic Roma.

The first census in interwar Romania took place in 1930. 242,656 persons (1.6%) were registered as Gypsies (ţigani).

The territory lost in 1940 caused a drop in the number Roma, leaving a high number of Roma especially in Southern Dobrouja and Northern Transylvania.

The Romanian government of Ion Antonescu deported 25,000 Roma to Transnistria; of these, 11,000 died. In all, from the territory of present-day Romania (including Northern Transylvania), 36,000 Roma perished during the Second World War.

Between 1945 and 2007

Though the persecution of Roma ended after 1945, their social situation didn't improve substantially. According to various census data, their number was:

The reason for the small number of registered Roms in 1966 is unkonwn. The 1966-census data is suspected to be manipulated.

Estimations put a higher number of Roma in Romania. Acording to a study of the Research Institute for Quality of Life from 1998 and published in 2000, there are 1,452,700 to 1,588,552 heteroidentified Roms (of whom 922,465 to 1,002,381 autoidentified). Some other estimations put a number of 700,000-760,000 to 1,800,000-2,500,000 though the authors don't justify those numbers.

After 2007

The accession of Romania to the European Union in 2007 determined many members of the Romani minority, the most socially disadvantaged ethnic group in Romania, to migrate in masses to various Western counties (mostly to Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, France) hoping to find a better life. Florin Cioabă, the so-called "King of all Gypsies" declared recently that he worries that Romania may lose its Romani minority. The exact number of emigrants in unknown. In Italy, 60% of the 152,000 Romani individuals living in 700 camps are immigrants, many from Romania and the Balkans. Unofficial estimates place the size of the Romanian Romani community in Spain at around 100,000.

The next population census will take place in 2011.

Cultural influence

Romani music has had a significant influence in Romanian culture, as most lăutari (wedding and party musicians) are of Romani ethnicity. Renowned Romanian Romani musicians include Barbu Lăutaru, Grigoraş Dinicu, Johnny Răducanu, Damian Drăghici and Ion Voicu. In recent years, some Romani artists have started to publish traditional Romani music in albums as a measure of ethnic preservation.

The musical genre manele, a part of Romanian pop culture, is often sung by Romani singers in Romania and has been influenced in part by Romani music, but mostly by Oriental music brought in Romania from Turkey during the 19th century. A subject of controversy, this kind of music is both considered to be low-class kitsch by some people in Romania and enjoyed by others as fun party music.

Integration in Romanian society

According to a 2009 report of the European Fundamental Rights Agency, the discrimination perception of the Roma community of Romania is lower than that of the other EU countries covered by the report. The perceived discrimination levels given by the report are:

• Czech Republic 64%: Hungary 62%: Poland 59%: Greece 55%: Slovakia 41%: Bulgaria 26%: Romania 25%:

Based on this report, Romanian newspapers have stated that the Roma minority in Romania is the 'least discriminated Roma minority in Eastern Europe' .

However, the same report added that according to the judgement of the interviewers:

spatial segregation is high amongst the Roma; (that is, they are living in areas predominantly populated by other Roma): highest in Bulgaria (72%), Romania (66%), Slovakia (65%) and Greece (63%). The implications of this should be borne in mind when looking at the results, as higher levels of spatial segregation imply that Roma respondents are cut-off from mainstream society, which, on the one hand implies that they experience high levels of discrimination, but, on the other hand, may serve to shelter them from discriminatory treatment as contact with the majority population is limited

A 2000 EU report about Roma said that in Romania… the continued high levels of discrimination are a serious concern.. and progress has been limited to programmes aimed at improving access to education.

In Romania, education is free, yet there is a high drop-out rate of Roma which is explained as a part of Romani tradition. In 2007, Grancsa Szomna, a Roma girl from the Harghita county commited suicid because her parents didn't want to let her to continue the school.

The EU has launched a program entitled "Decade of Roma Inclusion" to combat this and other problems.

Many Roma living in traditional groups do not often mix with other ethnic groups. However, other Roma are largely or fully integrated into society. Scholarships in schools and universities were created for Roma by the state creating "positive discrimination". They are also kindergardens in the Romani language.

Roma and the image of Romania

Criminal actions by Romanian citizens culminated in the murder of Giovanna Reggiani, an Italian woman, by Nicolae Romulus Mailat, a Romanian Rom. This in turn resulted in a backlash by Italian politicians, newspapers and the public, involving violent attacks against all immigrants from Romania, regardless of their ethnic origin. The Italian authorities issued a decree which allowed for the expulsion of immigrants deemed to threaten public security in Italy, even if they were EU citizens. Giordano Altarozzi, an Italian professor in Romania said that both the Romanian and the Italian press have exaggerated in presenting the "Mailat case", and that it was used by politicians to gain popularity in both countries. He said that he was shocked to see how many lies were told in the Romanian and Italian mass-media.

There were many controversies regarding the "Mailat case". Italian authorities initially said that Mailat also raped the victim, but this was proven to be a lie. Some DNA evidences were reportedly missing and Mailat's Italian lawyer lied about them. The witness that the prosecutors used to acuse Mailat was a woman with psychiatric problems. Mailat claimed until the last moment that he didn't kill the woman.

According to an article in Le Monde, Romanian and Bulgarian Roma are "not desired" in the European Union. The article cited the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, "the hostility towards Roma and anti-tsiganism are on the rise in Europe".

The Roma argued that the Romanians use double standards about them: those Roma that have a negative effect on the image of Romania are considered as "ţigani/gypsies", while those that have a positive effect on the image of Romania are considered Romanians. Such an example is in the case of Nicolae Romulus Mailat vs Costel Busuioc, both of Romani origin: while in the case of Mailat, who has been convicted in Italy for murder, the media refers to him being a Rom. In the case of Busuioc, who won the Spanish contest Hijos de Babel, they do not mention his ethnic origin.

Self-proclaimed leaders

The Romani community has:

• An Emperor of Roma from Everywhere, as Iulian Rădulescu proclaimed himself. In 1997, Iulian Rădulescu announced the creation of Cem Romengo - the first Rom state in Târgu Jiu, in southwest Romania. According to Rădulescu, "this state has a symbolic value and does not affect the sovereignty and unity of Romania. It does not have armed forces and does not have borders".
• A King of Roma. In 1992, Ioan Cioabă proclaimed himself King of Rroma at Horezu, "in front of more than 10,000 Rroms" (according to his son's declaration). His son, Florin Cioabă, succeeded him as king.
• An International King of Roma. On August 31, 2003, according to a decree issued by Emperor Iulian, Ilie Stănescu was proclaimed king. The ceremony took place in Curtea de Argeş Cathedral, the Orthodox Church where Romania's Hohenzollern monarchs were crowned and are buried. Ilie Stănescu died in December, 2007.

Early age marriage scandal

On September 27, 2003, Ana Maria Cioabă, the 12-year-old daughter of Florin Cioabă (the King of Roma) was forced to marry Mihai Birita, a 15-year-old boy. Since both were below Romania's legal age of marriage (set at 16), no official marriage ceremony was performed. Ana Maria Cioabă fled from the wedding, but her father brought her back and she was forcibly married. Particularly controversial was the fact that the groom showed the wedding guests a bloodied bed sheet to prove that the marriage had been consummated; in Romania, the age of consent is 15 years old, so sexual contact with the 12-year-old girl was illegal under Romanian law. A friend of her, Ms Dana Chendea, said "She told me it was the worst thing that ever happened to her. She felt like a huge rock fell on her."

Baroness Emma Nicholson, the European Parliament rapporteur for Romania, said that it was a rape and the child must be given over to foster care. Subsequently, the Romanian authorities decided that Ana-Maria Cioabă and Mihai Birita must live separately and must not have any sexual relationships until the legal age of marriage. Ana-Maria was not, however, sent to foster care.

Doru-Viorel Ursu, a former Romanian Minister of the Interior (1990–1991), was the godfather of the young bride.

Florin Cioabă said that he believes, also, that there shouldn't be marriages between Romani children anymore, but he argued that hundred years old traditions cannot be changed over night.

The median age at which the first marriage for Romani girls happen is 19.

Notable people

• Ştefan Răzvan (his father)
• Grigoraş Dinicu
• Ştefan Bănică, Sr.
• Ştefan Bănică, Jr. (his father)
• Fănică Luca
• Bănel Nicoliţă
• Johnny Răducanu
• Adrian Copilul Minune
• Ion Voicu
• Mădălin Voicu (his father)
• Adrian Năstase (his grandmother)
• Nicolae Guţă
• Marcel Pavel
• Fărâmiţă Lambru, singer
• Nelu Ploieşteanu, singer
• Costel Busuioc, singer
• Jean Constantin, actor
• Anca Parghel, Jazz singer (her grandmother and, probably her grandfather too)

See also

• National Agency for the Roma, an agency of the Romanian government dealing with Rom affairs
• Slavery in Romania
• List of towns in Romania by Romani population
• Antiziganism
• 2006 Ferentari riot

References

1. 2002 census data, based on Population by ethnicity, gives a total of 535,250 Roma in Romania. This figure is disputed by other sources, because at the local level, many Roma declare a different ethnicity (Romanian, but also Hungarian in Transylvania and Turkish in Dobruja) for fear of discrimination. Many are not recorded at all, since they do not have ID cards .
2. http://www.anr.gov.ro/docs/statistici/Public_policies_for_Roma_in_Romania_2000_2005_190.pdf
3. Rumänien sieht Ende starker Auswanderung (Schweiz, NZZ Online)
4. European effort spotlights plight of the Roma
5. The Roma of Eastern Europe: Still Searching for Inclusion
6. Template:Ro icon Popescu, Eugenia (February 22, 2006). "Rromii sunt, in continuare, victime ale intolerantei si discriminarii" (Roma are still victims of intolerance and discrimination). Cronica Română. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. Regele Cioabă se plânge la Guvern că rămâne fără supuşi - Gandul
8. "Ziua Activistului Rom", retrieved 2009-01-28
9. http://www.romanes.ro
10. Matras, Yaron (2002). Romani: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-512-63165-3.
11. To be or not to be gypsy
12. "Discriminarea se invata in familie", retrieved 2009-01-28
13. Viorel Achim, The Roma in Romanian History, Central European University Press, Budapest, 2004.
14. Mayers Konversationslexikon, 1892
15. Ion Nistor, Istoria Basarabiei, Humanitas, Bucuresti, 1991
16. The report of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania (PDF), from Yad Vashem
17. Society for Threatened Peoples
18. http://www.edrc.ro/docs/docs/Romii_din_Romania.pdf
19. http://www.edrc.ro/docs/docs/Romii_din_Romania.pdf
20. http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/schweiz/rumaenien_sieht_ende_starker_auswanderung_1.698521.html
21. [http://books.google.de/books?id=AD4YIuYY46kC Alexandre Zouev, Peter Ustinov. Generation in jeopardy: children in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Published by UNICEF.
22. UNDP report At Risk (2006) and Roma Education Fund report (April 2007)
23. Regele Cioabă se plânge la Guvern că rămâne fără supuşi - Gandul
24. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4272550.ece
25. The levante Journal. Note: The same estimates put the number of Roma at more than 10% of the Romanian population.
26. Recensământul populaţiei va avea loc în 2011
27. Rites of Passage and Oral Storytelling in Romanian Epic and the New Testament 2002 Margaret H. Beissinger
28. Podcast of lecture by Dr. Margaret H. Beissinger, Princeton University “Traditional Romani (Gypsy) Musicians and Oral Epic in the Balkans: A Comparison of Performance and Performers” Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at University of Pennsylvania
29. http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/849107/Romii-sunt-cel-mai-putin-discriminati-in-Romania/
30. http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/EU-MIDIS_ROMA_EN.pdf
31. "The Situation of Roma in an Enlarged European Union" (PDF). European Commission. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 17 (help)
32. http://www.cotidianul.ro/grancsa_szomna_si_a_pus_streangul_de_git_ca_sa_scape_de_viata_de_tiganca-27343.html
33. Decade of Roma inclusion web site
34. http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/847335/Alte-gradinite-pentru-romi/
35. Pedepsirea României pentru Rominia?
36. , De la Roma la Bucureşti şi înapoi
37. Cioaba: Romano Prodi si-a premeditat actiunea impotriva romilor din Italia
38. Brutal sex attack forces Italy to make laws for kicking out EU migrants
39. Aşa-zisul caz 'Mailat' a fost politizat în ambele ţări
40. Italienii au mintit: Mailat nu a violat-o pe italianca
41. Italienii au mintit: Inscenarea Mailat
42. «Denuntatoarea» lui Mailat are probleme psihice
43. Italienii au mintit: Verdict in cazul Mailat
44. Les Etats membres peuvent s'appuyer sur une directive européenne pour limiter la liberté de circulation in Le Monde, 03-11-2007
45. Double standards, retrieved 2009-01-26
46. Romania de dincolo de Paradis, retrieved 2009-01-26
47. Template:Ro icon "Regele Cioabă vs. Iulian impăratul". Maxim.
48. Template:Ro icon Popan, Cosmin (June 10, 2006). "Cioabă şi oalele sparte din şatră". Cotidianul. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
49. Template:Ro icon "La Mânăstirea Curtea de Argeş s-au sfinţit doar podoabele specifice rromilor". Curierul Naţional. September 3, 2003. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
50. ^ "Wedding of 12-year-old gypsy princess not recognised". The Sydney Morning Herald. October 2, 2003. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
51. Template:Ro icon "Ana-Maria Cioaba şi Mihai Birita, nevoiţi să locuiască separat". Adevărul. October 3, 2003. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
52. Template:Ro icon "Doru-Viorel Ursu: Curriculum Vitae". Structura Parlamentului României 1992-1996. Chamber of Deputies of Romania.
53. Template:Ro icon Duca, Dan. "Cioabă face revoluţie în şatră". Cotidianul.
54. RAZBOI TOTAL IN TIGANIE - Imparatul Iulian si Regele Cioaba il fac praf pe deputatul Niky Scorpion
55. Romii din România

External links

• Romanians and Gypsies - Two Worlds Apart
• Picture of Ana Maria Cioabă and Mihai Birita at their wedding
• "Gypsy Child Bride A Rape Victim?". CBS News. October 1, 2003. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Kyriakidou, Dina (October 1, 2003). "Gypsy princess, 12, forced back to altar". The Sydney Morning Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Assessment for Roma in Romania

v t e Romani people in Romania
Demographics and history	Romani language Boyash Ciurari Kalderash Ursari List of towns in Romania by Romani population Slavery in Romania Deportations of Romani people to Transnistria 1993 Hădăreni riots 2006 Ferentari riot
Organisations	Aven Amentza National Agency for the Roma Party of the Roma Romani CRISS
Initiatives	Decade of Roma Inclusion National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust Racism Breaks the Game
Musical groups	Fanfare Ciocărlia Shukar Collective Taraful Haiducilor Mahala Rai Banda
People	Delia Grigore Nicolae Păun Mădălin Voicu

• Articles needing more viewpoints from June 2008
• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from June 2008
• Articles with weasel words from December 2007
• Ethnic groups in Romania
• Roma minorities
• Romani people and Romanipen in Romania