Roma Connect Final Conference Tackles Anti-Roma Racism\u00a0<\/i><\/b>and Amplifies Voices of Roma Women<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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On the <\/span>8th of October 8, 2024, in Barcelona<\/i><\/b>, the <\/span>Roma Connect Final Conference<\/i><\/b> gathered<\/span> over 90 participants<\/i><\/b> in a powerful stand against anti-Roma racism and in support of<\/span> Roma women’s voices from Hungary, Romania, Greece, and Spain<\/i><\/b>. Hosted at the Barcelona City Hall and broadcast online, the conference brought together advocates, policymakers, and Roma community leaders to discuss challenges and solutions in<\/span> combating discrimination<\/i><\/b> and<\/span> fostering inclusion<\/i><\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n The evening opened with remarks from key figures, including <\/span>Maria Eug\u00e8nia Gay Rosell, Barcelona\u2019s Deputy Mayor of Social Rights<\/i><\/b>, who highlighted the city’s commitment to equality and diversity. <\/span>Veronica Santiago<\/i><\/b> of Drom Kotar Mestipen and <\/span>Fernando Mac\u00edas Aranda<\/i><\/b>, the Catalan Government\u2019s Director for Equality of Treatment and Non-Discrimination, also underscored the critical role of Roma Connect in dismantling racial barriers and amplifying Roma women’s voices.<\/span><\/p>\n The first roundtable<\/i><\/b> focused on the prevalence of <\/span>hate speech directed in the digital sphere<\/i><\/b>. Dr. Lena de Botton’s presentation highlighted the effectiveness of the “Upstander” discourse in countering online hate speech through visible, constructive support for victims, which encourages broader positive engagement. By fostering community-based responses and non-violent, evidence-driven narratives, this approach aims to reduce the fear of reprisal, protect vulnerable groups, and prevent the perpetuation of verbal violence. The guidance provided emphasizes empathy, safety, and the strategic use of alternative narratives to create a supportive online environment against hate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This was followed by Veronica Santiago, who presented Roma Connect\u2019s achievements and showcased a project video documenting the experiences of Roma women across Europe. The video highlighted how digital platforms can both perpetuate and challenge stereotypes, underlining the need for continued online activism and support.<\/span><\/p>\n Following this,<\/span> the second roundtable<\/i><\/b> featured deeply<\/span> personal accounts from Roma women<\/i><\/b>. Their stories served as both a call to action and a testament to resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n Participants were highly engaged, with<\/span> in-person attendees<\/i><\/b> and <\/span>virtual viewers<\/i><\/b> contributing to two Q&A sessions. The discussions reinforced the urgency of fighting discrimination at both community and policy levels, with shared commitments to continue Roma Connect\u2019s work beyond the project\u2019s completion.<\/span><\/p>\n Sara Belbeida Bedoui, Commissioner for Citizen Relations, Cultural and Religious Diversity<\/i><\/b>, closed the event, praising the initiative\u2019s contributions and calling for sustained efforts to ensure Roma women’s voices are not only heard but lead the charge in shaping a more inclusive Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n Roma Connect has been an EU-funded initiative within the CERV-programme aimed at addressing systemic racism and empowering Roma women across Hungary, Romania, Greece, and Spain. By fostering community and dialogue, the project has created a platform for Roma voices, challenging stereotypes, and advocating for equal treatment across all societal levels.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Roma Connect Final Conference Tackles Anti-Roma Racism\u00a0and Amplifies Voices of Roma Women On the 8th of October 8, 2024, in Barcelona, the Roma Connect Final Conference gathered over 90 participants in a powerful stand against anti-Roma racism and in support of Roma women’s voices from Hungary, Romania, Greece, and Spain. Hosted at the Barcelona […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-noticias"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2863"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2864,"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2863\/revisions\/2864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romaconnect.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n