Health Brief – Human rights violated, access to health neglected: Roma in ‘mental distress’

 Lower life expectancy, limited access to health services, and the violation of human rights are just some factors impacting Roma people’s mental health in Europe.

Mental health is an “under-represented issue, especially among Roma”, even though it is a “crucial aspect” of their well-being, explains Tomas de Jong, a policy assistant from the Roma Health Network at the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA).

The Roma population on the continent is estimated to be between 10 to 12 million, according to the Council of Europe which has recently included the term “anti-gypsyism” in its list of discriminations.

Anti-gypsyism is “the historically constructed racism against the Roma,” says Belén Soto Ponce, a pre-doctoral researcher at the University of Seville, adding that “it includes the homogenisation of the Roma, the attribution of specific traits and violent practices.” (...)