July 9 - 11, 2012

Ohrid, Macedonia

RHI & LAHI

Background

Despite a range of international, regional, and national frameworks protecting their health and human rights, Roma people report a shocking range of human rights abuses and violations in health care settings, ranging from segregation to coerced sterilization and denial of services.  For Roma people who manage to access services, the health system remains a hostile environment, a place of stigmatization, discrimination, and violations of fundamental human rights.  There is increasing recognition on domestic, regional, and international levels of systematic exclusion and abuse of Roma in health systems in countries such as Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia.  Essential to building on this momentum is the ability of Roma NGOs to carry out effective legal advocacy with a view to increasing accountability for violations of Roma rights in health care and addressing systemic impediments to Roma access to health care. 

Meeting Goals:

• To strengthen legal advocacy on Roma health through targeted sessions facilitating peer learning.
• To ensure a clear understanding of the human rights framework and tools for advocacy.
• To develop a collective vision for this initiative, including goals and a means to track progress.
• To explore opportunities for future collaboration and form a learning community for groups involved in this work.