by Roberto Malini
Rome, August 23rd, 2008. When in a country the virus of racism starts to spread, it is often the so-called “human rights organizations” who catch it first, due to their daily synergy with the institutions. During periods when racism and xenophobia take root it is unlikely that an organization such as the Red Cross (to use an example); the long-standing humanitarian agencies, or the local branches of international organizations will suddenly protest against the state which until that moment, in many cases, has supported and/or financed them. Understanding that “social” has turned to “individual”, that everyone’s good has become the good of the few, the privilege of the host ethnic group, of the dominant race, is the basis for an awareness that is resistant, no longer obedient. We are not surprised by the position of the Red Cross, Opera Nomadi and Arci, who have decided to dialogue with and often add their support to the racist movement that is governing us, (both on a national and local level) and which talks to us through the press. Inside these organizations there are people who stand out because of their moral stature, people who work hard every day from an awkward position, subjected to criticism from their colleagues, threats from the authorities, and open hostility from racist extremism.
The anti-gypsy sentiments now rife in Italy are also present in the new Save the Children dossier released today on the eve of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The Italian branch of the famous organization that is supposed to protect children’s rights – and whose reports are based entirely on information and data supplied by the institutions – has published a study that is a mirror of the dominant ideology in our country: a racist ideology that once again proposes all the stereotypes used throughout history to justify the persecution of the Roma people. There is no need to comment on the points that concern Roma children in the Save the Children dossier; points that Carlotta Bellini, who is in charge of the organization, presents with pride:
PREAMBLE - “Children are used in the trade, either because they are more easily blackmailed and subjugated by adults, or because a child, perhaps with a physical handicap, arouses more sympathy. What is more, minors under 14 are not punishable by law, and are therefore used in illegal activities like theft and pick-pocketing, or as drug couriers, not to mention the use of minors in prostitution”.
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION – Involves mainly female adolescents, Nigerians and girls from Eastern Europe. (…) The young girls from Eastern Europe (mostly from Romania and Moldova – recruited by acquaintances or relatives, sometimes abducted) cross the Italian border by car, bus or even on foot. Many of them are Romanian minors of Roma origin.
BEGGING – Mainly practised by Roma minors from Romania or the former Yugoslavia, sometimes physically handicapped children. They spend the whole day on the street, in uncomfortable positions and in all kinds of weather. Many of them are victims of violence.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES – A business that involves minors of both sexes, most of them from Romania (…) They are recruited in their countries of origin and brought to Italy to steal and pick pockets (…)
The major newspapers completed the contents of the dossier, presenting Roma parents (known to be loving and protective of their children) as torturers and brutes, and offering the whole range of racist stereotypes which are totally (do we have to underline it yet again?) false: Roma parents mutilate their children to force them to beg; they torture them and segregate them to force them to steal and prostitute themselves; they sell them; they use them for drug pushing; they kidnap children from the host nation.
A few weeks ago the editor of an important news agency called me and asked me to explain an article I had written which pulled to pieces the most common prejudices the Roma are accused of. He seemed irritated when I pointed out how unfounded his convictions were. When we touched on the subject of prostitution, he threw out a challenge: “Come to Milan and I’ll show you dozens of Roma prostitutes, all under-age and all on the street”. Seeing I am very familiar with the ethics and laws of the Roma people concerning child prostitution – which is universally condemned – I took up his challenge and said: “All right, let’s meet in Milan whenever you want. If you can prove what you say is true, I am willing to release a statement admitting I was wrong, and wearing sackcloth and ashes I will confirm what you say. But if the opposite is true, you will allow me ample space in the press to show the groundlessness and the bad faith behind the prejudice directed at the Roma people”. The editor took up the challenge but started to recant his accusations: “Well, maybe they’re Romanian girls, not Roma … but I assure you there are lots of very young prostitutes, and the Roma are not the saints you make them out to be…” As for our meeting in Milan, he assured me he would contact me a few days later. Weeks have gone by without him getting in touch again. That is certainly not the way we will “Save the Children”.
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