As evictions continue in Albania, Romani women reach out to local elected officials
Source: ROMEA
Activist Ola Tare in Albania has contacted the Roma Virtual Network to report the planned eviction of Roma families living in an informal encampment near a man-made lake in the capital, Tirana. The municipality reportedly announced the eviction on 2 October because of redevelopment plans and alleged that the families were "harm[ing]... the environment and their [own] health."
Tare reports that the families relocated to the capital several years ago to make a living collecting recyclable materials for resale. According to the activist, many have been repeatedly displaced starting in 2011, when someone set fire to their temporary dwellings near the main train station.
During 2012 the families were reportedly relocated to what Tare called a "former military camp" but were unable to stay there due to local community protests against that decision. In 2013 they were reportedly evicted from their next informal encampment by property owners seeking to develop housing in that location.
Tare reports that the upcoming eviction will be the fourth the Roma families have experienced during the last five years. Reportedly the municipality will provide temporary shelter to those who are officially-registered residents of Tirana and free transportation for the rest back to their "cities of origin", a measure that could violate their internationally-protected rights to housing and freedom of movement. The activist notes that the families are some of the least educated in the country and that their living conditions will deteriorate if such relocation does not involve providing them with access to education and income-generation. Reportedly the local authority is not consulting with them on how resolve their situations.
Read more: http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/as-evictions-continue-in-albania-romani-women-reach-out-to-local-elected-officials