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It is believed that the Sinti and Roma, who live all over Europe, originated from Northern India. Depending on where they live, they have maintained their own culture and traditions.
The Sinti and Roma have been discriminated against and persecuted throughout history, and it is said that half a million were sent to concentration camps such as Auschwitz and massacred. The Nazis saw them as an inferior ethnic group, possessing genes that supposedly made them vagabonds and thieves. Many made their livings selling cattle, crafting metals, and as musicians. These days, many work as scrap merchants, and a majority continue to be excluded from society.
IMADR has worked to fight discrimination against Sinti and Roma, working with Sinti and Roma organizations since its inception. It is involved in international anti-discrimination campaigns and advocacy work at the UN level with partner organization Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and other groups, as well as general awareness-raising activities.
* The word "gypsy" has taken on a discriminatory flavor given the Roma people’s long history of persecution by the Europeans. The Roma refer to themselves as "Roma," which means "human" in their language.
IMADR partner organization
Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma / Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
The Central Council was founded in February 1982 by 11 associations of the Laender and regional associations of German Sinti and Roma. It is headed by Romani Rose, also a director of IMADR. It is located in Heidelberg and is
connected to the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma. Since its foundation, the organization has worked to research and document the genocide against Sinti and Roma. Since the beginning of the nineties it has objected to the discriminatory and dangerously racist reporting about Sinti and Roma in many German newspapers and public television, and has demanded anti-discrimination provisions in the media law. The Central Council demands that the approximately 70,000 German Sinti and Roma be recognized as a national minority and that their human rights are protected.
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Related Information
- Central Council of German Sinti and Roma（external link)
- Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma（external link)
