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. Poverty - The escalation of severe poverty among Roma in Central and Eastern Europe has been one of the most striking developments in the region over the past twelve years.
- Poverty rates for Roma range between four and ten times that of non-Roma. Roma are both poorer than other population groups and are more likely to fall into poverty and remain poor.
- The plight of Roma poverty has multiple and interrelated causes—poor health and education status, limited chances in the labor market, discrimination, and unique aspects of Roma social organization, which together contribute to their social exclusion.
- Geographic isolation of settlements heightens barriers to access to services such as education, health care, and waste collection, and thus further increases poverty over the long run.
Education - Persistent disadvantages in education, including low school attendance and overrepresentation in special schools, which limit future opportunities, create a high probability that without policy interventions the next generation of Roma will continue to remain in poverty.
- Because Roma frequently live in quasi-legal circumstances or remote areas, they may lack the documentation necessary for enrolling in school and claiming social assistance or health benefits.
- Roma parents sometimes feel they are protecting their children by sending them to special needs schools with other Roma children, but the education they receive there ill-prepares them for labor markets, again exacerbating the risks of poverty and exclusion over the long term.
- Due to language barriers and low education levels, Roma face difficulty communicating with teachers, understanding health professionals, and maneuvering through local government offices to access social assistance.
Health - Data on the health status of Roma are scarce and fragmented. Yet the information that exists paints a bleak picture, pointing to significant gaps in health status between the Roma and non-Roma populations.
- Because of substandard living conditions, Roma communities are particularly susceptible to communicable diseases, including hepatitis and tuberculosis. There are increasing indications that Roma have a higher incidence of health problems associated with unhealthy life styles, including drug and alcohol addiction and HIV/AIDS.
- Poor living conditions, such as overcrowding and lack of adequate sanitation facilities make Roma communities more susceptible to infectious diseases than other groups.
- Reports of epidemics of hepatitis, tuberculosis and parasitic diseases were common, during and after the socialist period.
Employment - While most Roma had jobs during the socialist era, formal unemployment is now widespread.
- The high prevalence of Roma in informal sector employment also limits their access to insurance-based benefits, including health care and unemployment insurance.
- Cultural factors affect access and interactions with social service providers.
- Compounded by discrimination and low expectations of employers, Roma have had more difficulty re-entering the job market than other groups, and have consequently become caught in a cycle of impoverishment.
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