Roma Or Gypsy

The Roma The Roma or Gypsies are traditionally a nomadic society, and they have no geographical boundaries. Their population in the world is approximately between 8 and 10 million (Pamporov, 2007), and they can be found on nearly every continent. The first mention of Roma or Gypsy is in the fourteenth century Europe, where they are featured both in pictures and writings. By the sixteenth century, they were already shown as a wild and uncontrolled group that made their livelihood by stealing from others. The word Gypsy originates from the notion that this group of travelers came from Egypt, however, their origins hail from India. It is now thought that the first Roma traveled from India. A blood study was undertaken of a group of Roma,

Their clothes that touch their skin above the waist are not washed with clothes worn below the waist. Children’s clothes are not washed with adult clothes, and male clothing are not washed with female clothing (Griffin, 2002). Despite this tradition, on the whole Roma are thought of as dirty and unclean. Particularly in England, the Roma nomadic ways are being harassed in an attempt to make them live more sedentary lives. Many laws have been introduced to limit their travels. To overcome this restriction, Roma bought land to park on so that they would not get moved on by the authorities (Kabachnik, 2009). Without a permanent address, the Roma often have no long term employment choices. Marriage is kept between Roma and relationships with outsiders are not welcomed. The offending party is usually ostracized from the group. The young bride can only be a virgin and chaste. The average age of a first pregnancy is 15 years old. This practice of early marriage has been successful in maintaining the social and reproductive behavior. This nomadic lifestyle brings discrimination and a negative description of the people. In Finland, the Roma have largely been assimilated into Finnish culture. No longer wandering about, but living in government provided apartments and some Roma in privately owned

The children are used to perform simple math calculations and to read out letters from other relatives. In one view it looks like the Roma like that fact that they are not getting cheated out of money, but they do not want better for their children. The culture is too embedded into the poverty and wandering. In terms of education, many of the countries where Roma reside would rather that they assimilate than live on the outside of the rules and regulations of the country, and town. By educating the young , the country is moving the students away from the traditions of non literates. This is a part of their culture. Parents have negative attitudes towards education. This has been instilled in them culturally for years.. To beg or steal or make small change does not take an education and to require the children to be educated not in their native tongue creates a rift between the authorities and Roma. Numerous Roma populations live as outsiders in the countries of their residence. They are discriminated against and stigmatized. They have also experienced persecution in the past, expulsion, and during the Holocaust, extermination. More recently they have been recognized as a minority in the European