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Discrimination and the Roma community, 2015
11.
Mérida.
Education.
Direct discrimination.
A worker from the FSG office in Merida informed us that the head
teacher at a local school had searched through a Roma child’s rucksack as she suspected that the child had
stolen the teacher’s mobile telephone.
As a result of that incident, the child’s parents were contemplating transferring the child to another school as
they could not tolerate these discriminatory and humiliating situations against their son in front of all his class-
mates.
The family simply wanted to register this situation but decided against taking any action.
12.
Lugo.
Education.
Direct discrimination.
A Roma woman taking part in FSG services complained that in the
introduction to the story ‘Show White’ that the teachers at school were reading to the class, inappropriate and
offensive language was used regarding the character’s dress (comparison with stereotyped clothes worn by
Roma).
The mother expressed her feeling of discomfort as she felt offended but she was afraid that this could lead to
discrimination or a feeling of inferiority with respect to the other children.
The Department sent a letter of complaint to the editor of that edition calling for the removal of the offensive
language but have not received a reply.
13.
Navarre.
Education.
Direct discrimination.
A local resident from the town of Barasoain (Navarre) contacted
the FSG.
The woman explained that her five-year-old daughter and other children from the same school were victims of
discrimination from some of their classmates’ parents.
Both teachers and other parents told their children not to play with certain other children either because they
were the children of an abused mother, because they were Moroccan, weren’t from that town, were Gypsies, etc.
The mother explained that this situation was affecting several of the children. The solution chosen by these
parents was to transfer their children to another school. The mother explained the problem to the school admin-
istrators but their response was that they didn’t get involved in these situations.