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17.06.2015Early Marriage - Culture or Abuse? A partner meeting in Florence

A Second Partner Meeting of the Project “Early Marriage: Culture or Abuse”took place in Florence on May 25 – 26, 2015. Apart from sharing and discussing the project implementation and achieving project objectives, the project partners (People’s University of Kocevje, RIC Novo mesto, Center Amalipe and Form Azione Co&So Network) had the opportunity to exchange experience related to the core focus of the projectand the work with the Roma community (especially community organization for prevention and reducing harmful traditional practices, such as early marriages). In addition, a useful and valuable part of the meeting was the field visit in the Roma communities Form Azione Co&So Network works with. The Roma communities in Florence are compiled of local Sinti Roma as well as migrant Roma – mainly from ex-Yugoslavia and Romania. The partners got acquainted with the accommodation practice of the Municipality of Florence and the local Roma organizations to resettle and integrated local population. The precarious life in some of the camps (Poderaccio, Olmatello and so on) due to the lack of space and the terrible standard of hygiene led people living in camps  together: they turned to associations for help. In 1994, Roma representatives from the three camps together with several organizations turned to the Municipality to ask for a different solution. The delegation was then joined by the presidents and some council members from the areas involved in order to obtain the refugee status for those among this population who had right to it. Meetings were set with the neighboring councils and also with those outside the province of Florence to distribute Roma families in the territory (e.g. Livorno, Massa Carrara, Lucca, Pisa, Pontedera, Empoli). About 20 of these families had a good integration path and are still living in the cities were they had been assigned. At the same time the living conditions of those still living in the camps like Poderaccio, for example, were significantly improved. Infrastructure was built and basic conditions for living, employment and schooling were established. Moreover, the Municipality took further steps and upgraded its policy there with supporting community development. One of the local informal leaders was appointed a labor mediator at the Municipality; the community has been additionally organized around the local religious and community center, which organizes a number of community events for improving the situation of the local Roma community. As a result, the level of traditional harmful practices (such as the early marriages) is extremely low. 

The meeting and the discussions with local people gave all the partners a lot of ideas how experience could be exchanges among all the countries and how we can further help each other.

 
 

 
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