Refugees of Second Class: Ukrainian Roma in Hungary and Moldova

Senior Fellow Celine Cojocar co-authored a policy paper on the solidarity towards Ukrainian (Roma) refugees. The policy paper is titled “Refugees of Second Class: Ukrainian Roma in Hungary and Moldova” and was recently published Polis 180, a grassroots think tank known for bringing together different social groups in our work and thus counteracting the growing gap between them.

In this paper, Celina and her co-author Anna Lelkes break down the differences between the solidarity towards Ukrainian refugees and the Ukrainian Roma refugees, specifically looking at the situation in Moldova and Hungary as two of the most important transit countries.

According to the authors, the Ukrainian Roma refugees, often face “severe discrimination, segregation, and rejection.” What is more, the authorities in Moldova and Hungary are “publicly reinforcing harmful stereotypes about Roma.”

As Celine and Anna explain, “this unsanctioned behavior is a flagrant violation of human rights on European ground,” and needs to be addressed.

• To read the policy paper in full, visit this Polis 180 page.