Letter: Roma scandal

The treatment of Europe's ten million Romanies is nothing short of disgraceful, (your reports). On every social index, from income to life expectancy, from illiteracy to health, the Romanies do worse than any other European group, not only poor but also shamefully persecuted.

The solution by some governments, such as Italy and France, is to deport them to Romania and Bulgaria - not only immoral but also probably illegal. Imagine substituting "Roma" with the word "black".

The sense of despair and exclusion many Romanies feel makes going to school or seeking a job seem a waste of time. But while the situation is grave, it is not hopeless. European Union leaders can help through education.

Integrating Roma children into mainstream education can be hard, especially when the focus for many parents is getting their children to earn and not learn and they are often persecuted in the classroom. Experience in Romania, however, suggests that Romanies can be persuaded to send their children to school, and that governments can help. Hot meals, food vouchers, subsidised clothing, and even making child welfare benefits conditional on attendance all help and cost little.

The treatment of the Roma is especially sad when one considers it to be the middle of Europe's "Decade of Roma Inclusion", but with willingness this situation could be dramatically improved.

ALEX ORR

Leamington Terrace

Edinburgh