Roma in Cyprus:

The population of Roma in Cyprus is small. In 2012, the Council of Europe estimated the number of Roma living in the Republic of Cyprus approximately 1,250, i.e. 0.11%.

The overall government policy approach to promote the social inclusion of the Cypriot Roma is through horizontal policy measures targeting all vulnerable groups
within existing broader social inclusion policies and structures (e.g. general social inclusion policies and the National Reform Programme). Since Cyprus promotes the inclusion of Roma through integrated policy measures within the existing structures, separate monitoring mechanisms have not been set up.

Key problems:

Cyprus’s actions for the inclusion of Roma seem not to have been effective enough. Cypriot Roma still face major difficulties, especially in housing and employment. Some of them live in old Turkish-Cypriot houses – now managed by a government agency, while others in prefabricated houses in specially designated settlements in rural and segregated areas.

Poverty in combination with inappropriate living conditions in segregated settlements without sanitary infrastructure, especially in Polemidia, causes health problems and higher morbidity. The official view is that Roma have equal access to the mainstream and generally available public health and social services, while research shows that Roma who live in the segregated setting have wors access and are are less likely to use them.

Another issue is the low participation of children in the education system. The geographical distance of the settlements from the schools and the lack of public transport also play an important role. As consequence, more than half of Roma adults are illiterate and without a formal qualification, so with only little chance of employment. Moreover, Cypriot Roma continue to face widespread prejudice and discrimination in the labour market and other areas of life.

Cyprus’s National Roma Strategic Framework 2021-2030 (in English)

RCM Coordinator:

Roma Women Association (Greece)

RCM 2 (2021-2025) reports:

Roma Civil Monitor (2022) Civil society monitoring report on the quality of the national strategic framework for Roma equality, inclusion, and participation in Cyprus. ENGLISH – GREEK

Poster presenting main findings of the report (2022)

RCM 1 (2017-2020) reports:

Roma Civil Monitor (2017) Civil society monitoring report on implementation of the national Roma integration strategies in Cyprus: Focusing on structural and horizontal preconditions for successful implementation of the strategyENGLISHGREEK

Roma Civil Monitor (2018) Civil society monitoring report on implementation of the national Roma integration strategy in Cyprus: Assessing the progress in four key policy areas of the strategy ENGLISH GREEK

Roma Civil Monitor (2019) Civil society monitoring report on implementation of the national Roma integration strategy in Cyprus: Identifying blind spots in Roma inclusion policy  ENGLISH GREEK

Roma Civil Monitor 2017-2020 country fiche: Cyprus