Click image to zoom

Roma camp in Athens

Roma camp in Athens, Greece, Jun 8, 2011. For over five years, more than 500 hundred Roma live in the settlement of Votanikos, in a central district only a few minutes walk from the hip and vibrant neighborhood of Gazi. They are mostly families of immigrant Roma from the Balkan countries, mainly Albania, although there are Greek-Roma as well. Living conditions are substandard, lacking electricity, running water and sewerage. It's been long since the authorities have decided to redevelop the area of Votanikos-Elaionas, but the relocation of the Roma families to an adequate site with improved living conditions is needed before these plans can proceed to implementation. Since 2007 the Roma have been forcibly evicted repeatedly from many settlements in the wider area and sixteen of them have turned to the "European Court of Human Rights". The settlement in Orfeos street is the only one remaining in Votanikos. The Roma make their living mainly by collecting old metallic objects which they later sell to scrap dealers and for that purpose, they often burn cables in order to melt the plastic and get the copper. The toxic smoke produced by these fires causes ongoing public complaints in the area, offering arguments to those in favor of another forced eviction of the Roma from this site, as the relocation issue still remains unsolved by the authorities. There are also claims that the settlement provides refuge to individuals involved in illegal actions and crime. (Photo by Giorgos Georgiou/NurPhoto)

Photo Details

Related Keywords