ROMANIA

The Romanian Government is expressing outrage at the treatment of Roma in Italy.

The majority of Roma immigrants in Italy come from Romania.

The interesting question is why are there so many Roma from Romania fleeing to Italy. How bad must conditions be in Romania when being despised by Italians, discriminated against in all areas of life, put into barbed wire enclosed "camps", and being condemned for begging while being denied jobs seems preferable.

Roma in Romania are still being subjected to racist pograms and denied access to jobs, education and social services.

SUSPINO : A CRY FOR ROMA is a film made in 2002 about these very issues. It follows the plight of one young Roma family in Italy who fled Romania in the hopes of a better life.

The movie not only accurately portrays the situation in Italy but also explores the conditions in Romania which led to this exodus of Roma.

Amazingly, SUSPINO could have been made today.