Description
Due to the juridical and police data the strict regulation and the change of the law. became the tools of poor people punishment. Several reports confirmed that mainly Roma families, who live in deep poverty is punished by the authorities the most. The Roma Press Center (RPC) and the partners (HCLU, CFCF, Helsinki Committee) get several news and stories about this phenomenon. For example, while poor people collect twig or wood in the forest during winter time, the police arrest them and take them into prison for weeks. In the next months, it is very sure, that this method will be more intensive. Our aim is to draw attention to the public opinion and the decision makers that there is no financial neither social-economic sense of separate poor families. We want to show that deep poverty is not a criminal case, rather a social issue. We keep watching the most affected settlements and we would collect the information and stories in a database. The tools of the campaign is a common database about the punishments, info graphics, cost effectiveness analyses, watch-dog activity- reports on the most absurd cases, prize for the most absurd local law makers and collecting the good practices.
Summary of project results
Several reports confirmed that mainly roma families, whom living in deep poverty is punished by the authorities, especially by the police the most. Our aim was to highlight an attention and to generate a discussion about this problem. Through to our activists we found 141 cases in 51 settlements where the fines by the policemen where unjust or excessive. In corporation with several mainstream mediums we produced several reports and articles on this issue and reached more than 3 million people. In our closing event we handed the "Golden Splasher" Prize to those local police department who handed the most absurd fine (50.000 HUF for dropping a tissue paper). We are continue this project - we founded a working group with the biggest Hungarian civil right organizations and inviting the police as well to start a real discussion and to draw up some recommendations for the lawmakers.
Summary of bilateral results