4 Dec 2025 | DiscriRromani Sevilla, La Fragua Projects
DiscriRromani Sevilla 2025: Evidence and solutions to structural discrimination
The DiscriRromani Sevilla 2025 project, developed by La Fragua Projects with the support of Seville City Council, presents a comprehensive analysis of intersectional discrimination and structural anti-Roma sentiment in the city. This report, the result of participatory work and direct intervention, highlights how inequalities persist in key areas such as education, social services and health, systematically affecting the Roma community and other racialised groups.
Among the most significant findings is the observation that the education system perpetuates structural discrimination, with practices that reinforce school segregation and dropout rates, as well as the exclusion of Romani culture from the curriculum. In the field of social services, there is a deep mistrust of the administration, which is perceived as bureaucratic and inhumane, with documented cases of humiliating treatment and irregular practices. In healthcare, the report highlights institutional biases linked to stereotypes and surnames, leading to serious situations such as attempts at sterilisation and discriminatory treatment of Roma women.
The project is not limited to research: it has filed complaints regarding hate crimes, mediated in cases of exclusion from healthcare and eviction, and developed an innovative digital strategy to advise and support those affected. These actions have had a tangible impact on institutions, involving bodies such as the Public Prosecutor’s Office, regional ministries and local authorities.
The conclusions are clear: structural discrimination is not the exception, but a persistent pattern. The report therefore sets out urgent recommendations, including: compulsory anti-racism training for public sector staff; protocols to combat school segregation; the inclusion of Romani history and culture in the curriculum; and a review of social services practices to ensure transparency and dignified treatment.
This document serves as a strategic tool for moving towards a public administration that is fairer, more equitable and more respectful of diversity. We invite institutions, professionals and members of the public to familiarise themselves in detail with the report’s findings and proposals, which can be viewed in full via the following link:
Read the full report here: Report on Intersectional Discrimination and the Roma Community in Seville 2025.
View the report’s appendices here: Appendices to the DCR 2025 Report.
Source: La Fragua Projects
Photo: Yiló Association
25 May 2025 | DiscriRromani Sevilla, El Salto
La Fragua Projects is organising a participatory event with an anti-discrimination focus to highlight the structural violence faced by the Romani People, with a particular focus on women.
On 21 May, the Las Góndolas Community Centre in Seville East hosted the participatory conference “Intersectional Discrimination and the Roma People 2025”, organised by La Fragua Projects, a Roma organisation within the social and solidarity economy that provides comprehensive services.
The event forms part of the DiscriRromani Sevilla-DCR 2025 programme, which has been run by Seville City Council since January with the aim of tackling the structural discrimination faced in particular by Roma and racialised women, using an anti-discriminatory and intersectional approach.
The event was hosted by Celia Montoya Montoya, an actress, activist and founding partner of La Fragua Projects, who welcomed the audience and emphasised the need for an anti-discriminatory and intersectional approach that extends beyond Seville’s society.
The opening address was given by José Luis García Martín, the representative for the Department of Priority Neighbourhoods and Social Rights, who emphasised that “we cannot speak of full democracy if there are communities, such as the Roma, that remain excluded from the most basic rights”, and that “there can be no justice without full recognition of these rights”.
Her speech emphasised the need to address the discrimination faced in particular by Roma women, and she highlighted the participatory nature of this event as a tool for social change. Her remarks were followed by a panel of presentations featuring several experts.
Multiple forms of violence: health, education and social services
The first presentation was given by Virginia García Linde, a political scientist and social research specialist, who spoke on the topic of “Health and obstetric violence” and describes herself as an advocate for the humanisation of childbirth.
She has portrayed childbirth as an intimate, private and domestic event, whilst also providing a historical overview of the role of the midwife and paying tribute to all those Romani women who carried out this work and were executed in contexts of criminalisation after being accused of witchcraft. At the same time, she has condemned the medicalisation of childbirth driven by patriarchal and capitalist logic.
In this regard, she has highlighted the experiments carried out on women and the cruel practices perpetrated against black women by some of the ‘fathers’ of gynaecology, as well as controversial instruments that are still in use today.
It is therefore impossible not to mention hierarchy, given that, at present, it is predominantly men who are present at births. In contrast to the care and good medical practice required to support this vital natural process, hospitals are increasingly trying to speed up the delivery process, which entails various forms of violence against pregnant women.
In the context of this conference, she mentioned that verbal abuse and anti-Roma sentiment are factors in obstetric violence. From the educational sector, Laura Páez Hurtado, a member of the teaching staff and a specialist in therapeutic pedagogy, addressed the topic of ‘Education’. In this regard, she highlighted the reality faced by many schools with pupils at risk of social exclusion: the lack of Roma representation on the parents’ association, persistent truancy and the worrying impact of socio-economic conditions.
She has also shared transformative experiences from her school, such as the celebration of Roma Day with a gender perspective, with a view to increasing the involvement of the entire school community and promoting harmony, as well as various initiatives aimed at challenging traditional concepts found in classic stories or festivities such as Valentine’s Day.
In doing so, he has highlighted the need to include the Roma community in the education sector and the importance of equality plans.
For her part, Ana León Távora, Professor of Spanish Language and Literature at Salem College (USA), in her section “Anti-racist education and experience of working with migrant students”, highlighted the need for anti-racist education that enables the dismantling of myths and stereotypes about immigration and a rethinking of cultural roots from a decolonising perspective.
Drawing on the history of imagery and symbolism, he teaches his students the importance of anti-racist education in enabling them to think critically and avoid being misled, as well as in combating ignorance, since perspectives and their inherent biases shape the knowledge we receive and, consequently, often internalise. “Racism is significant because it divides,” he stated.
The final speaker was Séfora Vargas Martín, a Romani lawyer, writer and activist, personal and leadership coach, as well as president of the Aproideg association and a consultant for DiscriRomani Sevilla 2025, a contributor to the Roma Professional Network and La Fragua Projects. Speaking from her own experience, she highlighted the degrading treatment that many Roma women receive from some social services staff, as well as the overwhelming fear of reporting such incidents due to fear of reprisals, institutional mistrust, or even the concern that non-Roma women might find out about these complaints.
He also highlighted the importance of mediation in ensuring equal treatment for the Roma community, given that people turn to social services due to financial hardship. He also denounced the presence of racist officials, the lack of care, and the prevalence of common accounts among those affected by, amongst other issues, waiting times for care, as well as the need to alleviate, communicate or educate in the face of the dehumanisation suffered by the Roma people from childhood.
Participation and collective horizons
Subsequently, round-table discussions and working groups were organised as a participatory format involving those attending the event, with the aim of drawing conclusions based on the various key themes.
These contributions will help shape the programme’s annual report, thereby ensuring that the document is drawn up on the basis of a diversity of voices.
Against a backdrop of rising anti-Gypsyism and institutional racism, this gathering has provided a forum not only for speaking out, but also for collective action. It is undoubtedly another step forward in the struggle for a society in which the Roma people are not merely present, but fully recognised and heard.
Source: El Salto Andalucía
Author: Imanol Beristain
Photo: Imanol Beristain
