Sweden to chart ill-treatment of Roma in 20th century

Jan 31, 2011, 10:37 GMT

Stockholm - The Swedish government Monday said it has commissioned a report into the persecution and wrongdoings the Roma minority faced in the Scandinavian country during the 20th century.

'The Roma have throughout history been subjected to unacceptable ill-treatment, such as forced sterilization, and Roma children have also been denied schooling,' Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag said.

In order to be able to move ahead it was necessary for the Swedish state to admit it had wronged the Roma, he added.

A government-appointed panel on Roma issues last year recommended that a so-called truth commission review how Roma, also known as Gypsies, were persecuted in Sweden during the 20th century.

The panel also observed the need to disseminate and compile information about Roma history.

The first Roma came to Sweden in the early 16th century. Roma account for an estimated 50,000 of Sweden's 9 million population.

The white book will include interviews and testimony from Roma and compare how various forms of discrimination violated human rights ratified by Sweden. Part of the study will also highlight the genocide of Roma during World War II.

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