In Romania, historians are working on the integration of optional courses on the history of the Roma, aimed at middle and high school students. The module is intended to delve into the subject of the slavery of this minority, estimated between 1.5 and 2 million people in the country, according to the Romanian state. Abolished 170 years ago, forced labor lacks visibility in Romanian schools. However, the start of this teaching, scheduled for the 2026 school year, could be delayed.
From our correspondent in Bucharest, Guilhem Bernes. Sitting at his desk in Bucharest, sociologist Adrian-Nicolae Furtuna opens an archive book. Inside, the contracts for the sale of Roma slaves parade: “Look here. This is the case of Craciun, a Rom child, who was sold to three different masters in just two days. You can see the signature and fingerprint at the bottom of the text written in Cyrillic.” For over five centuries, slavery of the Roma was practiced in the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. Monasteries, boyars, peasants, the entire society resorted to the forced labor of this ethnic minority. The slaves were considered as movable property, with no rights, leading to beatings, sometimes to the death, sexual violence, and children separated from their parents.
This chapter of history has been forgotten in Romania since the abolition of the system 170 years ago. “I discovered the history of the Roma slavery when I was 20 years old. I was a student. When I started my research, I was not looking for sensationalism. But by documenting, I ended up finding information like this,” says Adrian-Nicolae Furtuna. “These documents clearly show how a Romanian peasant could buy a child and then sell it to the monastery he depended on.”
“They need to understand (…) what happened.” Delia Grigorie, activist and conference lecturer at the University of Bucharest, is working on the drafting of new textbooks. Since the adoption of a law in July 2023, Romanian middle and high school students can choose courses dedicated to the history of the Roma. The four-year program, still under development, is expected to focus on their slavery. “They need to understand, from a young age, what happened: why the Roma were marginalized and still remain heavily stigmatized today. But also, why they sometimes exclude themselves and have a very low self-esteem. Teaching this history, which is still not taught in schools, is essential. If we transmit it, I am sure that racism will decline.”
But the start of the new course is delayed. The group of experts responsible for drafting the textbooks has submitted its curriculum proposal to the Ministry of Education commission. For eight months, researchers have had no news. Delia Grigorie suggests that the courses may start at the earliest for the 2027 school year, four years after the law was passed.
Read also: The difficult access of Roma children to education.
