Romani and Traveller Rights, Social Work, and the Struggle Against Antigypsyism in Europe

For this special issue of Critical & Radical Social Work, we focus on the rights of Roma and Traveller people, social work, and the struggle against antigypsyism in Europe. The term antigypsyism refers to racism specifically targeting communities labelled ‘Gypsy’ (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2020), encompassing acts of violence, hate speech, ridicule, and systemic discrimination that perpetuate cycles of poverty, exclusion, and social disadvantage. Antigypsyism shapes public attitudes, policy decisions, and institutional practices, creating persistent barriers to education, employment, housing, and healthcare (Unwin and Hulmes, 2024). In social work, Allen et al. (2024) show that antigypsyism often appears not as open hostility, but through culturally insensitive practice and the exclusion of Roma and Traveller people from decision-making processes.