Toolkit for teaching Roma and/or Traveller history (2026)

Tools to facilitate the integration of Roma and/or Traveller history into school curricula and teaching materials

Roma and Travellers are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Europe. For centuries they have suffered discrimination, racism and persecution, which resulted in the murder of over half a million Roma during the Second World War.

National governments and international organisations are trying to overcome segregation, stigmatisation and marginalisation of Roma and Travellers and to fully integrate them into society. Key to integration is the education of both Roma and non-Roma.

Knowledge of the history and culture of Roma and Travellers is still marginal or inexistent among the general public.

An integral part of this educational process is mutual knowledge about the common history that Roma and Travellers share with all non-Roma in Europe. The horrific crime against Roma has been widely ignored and they have received little or no compensation for their suffering or lost property. It took decades for Roma to go public with their stories, giving testimony of the racist Nazi persecution and demanding justice and recognition as victims of genocide.

Promotion of the teaching of Roma and Traveller history and the Roma Holocaust and inclusion in school curricula and textbooks, also through training of trainers and teachers is one of the expected results of the Council of Europe Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025).

The Committee of Experts on Roma and Travellers Issues (ADI-ROM) has developed these tools to facilitate the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2020)2 on the inclusion of the history of Roma and/or Travellers in school curricula and teaching materials at national level.

The toolkit is meant to assist Council of Europe member states by building the capacity of their institutions to design or adapt curricula and textbooks in line with the recommendation’s guidelines.