There has been widespread support and sympathy for Ukrainian refugees in Europe, but Ukraine’s Roma population has found itself cut off from goodwill and services, writes Iliana Sarafian.

The war in Ukraine has triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War, forcing millions to seek refuge across the continent. Among them are Ukrainian Roma women, whose displacement is shaped not only by the conflict but also by entrenched discrimination and socio-economic exclusion. While European host countries have broadly extended solidarity to Ukrainian refugees, systemic barriers continue to hinder Roma communities from accessing housing, healthcare, education, and employment.

War and displacement

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, millions of refugees – primarily women and children – fled to neighbouring countries. Poland alone received nearly one million Ukrainian refugees by the end of 2023. Yet, for Ukrainian Roma, the journey to safety has been fraught with systemic exclusion. At border crossings, Roma refugees have encountered racial profiling, segregation, and restricted access to aid.

Finding accommodation in Poland has proven especially challenging. Roma families have frequently been placed in overcrowded, poorly maintained shelters – sometimes segregated from other refugees. Others were outright rejected from private rental housing due to their ethnicity. One Roma woman recounted:

We were told there were no more places left, but then we saw Ukrainian families arriving after us being taken in.

A lack of official documentation compounds these challenges. Many Roma refugees don’t have passports or residency permits from Ukraine, which has limited their ability to access state support, housing, and employment in Poland. The European Commission estimated in April 2022 that around 100,000 Roma had been displaced from Ukraine, yet their exact numbers remain uncertain due to their exclusion from formal registration mechanisms.

The gendered dimensions of displacement

With men unable to leave Ukraine due to conscription, many Roma women arrived in Poland as sole caregivers for their families. This sudden responsibility left them vulnerable to gender-based violence, labour exploitation, and housing insecurity. Many Roma refugee women found themselves in precarious, informal employment – cleaning, caregiving, or street vending – where they are underpaid and subjected to exploitative conditions. Without stable housing or childcare services, balancing work and family responsibilities is a daily struggle.

I have no one to help me. I have to take my children with me to work, or I leave them alone. It’s dangerous, but what else can I do?

Access to healthcare was another pressing issue. While Poland provides free healthcare to registered Ukrainian refugees, Roma women were unable to access these services due to a lack of documentation and the language barrier. Fear of mistreatment also plays a role. Discrimination against Roma women in healthcare settings is well-documented in Ukraine, including denial of maternal care and racial segregation in hospitals and this fear is carried with them into Poland.

Education and employment barriers

The war has severely disrupted the education of Roma children. For many families, survival took precedence over schooling. In Poland, administrative hurdles, language barriers, and fear of discrimination have prevented Roma children from enrolling in school.

My children do not go to school in Poland because our main focus is on survival-finding a place to sleep and something to eat is our priority.

Employment opportunities for Roma refugee women remain limited. Many lack formal work experience or qualifications, making stable employment difficult to secure. The job market favours those with documentation, language proficiency, and educational credentials, leaving Roma women at a significant disadvantage. Reports suggest that 37 per cent of the Ukrainian Roma population has not completed compulsory education, and only 1 per cent has higher education. Those who do find work are often trapped in low-paid, informal jobs with no security.

I had a temporary job as a cleaner in an office. I found it difficult to look after my children and work far away in the city. Still, I want my children to go to school so I can work, earn money, rent an apartment, and just live.

Some Roma women have expressed frustration over their invisibility within refugee assistance programmes. Beyond the tangible struggles of housing and employment, many talk about the traumatising experiences of displacement, systemic discrimination, and social exclusion compounded by feelings of isolation and despair.

We may have had little in Ukraine, but at least there was something to hang on to. Here we only have the pain we carry with us, and this makes me sick in my heart and my entire body.

Addressing the barriers

The experiences of Ukrainian Roma women refugees illustrate how displacement intersects with war, gender inequality, and systemic discrimination. Roma refugees remain among the most vulnerable, facing systemic barriers and exclusion. This is why, efforts to support them must go beyond emergency relief to tackle long-term structural inequalities.

Among other measures, simplifying access to identification documents is paramount to ensuring that Roma refugees can receive healthcare, work, and access social services. Specialised healthcare programmes must include maternal care and mental health support. Additionally, creating job opportunities through vocational training and childcare support can help Roma women achieve financial independence. Without targeted policies that recognise these challenges, Roma exclusion will persist, reinforcing a cycle of marginalisation.

As European countries develop long-term integration policies for Ukrainian refugees, it is crucial that Roma communities are not left behind. True solidarity must be inclusive, extending support to all those displaced by conflict, regardless of ethnicity.

All quotes come from the author’s report “The Borders of Solidarity: War and Displacement of Ukrainian Roma Women Refugees in Poland”