Le Monde: gypsy beggars invade Geneva, fleeing discrimination in Romania

Romanians Stela, aged 42 and her 17 year old daughter, Simona arrived from Aiud, West Romania to Geneva to beg – the French daily Le Monde starts an article about gipsies fleeing Romania to beg.

The two women managed to escape the police in Geneva nearby the train station and collect six Swiss francs. Tonight, they will sleep in a shelter where they receive food, the article reads. Stela confesses that this is her third time in Geneva and she knows the latest policies.

On January 21 authorities in Geneva announced some measures to protest children who beg and the police officers were compelled to gather such children and take them to the social services, where their situation would be evaluated.

If their security is endangered, their parents can even lose custody. In the last years, Swiss authorities tackled the gypsy beggars issue who sprang up around big cities, Le Monde reads. In Geneva, gypsy beggars mainly come from Alba, central Romania. Established in Romania, the gypsies visit Geneva a couple of times per year fleeing discrimination in Romania.

In winter time, there are about 70 beggars while during summer, 150 – 200 which started to alarm both authorities and citizens.