The Roma trace their origins to a minority community in India, from which they began migrating roughly a thousand years ago. They have been called “Gypsies” and “Bohemians,” yet what has remained constant is their long history of movement—centuries of migration across the Eurasian continent. Throughout history, European nations have subjected the Roma to forced assimilation, relocation, registration and surveillance, and even genocide. During the World War II, scholarly estimates suggest that approximately 500,000 Roma perished in the Holocaust.

Today, more than ten million Roma live across Europe, the majority on the margins of society. For many Roma communities, unemployment, exclusion from education, and poor housing conditions are as commonplace as discrimination and rejection. Without documentation, education, or language skills, they have little chance of securing a foothold in the labor market.

Even when a Roma worker manages to find temporary work, there is no guarantee they will be paid for their labor. For some employers, a single call to immigration authorities is enough to avoid paying wages—an easy way to cut costs. These layered vulnerabilities have made the Roma a primary target for human trafficking. The reason is simple: no one notices if a few Roma people disappear.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we cry out to You for the Roma people, scattered across Europe and pushed to the margins. You know their long history of displacement, and You see the burdens they still carry today—lack of education, unemployment, discrimination, and exploitation. Watch over the families forced to live in harsh conditions, for You are their Lord. Protect the men, women, and children who are vulnerable to human trafficking, and frustrate the plans of those who would harm them. May Your church in cities and towns become a place that welcomes the Roma, so that in their long story of wandering they may encounter a Savior who never leaves them nor forsakes them. Lord, let the Gospel shine among the Roma people, bringing new life and an eternal hope. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.