Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues continue unchallenged in some Roma communities. The gap between mainstream society and Roma and Sinti communities is not decreasing; rather, it is in fact growing in such areas as education, housing, health care, and employment. This is concomitant with the increasing dependency of Roma and Sinti on state welfare systems, which, in turn, results in further disadvantages. With regard to the task of assisting participating States in implementing the provisions of the Action Plan, ODIHR has conducted a number of activities such as facilitating roundtable discussions between state authorities and Roma representatives (for example, on political participation, integration, anti-trafficking), organizing field visits on thematic issues (including on police and Roma in Romania) or assessment visits. These initiatives have been undertaken directly in partnership with state institutions or agencies, OSCE field operations and institutions, and with civil society. During the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), ODIHR facilitated a number of events on areas covered by the Action Plan, focusing on: implementation of the provisions regarding the influence of Roma politicians on political processes; promoting the social and political rights of Roma, Sinti, and Travellers; and promoting the rights of Romani children in the child-protection system. These events brought representatives of Roma and Sinti Communities together with those of governments and OSCE structures and resulted in several follow-up activities. II. Combating racism and discrimination Racism and discrimination against Roma and Sinti have been on the rise in the last decade and a half. Deep-rooted forms and expressions of racism have become more visible, and new forms of hostility, rejection, and hate continue to be expressed freely across the OSCE region, including within national parliaments, the European Parliament, and by leaders of political groupings. Discrimination at the hands of the police is a specific area of concern, particularly since the The overall objective of the OSCE Action Plan on Roma and Sinti is to “reinforce the efforts of the participating States and relevant OSCE institutions and structures aimed at ensuring that Roma and Sinti people are able to play a full and equal part in our societies, and at eradicating discrimination against them”. — Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, 2003 police should protect everyone, including Roma and Sinti, and ensure their equal treatment under the law. Roma and Sinti representatives continue to report frequent instances of police brutality; use of unjustified and disproportionate force, including against women and minors; a lack of timely and effective police intervention to protect Roma and Sinti against collective violence from majority populations; and continued mistrust between the police and Roma and Sinti communities. Activities to promote dialogue and mutual trust between police and Roma and Sinti continued. In an effort to challenge the dangerous practice of the disproportionate use of force by police against Roma and Sinti, ODIHR undertook a field visit to several localities in Romania, where cases of abuse of power had been reported in both 2006 and 2007. Representatives of the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities and the Strategic Police Matters Unit joined the ODIHR team, together with representatives from the Romanian Ministry of Interior and Reform of Administration, the Police Inspectorate-General, and two NGOs. The purpose of the visit was to raise awareness of police abuse of Roma and to encourage appropriate measures to eradicate this practice. Based on its activities on Roma and the police, ODIHR began work on a document that will consolidate lessons learned from projects already undertaken in this field. It will mainly target law enforcement institutions and police. III. Enhancing participation in public and political life Roma and Sinti populations have a rather limited record of political participation, both as voters and as candidates. This fact is rooted in the long Annual Report 2007 63