In 1942, the government headed by Antonescu decided to deport approximately 25.000 Roma to Transnistria. Many died there between 1942-1944. More than half of all Roma deportees were children: 12923. Nowadays, the majority of the surviving Roma people live in extremely harsh conditions and are socially vulnerable: they are old, sick, poor, receive no pension.
Nevertheless, the Roma survivors can benefit from the RIGHTS provided by Law 189/2000, that stipulates the persons persecuted on ethnic grounds by the Romanian regimes from the 6th of September 1940 to the 6th of March will be granted the following rights:
a) free and priority medical assistance and medication, both in ambulatory and during the treatment in hospital;Few survivors are acquainted with these legal provisions and therefore they would hardly be able to take all the necessary steps (which are often too complex for them as senior citizens who are not assisted by any specialized institution or organization).