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Greece: Romà below Acropolis
Almost 30,000 Romà from Albania and Bulgaria have entered Greece during the last two years. Since 1998, one thousand Romà, have lived in a slum in Botanikos area, just 3 km from Acropolis, in the municipality of Tavros. This township is in the heart of the crisis-hit Athens, where the first Botanical Garden of the world was created in the 4th century BC by Theophrastus, the most famous student of Aristotle. About 500 children from infant to 15 years of age, live under extremely unhealthy conditions in a garbage-strewn township full of rats. Their Romà families survive by stealing or collecting metal garbage in order to sell, doing the hardest job, by burning cables to extract the copper contained inside, which creates a toxic cloud from cancerous dioxines that hover over their shanty town. They sell the copper to the illegal scrappers for 4 euros per kilo. Their township is settled illegally in a private land, so they have no access to clean water, electricity, sanitation, school or medical care. Roma's rehabilitation is far from reality, since Greek society is struck hard by corruption and the economic crisis. While shantytowns are less common in Europe, the growing influx of illegal immigrants has fueled them in cities commonly used as points of entry into the EU, including the ancient - historical center of Athens.
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