The Roma civil rights movement as a counter-weight for religious assimilation in Finland

Minority rights began to be formally recognized in Finland, during the 1960’s. The Roma civil rights movement followed the international movement for human rights.The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1965,1 partly due to the impact of the African-American civil rights movement. Although the Roma civil rights movement built upon this momentum, simultaneously with the positive commitment of international organizations, Roma activism has its foundations in the resistance to religious assimilation policies and practices from 1900.