This is an absolutely brilliant film, that confronts head-on some issues that are taboo in our community. I am of Roma origins myself and although I lived in France and UK on and off for the last decade, I travelled extensively and even lived for a while in Eastern Europe. One of my closest friends, a Roma from Romania told me how when he was five-years old he was taught to beg by his own family and sent out to make money on the streets of Bucharest. He graduated to stealing from shops, and to pickpocketing. When I met him in Paris he had a certain quota of money to make per week, otherwise his uncle, who brought him to France and was collecting the money, would beat him up. My friend is now 19, married with a child and works for himself, but his case is by no means isolated. There are many more Roma boys and girls (possibly thousands!) who are forced to beg and to steal every day on the streets of France and Spain and I've even seen them in the UK and Norway recently. Although it's happening in full view, this is an issue that remains hidden on the agenda of Roma conferences and seminars. There's virtually no Roma NGO that I know of prepared to do anything about this or to even discuss these issues. We all seemed to be in denial and there should be voices from our own community that raise the alarm about child exploitation, about child theft and begging that has enriched many criminals. This film is excellent, it deserves an award and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the harsh realities in some Roma communities. Well-done BBC! PS. Racism against the Roma is palpable not only in Eastern Europe, but as this film clearly shows it also exists in the West. I totally disagree with the previous reviewer – this film is not biased but balanced; it tackles with sensitivity and respect an extremely difficult issue. It's one of my favourite documentaries – watch it if you can!
5 Reviews
an excellent film!
passilica4 September 2011
This is a very insightful film that tells the story of Gypsy children from Romania, some as young as 7 beg, who steal and rob people at cash points on daily basis in Western European cities making fortunes for their traffickers and exploiters.
These children practically operate with immunity, as most of the Western European countries don't punish crimes committed by children under the age of 14. Criminals take advantage of the law and use children on a large scale to make fortunes.
Most of the Western legal institutions and social services subscribe to the philosophy that a child's place is with his/her family, so even when caught by the police, these children are promptly returned to their families.
But it's their very families that sometime exploit them too. There's a scene in the film with a very young girl who has to beg for a large woman who is clearly her mother, and who beats her up when she doesn't make enough money.
It's a very sad fact that some Gypsy adults train up their children to commit crimes and send them out on the streets to make money. It's clear from the film that this is the result of the poverty that plagued their lives for centuries and also of the racism that they've been (and still are!) subjected to. But according to Breliante, a Gypsy Mafioso and one of the contributors in the film, this is also fuelled by greed. There are many imposing villas built in Romania from the proceeds of crime abroad.
How can these children be helped? The film doesn't have an answer, but makes it clear that urgent help is needed.
This film is a gripping investigation, with plenty of twists and extraordinary access. It's beautifully shot, and has a startling, compelling pace, which I've rarely seen in documentaries.
"Gypsy Child Thieves" is the "real-life" version of one of my favourite feature films ever, directed by twice Palme D'Or winner Emir Kusturica, "Time Of The Gypsies".
Both films deserve 10 out of 10 and I highly recommend them. Also, check out the music in both these films – you're in for a wonderful discovery.
These children practically operate with immunity, as most of the Western European countries don't punish crimes committed by children under the age of 14. Criminals take advantage of the law and use children on a large scale to make fortunes.
Most of the Western legal institutions and social services subscribe to the philosophy that a child's place is with his/her family, so even when caught by the police, these children are promptly returned to their families.
But it's their very families that sometime exploit them too. There's a scene in the film with a very young girl who has to beg for a large woman who is clearly her mother, and who beats her up when she doesn't make enough money.
It's a very sad fact that some Gypsy adults train up their children to commit crimes and send them out on the streets to make money. It's clear from the film that this is the result of the poverty that plagued their lives for centuries and also of the racism that they've been (and still are!) subjected to. But according to Breliante, a Gypsy Mafioso and one of the contributors in the film, this is also fuelled by greed. There are many imposing villas built in Romania from the proceeds of crime abroad.
How can these children be helped? The film doesn't have an answer, but makes it clear that urgent help is needed.
This film is a gripping investigation, with plenty of twists and extraordinary access. It's beautifully shot, and has a startling, compelling pace, which I've rarely seen in documentaries.
"Gypsy Child Thieves" is the "real-life" version of one of my favourite feature films ever, directed by twice Palme D'Or winner Emir Kusturica, "Time Of The Gypsies".
Both films deserve 10 out of 10 and I highly recommend them. Also, check out the music in both these films – you're in for a wonderful discovery.
Eye opener
adigrio8 January 2013
I find this documentary to be well made, well-balanced and presenting the facts as objectively as possible. The film-maker does not judge the people involved, simply presents us with the the crude reality.
To be clear from the beginning, I believe that with a normal education the gypsies would behave as normally as any other nation. However, the first 15 years are catastrophic for most of them as they loose the chance to integrate into the mainstream society and get dragged into the kind of things you see in this documentary.
I lived in Romania for over 25 years and I know the gypsies. When they started moving towards Western Europe I thought that finally, we would see how a "proper" system can deal with the gypsy culture of extracting "easy" money from unwary victims such as the typical Westerner.
I was totally puzzled by their inability to deal with the gypsy crime. I could never understand how did they allow kids that young, alone on the streets? I lived in Canada and if that would happen there, the police would be at your door in matter of minutes and social services would take the kids from you. Now, this documentary reveals the fact that the child social services in both Italy and Spain are a joke, riddle with incompetent, indolent people and that's why children are still exploited on the streets of Madrid, Milan and many other "civilized" cities.
To be clear from the beginning, I believe that with a normal education the gypsies would behave as normally as any other nation. However, the first 15 years are catastrophic for most of them as they loose the chance to integrate into the mainstream society and get dragged into the kind of things you see in this documentary.
I lived in Romania for over 25 years and I know the gypsies. When they started moving towards Western Europe I thought that finally, we would see how a "proper" system can deal with the gypsy culture of extracting "easy" money from unwary victims such as the typical Westerner.
I was totally puzzled by their inability to deal with the gypsy crime. I could never understand how did they allow kids that young, alone on the streets? I lived in Canada and if that would happen there, the police would be at your door in matter of minutes and social services would take the kids from you. Now, this documentary reveals the fact that the child social services in both Italy and Spain are a joke, riddle with incompetent, indolent people and that's why children are still exploited on the streets of Madrid, Milan and many other "civilized" cities.
Best Documentary I've Seen In A Very Long Time
julialawson102 October 2013
This film is a poignant reminder of an extremely sensitive issue - the exploitation of children by their own families in a community that has been segregated and discriminated in Europe for centuries. I just spent a year working with an Easter European NGO that helps educate young Roma women. Gypsy Child Thieves ends with a very important question: what can be done to help these children? The answer is - education. The Romani children must go to school! There is no better plea than this film and I really hope that it is seen around the world. During my time in Romania I met 15-year-old Romani girls who had two (or even three children!!) and could not read or write. One of them has been shoplifting since she was four-years old and was married off at 11. These girls and boys must go to school! They are children who deserve to have a childhood, like any other child in Europe, or in this world! This film captures one of the most distressing forms of exploitation of our times and it's a call for help that we can no longer ignore.
Sad depiction of the Roma culture
amishguy28 January 2011
I thought this film was horribly biased and racist against the Gypsies. It's presumption is that a few bad apple equal a rotten tree. There is absolutely no mention of the racism that the Gypsy peoples face throughout the world that forces them to struggle on a day to day basis. This film puts all the blame on the Gypsies and the Romanian people! The movie also neglects the impact of poverty on crime in other cultures. It was quick to judge the Gypsies on crimes but made no comparison to other crime rate statistics based on age, race, or even location. It simply made Gypsies out to be the only people who steal. Lastly it condemned the Roma for their exploitation of children, "forcing the children to go out and steal for them", without considering how much cultures all over the world exploit their children by forcing them into acting, singing, modeling, or in some cultures, working in industries and sweatshops. I absolutely recommend skipping this film, and I believe the filmmakers should be ashamed of themselves.
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