In search of asylum

Most of us suppose that refugees come predominantly from violent, war-torn nations in Africa, the Middle East or Asia. Few would guess that Hungary, a relatively prosperous country in central Europe, produces the third-largest number of refugees to Canada.

As host Kevin O'Keefe discovers on tonight's edition of @issue (at 8 pm ET/PT), the Roma people of Hungary -- often tagged with the inaccurate and offensive term "Gypsies" -- are subject to systemic discrimination in education, housing and employment. According to a report issued last November by Amnesty International, they have also become a target for racially motivated violence.

Canada's response to this growing crisis has hardly been exemplary. Of the 1,600 refugees from Hungary who came to this country last year seeking a better life, barely one percent were accepted.

For more on the Roma in Hungary and Canada, visit the Roma Community Centre in Toronto.

This home in Hungary was the target of an anti-Roma attack.
© Amnesty International