An op-ed published Wednesday by the leading science journal Nature pointed to ethical issues in the collection of samples and the overrepresentation of Romani people in databases.
A father and son are riding a horse-drawn cart along the main road in Cismea, Romania. Sean Gallup poses for a picture.
The images are from the same company.
The authors wrote that many of the DNA samples taken from the Roma since the 1990s were taken without their consent and added to public databases.
In some cases genetic material was taken from prisoners, while in other instances people were offered incentives to give DNA, a practice considered unacceptable by most human geneticists.
The authors wrote in Nature that research and peer-review practices must change across a broad array of disciplines. Failure to correct past mistakes puts more people at risk of harm from the collection of DNA. The reputation of human genetics is at risk.
Around 10 million. According to the European Union, there are many people of the same race living in Europe. A number of diverse identities are included in the umbrella term "Roma".
The key background.
The discussion of historic cases of abuse, such as that of the Lacks family in the United States, or the Uyghurs in China, have become more prominent in recent years. Romani people face persecution in Europe, including segregation and lack of access to food and water.
Europe's Roma people are vulnerable to poor practice in genetics.
The New York Times reported that the DNA of people has been misused.
Europe's biggest minority faces discrimination.
