Greater promptness of institutions in Roma integration is necessary

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Thursday, 08 April 2021 14:49

The NGO Young Roma - Herceg Novi, which has been working for 16 years in the field of inclusion of the Roma and Egyptian communities in Montenegro, on the occasion of World Roma Day, which is celebrated on April 8, appeals to system institutions to pay more attention to the integration of Roma population.

When it comes to the position of the Roma-Egyptian population in Montenegro, some progress has been made, but it is not enough to say that inclusion is higher than before.

One of the most important indicators that the integration of the Roma population into Montenegrin society has not moved is the data from research by non-governmental organizations which show that the greatest degree of ethnic distancing is expressed towards members of the Roma and Egyptian populations.

Apart from the problem of acceptance of the Roma population by the majority, a big problem that the Roma community faces is the realization of the right to housing and employment.

It is these areas that are crucial where the Roma and Egyptian populations in Montenegro cannot reach their full potential.

It is with regret that I have to say that the position of the Roma population has been greatly exacerbated by the corona virus pandemic. Our organization has informed the competent institutions several times, but also the entire public in Montenegro that the situation in Roma settlements is quite bad and extremely alarming, having in mind the current situation with the coronary virus pandemic. We must keep in mind that Roma settlements in Montenegro are in most cases informal, unconditional, and there are no adequate sanitary conditions in them, and that for these reasons the possibility of the virus is much higher if lack of hygiene is one of the preconditions for a higher virus. In addition, the economic situation in the community is quite bad, which should be paid special attention to, although we can say that this problem, in addition to the one with housing, is one of the worst for the Roma population. The lack of formal education, practical skills, but also great discrimination and social distance towards the Roma community affects the fact that a large part of them are still kept at the labor office, there is no concrete inflow of funds and therefore other existential issues are under great question. The education process has been, and still is, quite challenging for children from the Roma population. Due to the fact that education has largely "moved" to the online platform, Roma students and their parents are not able to follow this way of education, so students do not have adequate equipment - phone, tablet, internet – to follow the lectures in passable way. This problem is especially pronounced in those families that have more members, or more students who need to attend online classes at the same time.

The biggest problem facing the Roma population in Montenegro today is housing problems. According to the data available to the NGO Young Roma in the coastal municipalities where the Roma community lives, there are no concrete solutions to the housing issue, so about 190 families, 1,200 Montenegrin citizens are in great danger of eviction. The reason for this is the problems with the location where the facilities are located, which have largely shifted from social to private ownership in the meantime.

A big problem in the field of housing is the construction of apartments, which is mainly on the outskirts of the municipalities, which is a kind of ghettoization of the Roma-Egyptian population. Such is the case in the capital, where about 200 housing units were built without accompanying facilities in the settlement (parks, playgrounds, etc.), which is why the settlement Konik took the explicit name of a Roma settlement, although only 10% of its population are only members of the Roma population. The issue of legalization of Roma settlements in those municipalities in Montenegro where it is possible has not been raised at all, although it was announced earlier, which additionally poses a great threat to the Roma population.

It could be said that the institutions of the system could certainly work better and more efficiently on improving the position of members of the Roma population. The Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro stands out to the greatest extent, which is sometimes logical, and by the nature of things it is one of the greatest protectors of the rights of the Roma population itself. Also, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports contributes to a large extent, paying special attention to the problems in the field of education of Roma students to its Directorate for Education of Members of Minority Peoples and Other National Communities. Additionally, there is the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights as one of the leading institutions in the system of work on improving the position of members of the Roma population. Montenegro should provide conditions for Roma to have an authentic and educated Roma representative in the national parliament who will fairly represent the interests of that community, until that becomes a reality, there is talk of simulation, not stimulation of Roma and Egyptian inclusion.

Therefore, we hereby appeal to all relevant institutions of the system to pay their full attention to the integration of the Roma and Egyptian populations, in a way that a more concrete approach to solving the problem will contribute to a better status of this most marginalized group in Montenegrin society. Better inclusion of Roma and Egyptians will strengthen everyday democracy and the rule of law. It is the only way to achieve a society based on the principle of equal opportunities.

Samir Jaha, Executive Director