Numanović: More than 14 thousand requests for resolving the status of RE population [Vijesti]
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- Thursday, 26 February 2015 14:09
More than 14 thousand members of the Roma and Egyptian (RE) of the population submitted requests for resolving the legal status in Montenegro, of which 11 thousand are solved, and less than three thousand is in the procedure, said Minister for Human and Minority Rights, Suad Numanović.
Today, the Government adopted a report on the implementation of the Strategy for improving the position of RE population in the previous year.
After the Cabinet meeting, Numanović said to reporters that the strategy represents continuity in the process of the integration of RE population in Montenegrin society, stating that the integration is primarily related to the regulation of their legal status.
"The activity that lasts the last few years, which has necessitated a change to the Law on Foreigners, has led to this moment when we have more than 14 thousand applicants of RE population for resolving the legal status. Currently, about 11 thousands requests are resolved, and less than three thousands are ongoing", he said.
Numanović said that for those who want to stay in Montenegro, there will be the extension of the deadline by the end of this year for them to obtain documents, which, as he explained, does not preclude their voluntary return to the country of origin".
Speaking about the integration of RE population in the education system, he said that Montenegro is a good example, and not only for neighboring countries.
"This is a good example of the integration of this population even among much more developed societies and states, than just the countries of the Western Balkans", said Numanović.
He said that about 150 children RE populations attend eight kindergartens in Montenegro, while the numbers are growing for students of secondary schools.
"Currently, there are more than 1.8 thousands RE pupils in elementary schools in comparison to only few hundred not so long ago."
Speaking of employment, he said that the government can not boast of some special data because, as he explained, the problem of unemployment is evident with other citizens of Montenegro as well; therefore, this pollution is also affected.
"Over the last year through active employment measures, we have hired more than 50 RE persons, out of which a significant number of women; 31 people were employed at seasonal jobs", said Numanović.
He said that the government will intensify efforts in education, "because approximately 94 percent of that population is not educated".
"When we talk about their health care, there is a need to organize an intensive campaign to make as many of them to choose their family doctor, women to choose gynecologists and pediatricians for children", said Numanović.
He said that the Ministry has been intensively engaged in the promotion of culture and language of RE population, while the and Primers for informal learning of Roma language were introduced last year.
"We plan to produce a dictionary this year and, thus, enable them to easier to study their mother tongue", announced Numanović.
