"I remember the story of a woman who couldn't get a job because she didn't have an identity card and her social security number was not determined either. She also told me that this is why she does not have the possibility to open a bank account, which makes it difficult for her to use other forms of support, including the support of friends from abroad," she says. for "Time" associate for social inclusion in the Initiative for Economic and Social Rights A11 Marina Simeunović.
Problems of Roma inclusion into the education system, lack of personal documents, inability to receive social assistance, life in informal settlements without electricity and water, the impossibility of employment in line with the level of education have come to the fore this year on World Roma Day, which is celebrated today.
"Racism is still present in Serbian society, and anti-Gypsyism is hardly talked about." The first document in which the term itself appears is the Strategy for the Inclusion of Roma and Roma Women, and that is why it is very important that we work to make people aware of the extent to which racism is present and how harmful it is not only to that individual and the Roma community, but also to the entire population." says Simeunović.
He explains that there is research by the World Bank, according to which the state loses 300 million euros annually just because Roma men and women are excluded from the labor market as a working potential.
A picture of the everyday life of the majority of Roma women and men
Research shows, says Simeunović, that the largest number of Roma women and men live in deep poverty, and that about 70 percent of the total population of Roma nationality lives in isolated Roma settlements in conditions that are not the same as when they live in mixed environments.
"A large number of households, even around 60 percent, live without a bathroom." Research indicates that the majority of Roma households in a large number of municipalities in Serbia today do not have electricity or that connection is illegal. Even when they have electricity, it is at certain times of the day with limited access," our interlocutor points out.
Also, she says, drinking water is rare in Roma settlements.
"Recently, on the ground in a town in the north of Vojvodina, we noticed that people were drinking water that was only for technical use. At the same time, it has not been controlled for a long time, and the population has not been educated on how they can purify that water so that it is suitable for use."
Residential buildings, research shows, are in a very bad condition, says Simeunović - as many as 68 percent of Roma houses have dampness, roofs leak, and we should not forget that in most Roma families there are several generations, that these are small buildings, not adapted to the number of members households. There is information that at least two people live in one room in one family.
He reminds that it is necessary to look at whether the streets in the Roma settlements are lit, paved or muddy, because this reflects on the image of the Roma in the majority population.
"If we look at the situation of children from the Roma settlement of Čukariške šume, for example, who start school and there is no possibility that the child will not come muddy, then the question arises as to what is being done to recognize why that child came muddy and in what way it is possible to help overcome such problems", says Simeunović.
And recently, he says, a survey was conducted that shows that as many as 32 percent of representatives of public authorities do not even know that there is a Law on Prohibition of Discrimination.
"It is very problematic, because if one in three does not know, the question is how he will be able to treat a citizen of Roma nationality or any other nationality or anything that can be a basis for discrimination."
Stereotypes and prejudices
The Constitution guarantees equal rights to all its citizens. However, says Simeunović, practice shows that there are numerous loopholes and numerous inconsistent applications of laws and constitutional principles.
"The Constitution itself prohibits discrimination, and we are aware that discrimination happens on a daily basis and not only to Roma men and women. Society recognizes this, the Roma community also recognizes this, but it has been shown that our system does not have an adequate mechanism for protection against discrimination."
In a survey recently conducted by the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, citizens' views on the perception of whether Roma men and women are to blame for their own situation, whether the majority of Roma men and women actually do not want to get a job and get an education.
"Around 16 percent of the respondents absolutely agreed with it, and 36 percent mostly, which means that over 50 percent think that the Roma themselves are to blame for their bad situation."
He also states that recently the Roma Women's Network of Serbia collected testimonies, stories of victims of child marriage, where they say that, generationally back, the system did not notice that girls were not coming to school, that neither the school nor the center for social work reacted, so that these girls have permanently lost their right to education, their right to adequate employment, their right to economic security, and they are also potentially victims of various forms of violence.
The system returns highly educated Roma to traditional occupations
Certainly, when comparing the period ten years ago and today, the situation is generally improving, and some rights have become more available in certain areas, primarily in the area of education.
However, "we have reached a situation where even highly educated Roma are returning to some traditional occupations." Many of my female colleagues have returned to the markets and are engaged in various occupations that are not in accordance with their level of professional education, with their ambitions. Simply, it's a way of survival and the reason for that is primarily open discrimination in the labor market," explains Simeunović.
He reminds that one can still come across advertisements in which it is noted who is welcome as a candidate for a certain position.
"We also have a guy who is a bricklayer who graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering," notes Simeunović.
"So somehow high positions are still not available to Romani women and men, and the reason for that is not the low level of education, but the degree of discrimination, which is still high."
