The Center for Civic Education (CGO) appealed to the Government to show commitment in solving the problems of Roma and Egyptians.
From that non-governmental organization, on the occasion of April 8 - International Roma Day, they pointed out the extremely difficult position of the Roma community in Montenegro, especially in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, which, as they said, further complicates the existential framework of the Roma population. On the other hand, the increasingly pronounced discrimination and marginalization makes this social group particularly vulnerable, said Tamara Milaš, coordinator of the Human Rights program at the CGE.
He reminds that since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, examples of gross violations of human rights and freedoms have been recorded in Montenegro. "Also, in the management of the crisis caused by the pandemic, both by the former and the current government, the specificities of certain social groups were not taken into account, which endangered the already marginalized groups, including the Roma population, even more," Milaš added.
He points out that, although there are numerous strategies, action plans, affirmative action measures, legal solutions to protect against discrimination, and efforts by the educational authorities to make education more accessible for Roma, this minority community is still not integrated into Montenegrin society.. The reason for this is the inadequate or uneven application of many existing solutions, the short-term nature of the aid program without developed sustainability, but also insufficient consultation with the target group and ignoring many of their needs, notes Milaš.
"As a reminder, CGE research on the perception of discrimination indicates that this group remains at the top of the list of those who are most exposed to discrimination in our society. To date, the new government and the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights have not publicly raised the issue of solving this problem in the direction of encouraging the social inclusion of this minority group and improving their living conditions. Four months have passed since the establishment of the Directorate for Human Rights, as well as the Directorate for the Inclusion of Roma and Egyptians within it, and to this day there is no concrete activity related to solving the issue of the position of Roma and Egyptians. At the same time, in addition to the problems faced by all citizens, this population also has some specific ones, such as underage marriages among Roma, which is followed by the silence of institutions that should prevent this type of massive violation of the human rights of children, especially girls. Then, there is huge unemployment among the Roma population, minimal progress in the field of education, widespread begging, problems in providing documents, as well as very poor living conditions," said Milaš.
It also indicates that the ethnic and social distance, both among the general population and among the young population, is most pronounced precisely towards the Roma. "One of the reasons for this is the often negative type of media reporting on Roma. There are rare occasions when we can see or read content dedicated to the promotion of Roma culture, advocacy of effective social inclusion policies and their effective implementation, or some positive stories about Roma." adds Milas.
He points out that Roma and Egyptians are strongly marginalized by numerous prejudices and contribute to their social exclusion, depriving the entire society of valuable potentials that they have and can contribute to the overall quality of social development.
"Therefore, the CGO appeals to the institutions, especially the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights, as well as to decision-makers and other relevant actors, to encourage the fight against poverty and social exclusion of this population through their actions, through acceptance and cooperation," the statement concludes. .
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