We in the European Union (EU) always say that Roma children experience a lot of discrimination, and in a country that has the ambition to be the next member of the EU, that must change, said the ambassador of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, Oana Kristina Popa.
She said this at today's conference in the European House entitled "Position of girls and women in the Roma and Egyptian community".
She pointed out that Roma struggle to get a job or health care, and that they are victims of hate speech and hidden discrimination.
"We often hear that Roma communities are based on tradition, but there is a difference between tradition and abuse," said Popa.
She pointed out that she personally visited some Roma communities and stated that many girls actually go to school, however, as she says, their families drop them out later.
Pavicevic: 17 percent of Roma get married before the age of 15, and 30 percent get married before the age of 18
The Vice-President of the Government of Montenegro, Srđan Pavićević, emphasized that "today we are talking about a specific problem", especially in countries that advocate for a path from one point to another.
He said that on this day they will try to identify some weak points concerning, as he stated, the vicious circle.
"That vicious circle starts with education, 90 percent of people from this population partially or never finish primary school," added Pavićević.
He pointed out that 17 percent of Roma get married before the age of 15, and 30 percent of them get married before the age of 18.
"For today, we have data for 2000 Egyptians and 6000 Roma. This census should provide new data that will bring us closer to the real situation," he said.
He specified that out of 120 of them, every fifth one is abused because, as he stated, they do jobs for which they know neither the need nor the purpose.
"This work is an absolute abuse, so those who abuse them use them for jobs ranging from begging to prostitution," Pavićević said.
He noted that the fact that they are trying and doing everything in their power to discover, as he stated, the real recipe for how to get closer to this population and how to create the best possible inclusion.
"And our obligation is to move all of them to kindergartens, dispensaries and safe houses to show that we are a mature society - to protect those who need protection," concluded Pavićević.
Vojvodić: When we talk about Roma and Egyptians, we talk about extreme poverty
Executive director of the NGO Juventas Ivana Vojvodić assessed that there are good strategic plans at the state level regarding the education of Roma and Egyptians.
"In our country, we have free access to education and social protection, but we know that we don't have a model that suits all of us," she added.
She explained that when we talk about Roma and Egyptians as well as vulnerable areas, we talk about extreme poverty.
"We have to invest much more money and capacity than now," Vojvodić said.
Delia: The Assembly should raise the age limit for marriage to 18
The executive director of the Center for Roma Initiatives (CRI), Fana Delija, said that a significant number of women and girls receive almost no health care.
She emphasized that one of the biggest problems of the Roma community is arranged marriages.
"We are all aware that arranged marriages come with a certain amount of money, which is why they can be categorized as human trafficking," she added.
She emphasized that the Parliament should raise the age limit for marriage to 18.
"If we prevent arranged marriage, we will not have a situation where every month fewer and fewer girls attend and finish school," she concluded.
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