Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues Angela Kocze, from the Hungarian Academy of Science, Mabera Kamberi, representing the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Sonja Barbul of ODIHR, (l-r) discuss the empowerment of Roma women at the Roma and Sinti consultation meeting in Warsaw, 26 September. (OSCE/Idaver Memedov) poses a threat to social cohesion and needs to be countered by firm action by the relevant authorities in participating States. Participating States have committed themselves to take effective measures against racially-motivated crimes. ODIHR continued to promote the improvement of relations between police and Roma and Sinti communities as a means to enhance the protection of Roma against violence and intolerance. The Office, in cooperation with the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, launched the OSCE manual Police and Roma and Sinti: Building Trust and Understanding, in Bratislava. The launch event, on 6 December, was hosted by the Ministry of Interior. Following the launch, a seminar took place in Donovaly gathering some 40 participants, mostly police officers who work directly with Roma communities, including two Roma officers. The participants discussed the 66 ODIHR Annual Report 2012 current police approach to Roma communities, data collection and root causes of the rising number of excluded communities in Slovakia. The inclusion of more Roma officers within police forces was one of the recommendations made at the event. Empowerment of Roma and Sinti representatives, particularly Roma and Sinti women and Roma youth In 2012, ODIHR paid particular attention to raising awareness of the multiple forms of discrimination and vulnerability Roma and Sinti women face. The Special Day on Roma and Sinti during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting on 26 September focused on the empowerment of Roma women. The presentations delivered that day confirmed the need to enhance efforts to empower Roma women so they can play a role as agents of change in their communities and in society in general. Representatives from participating States and Roma women organizations stressed that education is vital to increasing Romani women’s active participation in public and political life. ODIHR co-organized two other side events at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting focusing on Roma and Sinti women: one on access to health care, and the other on forced evictions. ODIHR also supported the nongovernmental Roma organization Romedia Foundation, in producing a short film presenting Roma and Sinti women and their personal perspectives on these topics, which was shown during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting as an advocacy tool to raise awareness on Roma women’s rights. On the Special day on Roma and Sinti, ODIHR also hosted the