housing and issuing guidelines for the execution of documents and procedures in the
displacement of communities.
In the field of education certain progress was made when we talk about the inclusion of Roma
children in the educational system, especially in the pre-school program. However, there is
still no precise record kept on the number of Roma children in the educational system. Apart
from great efforts and implemented activities, the problem of segregation remains in the
educational system with the tendency of growth of the number of schools attended
exclusively by Roma children.
Speaking of the measures of active policy of employment of categories which are more
difficult to employ where Roma population is, it should be primarily indicated to the fact that
measures in the field of social protection are not adjusted to affirmative measures in the field
of employment. The beneficiaries of financial social assistance in the majority of cases are not
active job-seekers and jobs they are offered via the National Employment Service are not
adequate because these measures of employment mostly do not correspond the needs of
Roma community (jobs are mostly temporary, etc.). What should also be pointed out is that
affiliates/offices of the National Employment service do not create measures of active
employment policy but only implement them and the record on the number, level of
education, implemented measures of employment for members of Roma community are the
most precise records. Furthermore, special attention should be paid in the following period to
strengthening of mechanisms for the fight against discrimination because prejudice of
employers to Roma community are still the biggest obstacle to employment.
What is of special importance is solving of the status of health mediators, who, even after ten
years since the implementation work on the basis of service contract and there is also
insufficient number of engaged female mediators at health care centers. Health care
employees are not familiar enough with the measures stipulated by the Strategy and Action
Plan and often they do not understand to a sufficient extent the importance of specially
designed measures for the improvement of health condition of the Roma population. Centers
for social work operate with very limited capacities and, even though they claim that they
recognize their role and importance in the process of inclusion of male and female Roma, all
available data indicate that they do not have the potential to implement these measures
efficiently, or to plan additional activities of support to specially sensitive categories within
Roma community, such as women and children. The data on the number of beneficiaries of
social protection services of Roma nationality are not kept by all centers for social work, but
available data show that social-economical position of the Roma community is still very
difficult and that to a great extent all forms of material support (financial social assistance,
one-time assistance, free meal) are used.
Internally displaced Roma people from AP Kosovo and Metohija are in particularly difficult
position who in certain situations cannot exercise even the right to financial social assistance
if they have accommodation provided at the collective center.
The Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy for Social Inclusion of Roma for the
period 2017-2018 expired and passing of a new one is in delay for a year106. Due to this the
very implementation of activities and measures at the local level is aggravated. The Strategy
for the Social Inclusion of Male and Female Roma set realistic foundations and in the Action
Plan the corresponding activities for its implementation are stipulated. However, even though
Draft of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategy for Social Inclusion of Male and Female Roma
for the period 2019-2021 submitted for opinion to the Protector of Citizens on 22nd March, 2019 and is still not
adopted.
106
- 65 -
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents