The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina

Monthly Periodical of The Roma Inclusion Office The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina

No. 50, june 2015 Photo of the month: Awarded Contracts to young couples for the purchase of houses in the countryside COBISS.SR -ID261834759 language -InRomani printedinreverse Monthly. InSerbian,EnglishandRomani 2011-.30 cm Office oftheGovernment AP Vojvodina, -2011, No.1-NoviSad: The Roma Inclusion Office /EditorinChiefDuškoJovanović Monthly PublicationoftheRoma Inclusion The DecadeofRoma in AP Vojvodina: 323.1 (=214.58)(=497.113) The MaticaSrpskaLibrary, NoviSad CIP -CataloginginPublication www.inkluzijaroma.vojvodina.gov.rs [email protected] Tel: 021/488-17-23 Bulevar MihajlaPupina25,21000NoviSad Address: 1000 copies Circulation: www.lolapreduzetnistvo.co.rs Lola preduzetništvo,Beograd, Technical Preparation andPrinting: Aleksandra Vranić Translation intoEnglish: stranih jezikaNoviSad Nota Bene,Centarzaprevođenjeiučenje Translation intoRomani: Ivana Koprivica Vojvodina Coordinators forRoma issuesofthe AP Ferenc Koso Correspondents: Tatjana Bošković design Associate: Graphic Ljiljana Maričić Tijana Čubrilo Aleksandra Mićić Dragana Rajić The team: Aleksandra Mićić Managing Editor: Duško Jovanović Editor inChief: ment of AP Vojvodina The Roma InclusionOfficeoftheGovern Founder andPublisherofthePeriodical:

- T READER, DEAR children departmentandtheirprocessofstudy. in Vršac, at the Professional educator of preschool language in the Preschool Teacher Training College form atwww.rec.org/bilten. from Vršac, you Palov”can follow our publication in electronic “Mihailo College Training Teacher Preschooland Center Education Researchand the rubric. the in read can you which countryside, the in house a purchase to couples young for resources of allocation the is news of sons. of Roma settlements and internally displaced - per legalization the about wrote we housing, of field the In self-employment. of importance the other the and employment and education connecting of importance the recognizes which of one stories, In the the In We would like to remind you that, thanks to thanks that, you remind to like would We Apiece encouraging and beautiful particularly he 50 he the first year students who study in Romani in study who students year first the the text in the field of education. It is about rubric we bring you two two you bring we rubric Employment th edition of our magazine begins with of begins editionourmagazine Provincial Government Your editorial staff Education Education ACCOMMODATION IN THE STUDENT DORMITORY – THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR ROMA STUDENTS IN VRŠAC In the Preschool Teacher Training College “Mihailo Palov” in Vršac we talked to the Director Dr Jelena Prtljaga, the professor Mg Maria Aleksandrović, and two students of the first year of studying in Romani language. The topics were related to accommodation in the dormitory, textbooks, scholarships, employment and the process of higher education.

Student dormitory students was solved, but with high school students, but there All interlocutors stressed such delays that students were is a number of seats for univer- that the biggest problem is al- not able to engage in the learn- sity students, both Roma and ways the accommodation in the ing process in time, and lost non-Roma.” The director sees dormitory. This was also the their continuity. “Waiting for the solution in capacity expan- case with previous generations, approval from the Ministry to sion or in building a new student as well as this one. Director of increase the number of seats in dormitory. If the students are the school emphasized that the the student dormitory had cre- provided with a home, they will problem of accommodation of ated a vacuum. It is the home of be here and attend the lessons.

Dr Jelena Prtljaga

“The Preschool Teacher Training College has applied for the project together with the Austrian Association “World Vision” and the NGO from Pirot, which will deal with decreasing the rate of Roma children dropping out of primary school. Our school has recognized and noted the importance of preschool education, when children are entering the school system. The role of the College is to design manuals for working with children in the Romani language, to employ ten students to work with children and parents, as it is important to raise awareness of parents about the necessity of enrolling children in the nursery schools.” Dr Jelena Prtljaga

Textbooks, entrance consists of a written and oral the Roma students are safe and exams and scholarships part, the Romani language and well accepted. “On the day of Applying for the entrance literature for children. the entrance examination, par- exam, ability checking and the Professor Aleksandrović ents can come and take a look entrance exam in Romani lan- stressed that it is good that the at the student dormitory and guage are all held on the same students can receive scholar- the college.” day. Preparation for the en- ships from the REF and the Of- The Office for Roma Inclu- trance exam in Romani language fice for Roma Inclusion. Parents sion is funding the textbooks. is organized a day before the en- need to know that there are The ones that are used in teach- Professor Aleksandrović with the first-year students trance examination. The exam more funding sources and that ing are the following: The gram-

2 3 Education Employment mar of the Romani language, by dropping out of school, then we Rajko Đurić, Standardization of Every year, 15 students should start supporting them the Romani language – a text- can enroll into a depart- from kindergarten, and gradu- book that consists of spelling ment on Romani language, ates should be provided with and grammar, and for Children’s 5 at the Professional edu- an opportunity to get a job, be- literature they use the books cator of nursery children cause there is a fundamental by Alija Krasnići and Ranko Ra- department, and 10 at the need for it” said the Director of jko Jovanović. The director told Professional educator of the College. us that Professor Aleksandrović preschool children depart- We talked to two first-year prepares a bilingual textbook ment. There are currently students: Tina Petrović from Gl- for Methodology. The textbooks 22 students from first to ogonj, near Pančevo and Mariška that are published by the Pre- third year. So far, five stu- Novakov from Ilanča. They both school Teacher Training College dents have graduated, and enrolled into the College be- are given to students studying in one student is enrolled cause they like working with Romani language for free. in specialist studies, and children and they would like Professor Marija another one will do so in this to become their job. They Aleksandrović teaches Romani next school year. waited until December to get a language (first year), Culture of place in the dormitory, and in speech (second year), Children’s the meantime they had to travel literature (second year) and does not take the initiative to to classes. Seven students of this Methodology of speech develop- hire pre-school teachers whose generation are in the dormitory, ment I and II (third year). “I grow mother tongue is Romani lan- and two are not, so you cannot and develop with my students,” guage in the kindergartens with attend classes regularly. “It is a said Mg Marija Aleksandrović. Roma children, because in this pity that students are losing the way Roma children would be opportunity to study just be- Employment able to acquire both languages. cause they do not have a place “Without systematic care If we are educating the pre- in the dormitory,” said both of Merima Nika at her workplace of the state, employment is school teachers and if we want the student. sporadic. As long as the state to prevent Roma children from  Tijana Čubrilo EDUCATION HAS PAID OFF

It is already known that education which does not lead to employment is not an entire cycle and does not bring complete results. Merima Nika was the first student who has graduated at the Preschool Teacher Training College in Vršac, and got a job in a preschool institution Poletarac in Alibunar, after graduation. For this reason, she is a good example of the connection between education and employment.

erima Nika was first interned in the She is satisfied with cooperation with the “Poletarac” in Alibunar, and when she educators, school speech therapist and peda- Mcompleted the internship she signed gogue. An increasing number of Roma children a new contract as a pedagogical assistant in are being enrolled in kindergartens, so she be- Romani language. Since this contract is expir- lieves that there is a need for pedagogical as- ing soon, she hopes for its extension. Merima’s sistants. “Parents are happy, and we are here salary was funded by the Office for Roma In- to answer all their questions,” said Merima. clusion during the first six months, and by the Director of the Office for Roma Inclusion municipality, during the other six months. highlights the importance of the role of edu-

4 5 Employment photoEmploym-reportageent cation and educators in the Romani language. “Our wish is to produce young and educated people who will enter government institutions with a degree, to help the education process of Roma children. For two years, the Office has been trying to find a job for Merima in a state institution. A partner was found in the municipality of Alibunar. “The director be- lieves that Merima will keep this workplace. “Merima is a role model, because she gives a boost to other Roma children to go to school,” said Jovanović, who paid special thanks to the Mayor and the Director of the preschool institution on finding opportunities to get Merima employed.

All the participants agreed that Mer- ima’s employment is necessary, because she influences Roma children in multiple ways, with their knowledge, expertise and dedication; she helps them get used to the education system and prepares them, influences and encourages their next steps in education. Investing in preschool education leads to better results later in the educational process, so it is important for the Roma children to have the right guidance and support at this period.

Grujica Ilić, Director of the “Poletarac” preschool institution, said that there is a preschool in all ten towns in the municipality, attended by more than 500 children. Since 10% of them are Roma children, hiring Merima was a logical step, because there was a need for it. “Our staff has accepted Merima very well, and we all want her to continue to work here, because she has proven that she is a good and valuable worker who improved the quality of this institution with her hard work and dedication,” said Ilić.  Tijana Čubrilo

6 7 Employment Housing

enough to help someone who wants to work,” BUSINESS says Ana Mišković. FOR A HOUSE TO EXPANSION Plans BECOME A HOME They do not operate only in Bogojevo, but Ana Mišković from Bogojevo established also in the surrounding area, in Odžaci, Sonta, Within the project “Legalization a construction company through the and the mostly in Novi Sad. Ana’s construction and renovation of substandard Roma project “Improving employability of Roma company provides the following services: plas- settlements based on the needs of women in 5 municipalities in Vojvodina”, tering, bricklaying, concreting, facade insu- lating with polystyrene and tiles, but if neces- their residents” implemented by the funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom sary, they also perform other tasks, depending Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization of Norway. Her husband is working with on customer requirements. (EHO), from 3rd to 5th June in “Novi Sad” her, and he is dealing with the execution hotel, a program training was held for of works, while Ana is finding and local self-governments and Roma NGOs. negotiating business, and contacting the Opportunity they were given Participants of the training were the customers. means a lot to the Mišković representatives from Pančevo, Subotica, Project’s significance family, because now they Sombor, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Ruma and Ana Mišković has found out about this have a registered office and Kovin. project from the Roma coordinator, Jelica the ability to provide their Mišković, so she decided to apply and try to families with a better life. Roma Resource Centre establish a construction company, since her Roma Resource Centre is EHO’s program husband has been in the business for ten years. Encouraged by this project and aimed at contributing to the socio-economic For them, the project’s significance is in the the funds they received, they situation of Roma men and women in Serbia. fact that it significantly improved their work. Ana Mišković can confidently start the next This centre carries out projects in the field of They usually used the funds for purchasing the period and move forward with housing, informing and advocacy, education tools they did not have, but needed to make Ana Mišković says that another benefit is that and employment. Housing program aims to their work better, more efficient and faster. they are more visible in the labor market be- optimism. solve the existing problems, to legalize unhy- They bought the scaffolding, which were very cause, thanks to the project, they have their gienic settlements, construct basic infrastruc- expensive, mixers and other smaller tools. own business and business cards, which make ture and establish communal minimum stand- it easier for customers to con- Mandatory period of one year, during ards in Roma settlements in AP Vojvodina. tact them. This increased the which the beneficiaries of the project must amount of work they have. have opened a company, will expire soon. So, The training program The bookkeeper and men- we asked Ana Mišković what her plans were, The training was opened by Robert Bu, toring services during the whether she and her husband intend to con- deputy director of EHO and the Roma resource company registration and the tinue to have a registered company. The an- centre coordinator, and Jadranka Stojanović, first steps in entrepreneurship swer was affirmative, which is a great sign representative of the Open Society Founda- are of particular importance, that the project was successful. The aim was tion from Belgrade, which finances the Project. because they make it easier not merely for the company to work for one “What we will present in these three days of for them to navigate the en- year, but for the entrepreneurs to continue training is the transfer of knowledge and skills trepreneurial waters. their business after the period required by the of our organization in the field of improvement The funds obtained project. of living conditions in substandard Roma set- through this project are suf- We learned that they lack a few mixers tlements i.e. an author model of work that has ficient for the Mišković family and small tools for successful business, but been applied for eight years in 35 substandard of four. “There is always more they intend to buy them in the future. Roma settlements in the Republic of Serbia. that you can get, but this is  Tijana Čubrilo Currently, this is the only model that is being

8 9 Housing Housing

The third day of training began with representatives of EHO and the third phase models, and by the end of the training, all six stages of author model were shown, as well as what they have learned through this Project. The aim of the research project was for the representatives of local governments and NGOs to adopt new knowledge and a model, when it comes to housing, and to apply the acquired knowledge in their local self- governments.

Participants of the seminar applied, not only in Serbia but also abroad, and cal institutions to enter the process, active role After presenting the trainees, Osman ard Roma settlements. He praised the work we got two European awards for it,” said Bu. of the Roma community, through civil society Balić, representative of the Roma organiza- of EHO and stressed the importance of legal- Jadranka Stojanović pointed out that the organizations and residents of the village, as tion YUROM Centre and coordinator of the izing Roma settlements, due to the new law successful integration which largely targets well as expertise in relation to the knowledge League of Roma, Association of Roma NGOs, on legalization, which is completely inappli- housing, requires three basic postulates. These of the property and legal status and the way of talked about the Roma men and women in cable in mahala quarters, and which requires are political will, intention and readiness of lo- legalization of residential buildings. Serbia and their living conditions in substand- the buildings that cannot be legalized to be

10 11 Housing Housing PUBLICATION OF THE STUDY "ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED ROMA"

UN High Commissioner for Refugees has presented the study “Assessment of the needs of internally displaced Roma in Serbia.” The study was conducted by the initiative of the UNHCR in cooperation with the Joint Service for the profiling of internally displaced persons (JIPS) and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia. The survey of 800 households of internally displaced Roma and 400 households of domicile Roma in 18 municipalities in Serbia was conducted by CeSID at the end of 2014.

Objectives: 1. To define the number of IDPs in need; 2. To identify the specific needs of IDPs and the extent of those needs; 3. To map the locations with high concentrations of IDPs; 4. To contribute to the process of defining strategic solutions for IDPs.

Analysis of the IDPs establishes: - The main socio-demographic characteristics of households; - The situation of IDPs in the labour market; - Financial situation; - The living conditions of IDPs and the state of their property in Kosovo; - Social security; Robert Bu - Social inclusion and - Intentions to return. demolished. For this reason, Mr. Balić strong- Roma men and women. Danilo Ćurčić, Legal ly advocates legalization of informal settle- Adviser of JUKOM, spoke about the right to ad- ments, where appropriate and where they ex- equate housing. Regularization of substandard ans Friedrich Soder, conflict in 1999, about 90,000 since 1999 and it is ready to ist for a number of years. Roma settlements in the context of improv- head of the UNHCR mis- internally displaced persons support the strategy of the On the first day, except for Osman Balić, ing the housing conditions of Roma men and Hsion to Serbia, Vladimir in Serbia still have needs government of Serbia, to pro- Robert Bua and Jadranka Stojanović, Boris women was the topic that was addressed by Cucić, Commissioner for Refu- caused by displacement and vide long-term solutions for Žerjav and Lazar Divjak also talked about a Svetlana Ristić, representative of the Ministry gees and Migration of the Re- they lack a permanent solu- all of them, in the next few topic called “Review and presentation of ac- of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure. public of Serbia, Ljuan Koko, tion. In order to support their years. He added that the sur- tivities of civil society organizations in im- Slađana Jovanović and Robert Bu, representa- a member of the National local integration, it is neces- vey data must be used in the proving the housing conditions of Roma men tives of EHO, they talked about the possi- Council of the Roma nation- sary to intensify efforts and best way, in order to provide and women in Serbia.” bilities of resolving legal property issues and al minority, and dr Slobodan accelerate the realization support and improved condi- The second day was opened by Duško presented the first two phases of the author Cvejić, author of the study, – until their return becomes tions for a dignified and pro- Jovanović, director of the Office for Roma model work called “Rebuilding substandard had talked about the study possible, or in case it does not ductive life of internally dis- Inclusion. He presented the activities of the Roma settlements based on the needs of their and its findings. become possible. UNHCR pro- placed Roma. state in improving the housing conditions of residents”. Hans Friedrich Soder said vides assistance to internally Commissioner for Refugees  Ljiljana Maričić that sixteen years after the displaced persons in Serbia and Migration of the Republic 12 13 Housing Housing of Serbia, Vladimir Cucić, con- need is 39%; unemployment displaced household in need sovo; Most of their property is among the Roma (17.6) than number of IDPs who have firmed that the Roma minor- among the general popula- consists of 4.42 members. destroyed or usurped. among non-Roma (5.5%). expressed the desire to re- ity is identified as particularly tion is 19.2%. Most of the in- • Housing is a biggest • 8% of internally dis- • Compared to the pre- turn to Kosovo was higher vulnerable category of inter- ternally displaced households problem for IDPs. 94% of all placed persons do not own vious survey, a significantly than 50%. Very few Roma ex- nally displaced persons, and in need (74.3%) survive be- internally displaced persons in one of the basic identity smaller percentage (20%) of pressed interest to return to that the Commissariat works cause of the incomes that are need emphasised this problem. documents (identity card and IDPs expressed the desire Kosovo (8.8%). on improving their living con- less than 20,000 dinars per • 49% of IDPs in need birth certificate). This per- to return to Kosovo. During ditions and socio-economic month. An average internally own a flat or a house in Ko- centage is significantly higher the previous researches, the  Tijana Čubrilo status. He said that Commis- sariat will continue to finance the accommodation of IDPs in collective centres until they The conference are guaranteed a permanent solution. Commissariat will presented the also continue to take care of models of support internally displaced Roma in in the form of both formal and informal collective centres and the Roma construction returnees, under the Agree- of new housing ment on readmission. Funds units, rural for these purposes will be provided from Pre-accession houses with funds of the European Union gardens, social and other international donors. housing and Slobodan Cvejić stated the allocation the method of investigation, of construction the problems faced by internally displaced Roma and materials for conclusions of the study, with renovating the concrete proposals to im- existing buildings, prove their position. Some of the conclusions with economic about IDPs in Serbia: empowerment. • Majority of the particularly vulnerable IDPs of More than Roma nationality is located in two-thirds Vojvodina, where they make of internally up almost half of all displaced people. displaced Roma • 74.5% of internally sees employment displaced Roma are in need, as a solution to compared to 41.7% of non- Roma IDPs. their problems. • Unemployment of internally displaced persons in

14 15 Provincial Government Provincial Government AWARDED CONTRACTS TO YOUNG COUPLES FOR THE PURCHASE OF HOUSES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

resident of the Provincial Government, Bojan Pajtić, Pawarded young couples from Vojvodina contracts for the purchase of houses in the countryside. Forty-one married couples who chose to live in the countryside were awarded the contract. The Provincial Govern- ment has allocated 40 million dinars for this project. The aim was to help young married couples, but also to revive the rural communities in Vojvodina. The Call was implemented through the Provincial Secretariat for Economy, Employment and Gen- Awarding the contracts der Equality and the Institute for Gender Equality. the Provincial Government and ing their housing issues, and the last population census. We municipality. And if the trend of we launched this program. We At the ceremony in the Cen- the departmental secretary, Mi- invited all young families who have seen that both Serbia and not having children and young want our villages, where every tral Hall of Banovina, young roslav Vasin, and the Director of want to live in the countryside Vojvodina are dying out and de- people migrating abroad contin- third house is empty, to be fill up couples from Vojvodina were the Institute for Gender Equal- to engage and compete in the creasing, as well as our villages. ues, this will become a land of again. We want to improve the congratulated, on this occasion, ity, Vesna Šijački. upcoming Calls. Every year we lose more than bitter old people, without any position of our women, because not only by the President Pajtić, President Pajtić congratu- “We have seen the alarming 10,000 residents in the Prov- hope, future or young people in in our society 90 percent of real but also by the Vice President of lated the young couples on solv- data after we got the results of ince, thus losing an entire Čoka 30 years. That is the reason why estate is owned by men, and half

16 17 Provincial Government Local self-government of these houses will be owned countryside. In addition, it was Director of the Institute for Interview with Mira Petrović, Roma coordinator in the municipality of Bač by the mothers. We want to shown that it is not true that the Gender Equality, Vesna Šijački, improve the position of our vil- abandoned houses in Vojvodina allocated another important lages that have great potential are merely a flaw; according to goal that has been achieved, and might as well pull the entire the responsible secretary, they from the perspective of gender society forward. 93 children will could be our new wealth. And policy, and that is the equal par- live in these houses, and I think the third thing Vasin pointed out ticipation of the couples of this that’s the most beautiful data was that there are young people Call. out of all we have heard today,” who do not reconcile with real- Admission to the Provincial said President Pajtić. ity and who want to take destiny Government, on the occasion of Vice President of the Provin- into their own hands. solving the important life’s is- cial Government, Miroslav Vasin, “Your 41 families and 310 sue, the housing of 41 families emphasized that this action is families who participated in this in Vojvodina, was also attended special and most beautiful so Call are the heroes of our time. by the actress, Mira Banjac, the far, having in mind that 41 fami- In total, that is 350 families who writer, Pero Zubac, the journal- lies will get a roof over their have proven that there are pros- ist, Bora Otić and other promi- head. He pointed to the facts pects, that not everything is so nent cultural workers and rep- that prove the inaccuracy of the bad, and that villages in Vojvo- resentatives of public life in the statement that no one wants dina do not have to become ex- Province. to live in the countryside, and tinct. You are the ones who have that young people do not rec- awakened the hope,” said Miro- ognize the quality of life in the slav Vasin.  www.vojvodina.gov.rs

Mira Petrović PRIORITY - EXECUTION OF THE LOCAL ACTION PLAN

 Does the job classification of local self-  Does the municipal budget include spe- government enlist the workplace for a cial funds for the realization of plans for Roma coordinator? the Roma? The job classification of local self-govern- No special funds in the municipal budget ment lists the workplace for a Roma coordinator. were planned for the realization of plans for the

18 19 Local self-government Provincial institutions

Roma, but the funds are being allocated for the  How do you get information that you needs of the Roma community, such as one-time need for your work? How do you improve RESIDENCE REGISTRATION AT assistance that the Roma receive, where appro- your knowledge? priate, at the Centre for Social Work. I get the information I need for work through THE CENTRE FOR SOCIAL WORK  What does your cooperation with local various websites, directly in contact with the governments, provincial and national au- Roma community or through the institutions in thorities look like? the municipality and beyond. I also contact my IN AP VOJVODINA My co-operation with the representatives of fellow coordinators from neighboring municipal- local governments is very good, we cooperate ities. I improve my knowledge by going to semi- Introduction very well and they provide me with help whenev- nars and training sessions that are organized for On the basis of complaints from citizens, Provincial Ombudsman has identified problems er I need it. I contact provincial and national au- coordinators. in obtaining rights to residence registration at the address of a Centre for Social Work or the thorities by phone, and I  What does your social institution where they are permanently housed. All 44 of the guardianship authorities on am satisfied with the co- workday look like?  Can you tell us what are you the territory of Vojvodina had submitted the requested information and data to the Provincial operation with them, as When I come to particularly proud of in your work Ombudsman. Some Centres for Social Work have not provided answers to all questions. well. work, I check out the lat- It was noted that the majority of citizens who are in this situation live in informal settle- and what do you consider the  Tell us about the est news and emails, and ments and / or for various reasons do not own personal documents. greatest success? activities in the make phone calls. I also I am proud of having a job where I field of the Decade receive clients who regu- can help my compatriots with any kind competent authority of the Interior, which de- of Roma in your mu- larly come to me with Legal Framework of problem they face on daily basis. I aw on Permanent and Temporary Residence termines whether the conditions for the regis- nicipality, related their problems, which I am also proud of the fact that I help of Citizens defines permanent residence as tration of residence have been met and makes a to education, em- want to solve success- people get documents needed for an ID a place where a citizen has settled with an decision on the request. ployment, housing, fully, in order for them to L card, with the help of EHO organisation intention to live there permanently, and tem- Regulations on the procedure of registration health and human leave the office satisfied. in Novi Sad, because there are people porary residence as a place where a citizen is and deregistration of permanent and temporary rights. Together with the mu- who have not had identity documents temporarily residing outside their places of per- residence, registration of temporary residence During the Decade nicipal registrar, I enroll until today, which affects me greatly, as manent residence for more than 90 days. abroad and returning from abroad, passivation of Roma, two non-gov- the parties into a sepa- we live in the 21st century. I am proud A citizen can register their residence on the residence, forms and methods of record keep- ernmental organizations rate voter list. I help with of the fact that the LAP was adopted by basis of title to an apartment, the contract of ing, say that the first step is for the party to and two pedagogical as- copying and filling out the local government and I hope that it lease or other legal basis. If not, the competent address the Centre, in order to obtain its con- sistants have been work- forms for the necessary will soon be budgeted, so that we can authority’s decision determines their residence sent to the registration of residence, while the ing in our municipality. documents. If necessary, start with the realisation of mandated at the address of: Directive for treatment of Centres for Social DILLS project has been I also work on the site. activities to improve the living condi- 1) 1) his/her permanent residence, if the oth- Work claims that the first step is for the party to financed, in the field of  What are your prior- contact the police with a request for permanent tions of Roma in our municipality. er conditions prescribed by law are met; education. We have also ities and plans for this 2) his/her spouse’s or common-law partner’s residence. After finding that the conditions for participated in the Calls year? residence; the application are met, the police forward the for Roma of the Provincial Secretariat for Econo- Priorities and plans for this year are in the 3) his/her parents’ residence; same request to the Centre for approval. The my, Employment and Gender Equality. We have a field of employment and housing, as well as the 4) the institution where he/she is permanently Directive’s version is applied in practice. greater number of children enrolled in secondary desire to realize the goals set in the Local Ac- housed or at the address of the Centre for Based on the obtained data, it was found school, which means that there are more children tion Plan to improve the living conditions of the Social Work where it is located, along with that 31 Centres for Social Work carry out resi- who finish primary school. This year, we have a Roma. I intend to participate in the Calls this the application of the citizen to that institu- dence registration, while 13 centres do not con- candidate of Roma nationality at the National year. tion or centre, that his/her address will be duct the procedure of giving approval for the Employment Service, who participates in the Call A message to your fellow Roma. at its address. application of the citizens at the institution’s for self-employment. I helped him deliver the re- My message is that we should stay united A person who wishes to register their resi- address. quired documentation and write a business plan. and use our joint efforts to improve our position dence at the Centre for Social Work where it is In total, 340 persons had been registered So far, there were no major projects in the fields in education, employment, health and housing. located, first needs to contact the Centre for at the address of guardianship authority on the of housing and health care, because we do not Social Work, in order to obtain a signed consent territory of AP of Vojvodina, and four residence have an engaged health mediator.  Tijana Čubrilo for registration on the address of the Centre for registration processes are ongoing. Social Work. Approval is then submitted to the

20 21 Provincial institutions Provincial institutions

Problems identified during the implementation of regulations The number of people of Roma national minority who are registered in the process of residence registration of citizens at the at the address of the Centre for Social Work Centre for Social Work he biggest issue of the guardianship au- which is more than a half, state that they do thorities is that the citizens, after resi- not own data on the existence of persons of Tdence registration do not (regularly) Roma national minority without a legal iden- contact the Centre, nor do they report to the tity (legally invisible persons) in the territory Sombor Centre the change of address where they ac- of their territorial jurisdiction. This response tually live. This causes a series of other prob- is explained by the fact that there are no Kikinda lems, especially when it comes to receiving specific records, or that these persons have Žabalj the mail they do not take, which are very of- not contacted them, and therefore they have ten judicial admonitions for unpaid bills, loan no knowledge of the existence of persons of Šid instalments and the like. Roma nationality without legal identity in the On the other hand, from the viewpoint of territory of their territorial jurisdiction. Bačka Topola the majority of citizens, the most common According to available data, the role of Bačka Palanka problem is that citizens cannot register their the Centres in providing assistance and sup- residence at the Centre for Social Work in the port to these persons is reflected in the pro- ostali city where they actually live and truly intend fessional and financial support in the proce- to permanently settle, because they already dure of their subsequent registration into the have a registered permanent residence else- register of births, and in the adoption of the where. The highest percentage of citizens decision for personal names. who want to register their residence at the Some Centres have pointed out that even Centre for Social Work belong to the Roma when there are entries of these persons into population, with the highest percentage of the register, it sometimes happens that these the Roma who are mainly internally displaced persons are not entitled to citizenship of the from the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. Republic of Serbia, and that it is necessary The problem that these people face is that for them to carry out the procedure for ac- Recommendations they live in informal settlements without quiring citizenship. Republic administrative street names or house numbers, so it happens fee for the application for admission to the The work of professional employees of the guardianship authorities should contribute that even though they have their property at citizenship of the Republic of Serbia amounts to identifying persons with social needs, who have no legal identity, identity documents or the place they live in, they cannot register to about 17.000 dinars and most Centres can- registered residence in the territory of their territorial jurisdiction. their residence. not provide funds to these persons for its pay- It is necessary that the written notices of subsequent registration into the register of From a total of 44 guardianship authori- ment. births, obtaining personal documents, and obtaining the rights to residence registration at ties on the territory of Vojvodina, 23 of them, the address of a centre for social work, become more visible in the rooms of all the Centres for Social Work. The officials of Centres for Social Work should orally inform any person that asks them Conclusion for information in relation to the possibilities, conditions and procedures of subsequent Based on the processed data it is concluded that in the majority of Centres for Social Work registration into the register of births, obtaining personal documents, and obtaining the in the AP Vojvodina give consent to interested citizens for permanent residence at their address. rights to residence registration at the address of the Centre for Social Work. Centres in bigger cities have the greatest number of citizens registered at their address. However, the number of citizens who have earned this right is relatively small. The reason for this is the initial lack of clarity and the inconsistency of by-laws, very restrictive interpretation or application of the prescribed conditions for residence registration by the bodies of internal affairs, and the fact that the citizens are not sufficiently informed about the existence of this possibility.  Provincial Ombudsman

22 23 NGO NGO

returnees under the Readmission Agreement is facing problems in different segments in the and we have developed additional interest in field of migration and migration policies. An ad- the problems of the Roma community in Serbia. ditional difficulty is the fact that Serbia, de- From the very start we have realized that the spite various attempts and adoption of various problem of returnees is particularly emphasized strategy documents, lacks a coherent migration by the fact that a large number of people comes policy. The general drawback of strategy docu- from the Roma communities. We had a program ments is that they all dealt with only one part of support to the returnees from readmission of the problem. Our country is facing the “brain and after that we worked mainly in the area of drain” and it unsuccessfully tries to do some- providing psycho-social support, and we were thing in terms of permanent return of qualified often focusing on children from these families, migrants or the formation of circular migration. and facilitating their reintegration by including Today, a large number of people from different them in the school system or organizing addi- Asian and African countries seeks asylum in Ser- tional workshops. We had several research pro- bia and that system does not function properly. jects, where we tried to find out what were the An issue that is very often neglected is our inter- reasons and triggers of these migrations, and nal migration and uneven regional development, point out to the main problems that people face which is related to the fact that many people

We talked to Siniša Volarević, program coordinator of Group 484, about the activities of the Group, and Danica Cirić, project coordinator of the Group of 484, who was the coordinator of the project called “Urgent response to the flooding in Bosnia and Group 484 is a non-governmental organization that was established in Herzegovina and Serbia for a total of 22 500 vulnerable people.” In the period from the autumn of 1995, in order to support the organization of 484 refugee May to November 2014, Group 484 has helped the households affected by the floods in families who have fled from the Krajina region, away from the Croatian the form of direct assistance, where they had a number of activities. Operation “Storm”, and found refuge in Serbia. The organization was named after them.

 What does the Group 484 deals with and always been quite wide. In one period, and to what is the primary goal in your work? a lesser extent today, our program of direct when returning and the reason why reintegra- leave certain areas and the fact that there is no During its 20 years of existence, Group 484 support dealt a lot with supporting social en- tion has often been unsuccessful. The conse- policy that would stimulate the development of remained focused on migrations and the issues terprises, but at the same time, we dealt with quences of this are secondary or re-migration these areas. of refugees, displaced persons, forced migrants social housing and we constructed a building of to the countries where people were returned  Does the state support your work? and migrants in general. As it developed, Group social housing in Kragujevac. Our program “We to, or some other countries. That is why we had We have good cooperation with certain state 484 started dealing seriously with the educa- and the Others” is largely focused on work with the problem of a large number of asylum seek- and government institutions, such as the Com- tional programs, programs of intercultural dia- high school students and education in the field ers from Serbia, who were hastily labelled as missariat for Refugees and Migration, Ministry of logue, as well as research projects, researches of social sciences, i.e. humanities. We organize people who abuse the asylum system, without Internal Affairs and parts of some other minis- of migrations, and various migratory phenom- workshops in secondary schools and local edu- further contemplation. This has changed as the tries dealing with migration in any way. There is ena. Today, the Group is a coherent set of three cational institutions, as well as the educational time went by, due to our work, as well. Solving also a good cooperation among the civil society different programs. The first one is a program camps. Centre for Migration deals not only with this problem is now largely focused on the need organizations and there are close partnerships of direct support, the second is the educational forced migration, but also with voluntary and to invest in the programs of support for minority among organizations who have been dealing program called “We and the Others,” which pri- labour migration. Within this, through a number communities. A few years ago, the solution was with issues related to migration for a long time, marily deals with interculturalism, and the third of related projects, we have analyzed the phe- primarily sought in stronger border controls and such as the Group 484. We have cooperated with program is the Centre for Migration, which is nomenon of “brain drain” and tried to introduce extensive informing campaign. several Roma organizations in Serbia, especially engaged in research and analysis of public poli- changes in some policies.  How hard is it to deal with migration in when we were dealing with Roma issues and mi- cies, especially in the field of asylum and mi- For a long time, we have been dealing thor- Serbia? grations that are significantly associated with gration. The range of topics and activities has oughly with the problems of readmission and This is a complex area in itself, and Serbia the position of the Roma. In addition, coopera-

24 25 NGO NGO

this country. It is therefore necessary to consid- ovac was affected the most. Our response was er the migration phenomena we are facing and to purchase and distribute humanitarian assis- how they can be managed, in order to facilitate tance to a large number of families in the city of the economic and other kinds of development. Obrenovac. The whole program was implement- There are no simple solutions. We need to un- ed with the support of OXFAM Italy, and there derstand that people have a right to make de- were different donors for the three types of hu- cisions about their lives, and the state has to manitarian aid. All three emergency aids have offer valid options and arguments for making a been organized with great help of HC Roma, decision that will support this country’s devel- which prepared lists of vulnerable households opment, at the same time. and provided substantial logistical support.  Due to the fact that you contribute to The first and great help was related to the the development of an open and tolerant materials and equipment for household cleaning, society, where everyone is welcome and because that was the first thing that should have where diversity is seen as a great asset, been done after the floods. In this first phase, do you think our society is sufficiently we delivered 2200 humanitarian aid packages open to accepting diversity? to vulnerable households. The packages con- Serbia is not a particularly good example of tained disinfectants, lime, and the equipment an open and tolerant society, because our soci- for cleaning and personal hygiene. Donor of the ety is still considerably burdened with various 2200 packages was the Hong Kong government. prejudices. However, much more developed Eu- Next was the help for 120 agricultural house- ropean societies also face this problem. Since our holds, allocated to agricultural households in country is faced with the economic and financial villages around Obrenovac, mostly in the village difficulties, that is another factor that leads to of Veliko Polje. Each household was allocated the growth of xenophobia. This, however, should 250 kg of winter wheat seeds, 250 kg of fertilizer Danica Ćirić and Siniša Volarević not be our excuse. On the other hand, there are and essential plant protection products. During tion with international organizations is very im- a clear and uniform migration policy with con- many examples of different kind of treatment the delivery process, an agronomist was present portant to us. crete response to what we want to achieve in of various minorities in Serbia, enough to make at all times, and he gave advice to the farmers  Since this issue is very complex, what the area of migration. It is important that the us believe that Serbia can become a more open who were assigned the aid and answered their else needs to be done in order to be able state deals with the problem of migrants who and tolerant society. We can draw our strength questions about the upcoming planting. to say that we are on our way towards a pass through our country. The most basic prin- and optimism from the fact that we have plenty The third delivery included 926 hygiene kits permanent solution? ciples of humanity oblige us to deal with these of examples of openness, tolerance and com- for socially vulnerable households in Obrenovac. The process of integration into the European people, to see who they are, why they came passion towards the people who are in difficult Depending on the structure, the families re- Union could be of great importance since it in- here and what they need. I think that it is im- situations, who are isolated and marginalized. ceived one of three types of hygienic kits: basic volves the standards that should help to regulate portant to deal specifically with the people who This gives us an incentive to invest in programs or family hygiene package, containing personal the situation in the field of migration. In this are leaving Serbia, because they are affected that encourage the openness of society. In fact, I hygiene items (soaps, shampoos, towels, tooth- sense, as long as the EU accession process lasts, by the most severe existential problems, due to think that the need for the support of tolerance brushes, toothpastes, etc.), a family children’s we will be focused on those parts of the process poverty and the feeling of complete lack of per- and willingness to accept and understand people package, which contained personal hygiene that are important for defining migration poli- spective. It should be understood that people who are somewhat different never ceases, in all items for both adults and babies (diapers, baths cies in Serbia. Section 24, in particular, largely living in poverty and in marginalised position are societies. and the like), or the hygiene package for wom- relates to migration and asylum, as well as the not a burden. They are often put in the position  What did the Group 484 worked on within en. The delivery was done in the local communi- external borders and Schengen, and other areas. of receiving social assistance, because they are the project “Urgent response to the flood- ties in Obrenovac and the surrounding region. Group 484 will seek to develop a comprehensive deprived of any long-term chance to use their ing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia”? Delivery of the aid related to agriculture and well-founded set of indicators, which should skills and improve their lives. The phenomena of Projects that we organized with the help of and hygiene packages was funded by the Stavros help in monitoring the fulfilment of obligations migrations are very tightly linked to the devel- the Humanitarian Centre “Rom” from Obreno- Niarchos Foundation and the Foundation of the and standards. This could be part of the solu- opment potentials of a country and we should vac, were undertaken in response to the floods States of Jersey. tion, to a certain extent. However, Serbia needs always bear that in mind, if we want to develop that have befallen us in May 2014, where Obren-  Ljiljana Maričić

26 27 NGO NGO LEARNING THROUGH PLAY “Happy Little Colony” is a centre for children and young people in Novi Sad, whose work involves a number of activities related to taking the children and young people away from the streets, such as the puppetry theatre for young people, camping, art and other workshops.

Goals of the “Happy Little Colony” are the following: * reducing the gap between the Roma and non-Roma children in the early development stage * preventing aggression and destruction * introducing and promoting national and cultural heritage of national minorities * developing inter-ethnic and multicultural cooperation and tolerance * returning to nature, developing ecological awareness * supporting and giving assistance in learning, Marijana Stevanović and Violeta Mićić development and inter- The Toy Library a part of the educational pro- development of a child. It is row toys. In this way, children towards things and people, as generational issues One of the activities of gram for mother and child, intended for children from 0 are offered a much larger se- well as discipline and hones- * developing humanity, the “Happy Little Colony” is which is funded by the Roma to 7 years, and their parents. lection of toys that help them ty. We talked about this topic solidarity and self-help Education Fund. Its task is The principle of operation is to develop and learn through to Marijana Stevanović, Agent * promoting and developing Toy Library. It is one of six to provide didactic toys and cultural needs of adults libraries of this kind in the the same as in a classic library, play. In addition, they learn of the “Happy Little Colony” Republic of Serbia, and it is programs to encourage the but instead of books they bor- about responsibility and care and president of the board,

28 29 NGO NGO as well as with the staff of leisure time, who educates and educating them about all about all the actions organ- while our task is to persuade it all depends on the parents. the library. the child, how can a mother the measures of protection, ized by the city or the associ- the mothers and show them If a parent wants to enroll the “Library in Novi Sad start- protect her child, family’s what to do in case they are re- ations in terms of health. Par- the benefits of playing with child, he/she will seek help ed working last year. This is strengths and weaknesses, al- jected by a doctor, the impor- ents’ impressions are positive the children. In order to do from us. In addition, all our our first program with foreign coholism, domestic violence tance of proper nutrition and and they constantly coming this, they must stay in the Li- toys are high-quality, educa- donors. It includes helping the and education of girls,” said physical activity. “On these to us with new questions,” brary. We have a lot of young tional and do not encourage Roma parents to manage with Stevanović. workshops, they receive ad- added Nikolić. mothers and this is all new violence, and they develop their children’s education, psycho-physical abilities of a especially the uneducated child. Children are very re- ones. In the Library we have sponsible when a toy is en- early childhood development trusted to them, and after a workshops and those concern- few days they return them ing children, help in school, and boast to other children. It child support, emotional sup- is very important for the chil- port and everything else they dren to gain our trust,” says need, because, in my experi- Violeta Mićić, librarian. ence, Roma preschool children Vesna Ivić, who also works are not the focus of parental as a librarian, said that the care; they are usually on the mothers, who come to this streets, left to themselves place, should perceive it as until they start school or kin- their own. They include the dergarten. The programs are mothers in everything they do therefore primarily intended to, in order for them to feel for preschool children and they belong here. “In the be- their mothers. We have 366 ginning, the mothers were very toys and 300 books that we sceptical about renting toys, can lend. So, we work just like because they were afraid that an actual library, but children children will lose them, so we can also stay here and play. went to the villages with these Currently, we have 62 family toys, left them there and told members and 40 mothers at- them that they will not be tending workshops. We had punished if they accidentally trainings and preparations for lose the toys” said Ivić. these workshops; the librar- The percentage of at- ians went to Montenegro on tendance and completion of training for the project, while primary school among Roma the workshop leader passed children in Serbia is alarm- a set of trainings in Belgrade ingly small. On average, only with the representatives of one Roma child finishes pri- the REF. In addition to health Branislav Nikolić, work- vice in relation to health, and “The Library works three to them. They have a very mary school in relation to the care, there are other themes shop leader in the Toy Li- I talk to doctors and previ- days a week, on Tuesdays, strong desire for their chil- four children of the majority of our workshops: how to help brary, says he holds health ously prepare myself, in or- Wednesdays and Thursdays, dren to become more suc- population, and the main goal a child, emotional needs of a workshops, attended by the der to be able to give them an from 9 to 13. The aim of the cessful than they are. We mo- of people working in this pro- child, penalties, prohibitions Roma, which are, among oth- answer, or refer them to the project is for the mothers tivate parents to enrol their gram is to change these sta- and awards, types of parents, er things, related to exercis- places where they can get an to come with their children children in the preschool pro- tistics for the better. the question of the child’s ing their rights to health care answer. We also inform them and teach them how to play, gram and the first class, but  Ljiljana Maričić

30 31 Rumunija 1. Jul 2005 - 30. Jun 2006, Bugarska 1. Jul 2006 - 30. Jun 2007, Mađarska 1. Jul 2007 - 30. Jun 2008, Srbija 1. Jul 2008 - 30. Jun 2009, Slovačka 1. Jul 2009 - 30. Jun 2010, Češka 1. Jul 2010 - 30. Jun 2011, Makedonija 1. Jul 2011 - 30. Jun 2012, Hrvatska 1. Jul 2012 - 30. Jun 2013, Crna Gora 1. Jul 2013 - 30. Jun 2014.

Jul 2014. - Jun 2015.

MINISTARSTVO ZA LJUDSKA I MANJINSKA PRAVA DRŽAVNU UPRAVU I LOKALNU SAMOUPRAVU UPRAVA ZA LJUDSKA I MANJINSKA PRAVA