A Monthly Periodical of The Roma Inclusion Office The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina no. 40, july 2014. Photo of the month: Session of the First Municipal Parents' Council in Zabalj The founder and the Publisher of the Periodical: The Roma Inclusion Office INTRODUCTION of the Government of AP Vojvodina Dear readers, Editor in Chief: Duško Jovanović Here is the July issue of our monthly magazine. This issue starts with the Education section and with the Managing Editor: story of a round table held on topic “Practical Policies Aleksandra Mićić for Roma Employment at the Local, Provincial and The Team: National Level- Challenges and Possibilities” as well as Dragana Rajić with the examples of good practice in the field of Roma Tijana Čubrilo employment. Jovana Davidović In the Human Rights section, we present you with the institution of Commissioner for Protection of Correspondents: Equality, as well as with the research study of the Ferenc Koso Provincial Ombudsman about the status of women in Roma Coordinators of APV National Councils of National Minorities. We also convey Ivana Koprivica to you an open letter written by Bajram Haliti, the Editor-in-Chief of the “Newspaper-Informative Roma Translation into Roma: Agency” intended for participants of a conference held Igor Dimić within the Decade of Roma in Montenegro. In the In Memoriam section, we said our last good- Translation into English: Ana Kozlovački byes to painter Slobodan Nenad Karadzic – Kanesl. In the section Roma in the World, we wrote about Technical Preparation and Printing: the famous mathematician of Roma origin. MONDO-GRAF, Novi Sad We inform you that from now on, thanks to the www.mondograf.co.rs Research and Education Center and the Preschool Teacher Training College “Mihailo Palov” in Vrsac, you Circulation: can read our magazine in electronic form, available at 1000 www.rec.org.rs/bilten/. Address: Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 25, Your Editorial Board 21000 Novi Sad [email protected] www.inkluzijaroma.vojvodina.gov.rs Employment ROUND TABLE ON ROMA EMPLOYMENT Participants of the Round Table Photo: Office Archive In June this year, there was a round table entitled “Practical policies for the Roma employment at the local, provincial and national level - the challenges and opportunities”, organized by the Roma Inclusion Office within the project “Improving the employability of Roma women in five muni- cipalities in Vojvodina”, which is funded by the Norwegian Embassy. The idea was to make an offi- cial document that will be submitted to the relevant institutions in the Republic of Serbia in the field of employment by the end of these discussions and proposals. The participants Service, Budislav Medurić, Director Srećkov, project manager at the of Educational Center, Miodrag European Affairs Fund and all staff The round table was attended Shrestha, a member of the project of the Roma Inclusion Office. by Miroslav Vasin, Provincial team, “We are here together - Secretary for Economy, Employment European support for the inclusion Results of the Office and Gender Equality, Slavica Denić, of Roma”, implemented by the the Assistant Secretary for Economy, OSCE Mission supported by the Director of the Roma Inclusion Employment and Gender Equality, European Union, Vesna Ackovic, Office, Duško Jovanović, welcomed in charge of the Sector for Improving adviser at the Ministry of Education all present and thanked them for the Position of Roma, Nebojsa in the Department of educational coming, and then emphasized: “The Kukić, director of the provincial Development and International coo- latest European Commission report branch of the National Employment peration in Education Dragan on Serbia’s progress towards the 2 e Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina Employment European Union, particularly com- tunity to complete their elementary Budislav Medurić, Director of the mends the employment in AP education for free, which is being Educational Center, said that educa- Vojvodina. Why wouldn’t we then financed from the funds of the tion is the first step towards the apply the principle of employment National Employment Service.”- employment. The Roma population is at the national level?” Jovanovic reminded Kukić. The incentives for one of the most difficult-to-employ pointed out the existence of three the employment of Roma will be groups, due to many reasons and one viewpoints on these topics: self- given on the part of NES through of them being the poor level of edu- employment of Roma, Roma branch offices. He also mentioned cation. The Educational Center is a employment in institutions and the potential engagement of media- way to acquire the knowledge and Roma employment in the business tors in the process of employment of skills in order for a person to be able sector. It is necessary to change Roma individuals, who would connect to secure their existence. It was something in the relationship of the the Roma children with the sector for noted that there is no perseverance institutions toward the Roma com- employment. in fully completing the trainings munity, as Roma are the most com- The Educational Center is an among Roma nationals. This is why it monly encountered with prejudice institution established by the Gover- is necessary to create financial basis in the process of employment. nment of AP Vojvodina, and is inten- for them while in training, since no Romeo Mihajlović, from the ded for non-formal education. one will work for them, and while in Roma Inclusion Office has unveiled training, they wouldn’t have the what has been done in the area of “For the period since we opportunity to earn money for their Roma ​​employment since 2007 have implemented the families, for travel costs. Assistance employment measures we had a onwards, and Gordana Tišma, pre- in overcoming this problem will be shift, although the shift is not sented the project “Improving the very visible because of the size part of the support of the employability of Roma women in of the problem, however, there Government, the Office and the five municipalities in Vojvodina”, is a move in a better direction. Educational Center in improving the whose she is coordinator. New ways should always be employability of Roma. thought of, and new ideas should be presented for solving this pro- General conclusions concerned Suggestions, ideas blem. Every idea should remain the necessity of the existence of sys- recorded, because no idea can temic measures, targets and long- Nebojša Kukić, director of the be initiated and implemented if term strategies to solve the unem- it is not mentioned or without provincial branch office of the ployment problem of the Roma. It proof. You must try everything, National Employment Service pointed so when conditions are created, was pointed out that it is necessary out that the NES has an exceptional then to implement them.” to continue the implementation of cooperation with the Roma Inclusion Miroslav Vasin, the the measures, which have shown Office. “We must work on the educa- Provincial Secretary for good results in Vojvodina and extend Economy, Employment and tion of Roma, especially on the edu- them to the whole republic. Gender Equality cation of adults, who have the oppor- Tijana Čubrilo EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE IN THE FIELD OF ROMA EMPLOYMENT A seminar was organized on exam- The aim of the seminar was to A significant increase in the num- ples of good practice in the field of exchange success stories in the field of ber of registered Roma / activists with employment of Roma on behalf of the employment, in light of the establis- the National Employment Service - Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction hment of partnerships in the implemen- from 7,500 in 2008 to 22,098 Roma / Team and with the Organization for tation of employment policies Roma as activists currently registered at the Security and Cooperation in Europe one of the priorities in the Action Plan National Employment Service. (OSCE). The seminar was held as part for Implementation of the Strategy for of the project for technical support for Improving the Position of Roma for the www.inkluzija.gov.rs the inclusion of Roma. period up to January 2015. The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina Human rights COMMISSIONER FOR PROTECTION OF EQUALITY The jurisdiction of the of regulations for the implementa- Commissioner for tion and promotion of anti-discrimi- Protection of Equality nation and to give their opinion on the draft provisions of the laws and The Commissioner for the regulations pertaining to the prohi- Protection of Equality is authorized bition of discrimination and recom- to conduct proceedings on com- mend measures to achieve equality plaints in cases of discrimination to the public authorities and to the against persons or groups of persons others. connected by the same personal One part of the Commissioner’s characteristics. The Commissioner is jurisdiction is to monitor the situa- Commissioner for Protection of authorized to receive and consider tion in the field of equality, about Equality is an independent, autono- complaints of discrimination, pro- which the Commissioner shall sub- mous and specialized state body vide opinions and recommendations mit an annual report to the National established under the Law on in specific cases of discrimination Assembly. Prohibition of Discrimination in 2009. and the imposition of statutory mea- In their action, the The first Commissioner for Protection sures. Commissioner shall establish and of Equality, Nevena Petrušić PhD, In addition, the Commissioner maintain cooperation with the was elected in 2010, by a decision of shall provide the complainant with authorities responsible for the achie- the National Assembly of the information about their rights and vement of equality and the pro- Republic of Serbia. The normative the possibility of launching legal tection of human rights in the terri- framework of Commissioner for action or other proceedings for the tory of the autonomous province and Protection of Equality consists of the protection, including the process of local self-government.