On the occasion of 10 December, the International Day of Human Rights, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina wishes to draw attention of all levels of government and of the public to the unacceptably poor status of the Roma minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Roma - Child - medium

Around 100,000 Roma, which is the estimated number of Roma living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, do not have their representatives in any of the levels of government, and their fundamental civic and political rights are thus endangered. Ethnic discrimination has affected this category of our fellow citizens the most, which is illustrated by the fact that only 1.5 per cent of active Roma population is employed. Roma have thus been condemned to poverty and ruthlessly put to the margins of society. Only every eighth Roma child has had full primary school education, while Roma girls have tended to interrupt their primary schooling in the fifth grade on average. Many Roma have not yet returned their pre-war apartments and houses, while their current living conditions are extremely bad and do not satisfy even the minimal standards. They most frequently live in damp houses, without sanitary equipment, running water and electricity.

Classes in Roma language have not yet been introduced in schools, while the judicial and administrative authorities and the police have not yet created conditions for Roma to use their language in communication with them.

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina urges the authorities to take all necessary measures, including measures of positive discrimination, in order to improve the status of Roma and to respect their human rights and dignity. The attitude towards minorities, especially the Roma minority, is a mirror of one country and of the level of respect for human rights and freedoms in that country.

Photo: Danilo Krstanovic