The Law on Protection of National Minorities entered into force in 2003 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This law is based on the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities which was ratified by Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH has not yet ratified the European Charter on Regional and Minority Languages. The Law it not being applied both because the necessary by-laws were not passed and because of the lack of political will. (16-NOV-06)

This article is based on the Amnesty International own press release, Helsinki Committee in BH Report on the State of Human Rights for 2005, and on the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance, which has been edited and republicated here by HRH / Mirsad Pandzic. Photo: Damir Sagolj

The Roma population is the largest minority in BiH, and according to the assessment the number varies from 80,000 to 85,000 presently living in BiH, while the activists of the Romani associations claim that there are in between 80,000 and 120,000 Roma people.

Romani children
Extreme poverty, discrimination in schools, and the lack of truly inclusive and multicultural curricula prevent Romani children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia from enjoying their right to education. Amnesty International’s latest report focuses on the exclusion of Romani children from primary education in these three countries and on the failure so far of the governments to address their needs.

“The barriers Romani children face in accessing education deprive them of the chance of fulfilling their true potential and perpetuate the marginalization of Romani communities,” said Omer Fisher, Amnesty International´s researcher on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.

“Tackling these barriers to education is the responsibility of governments.”

Children do not come to school because they do not have clothes or a sandwich to bring to school. A teacher in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The rights to education
The rights to education and to be free from discrimination are enshrined in international human rights law and in the constitutions of the three countries featured in the report. Their governments have adopted special programmes and action plans aimed at the inclusion of the Romani population in education. However, governments and non-governmental organizations alike admit that access to education for Romani children is partial at best.

Free meals, textbooks and transportation are sometimes provided to Romani children. But just getting to school can be impossible when the school is too far to reach on foot and your clothes are not warm enough to cope with a bitter winter. Children are often unable to study or do homework in cold, overcrowded homes. As members of the Romani community in Slovenia told Amnesty International, “Some of us live in huts. How can the children do well at school?”

Romani children are in some cases discriminated against by their own teachers. Sometimes, children are segregated into “Roma only” groups or classes and are offered a reduced curriculum. Negative stereotypes about the Roma’s “way of life” or attitude towards education are often used to explain poor school attendance and grades.

Language barriers – measures that could help
It is generally acknowledged by teachers, Romani children and parents that many of the difficulties Romani children encounter in primary schools are due to linguistic barriers. Many Romani children have no or limited command of the language spoken by the majority population. At present, the languages spoken by Roma are virtually absent from schools of the three countries, unlike other minority languages. Other measures that could help overcoming language obstacles, such as improving access to pre-school education for Romani children and the employment of suitably trained Romani teaching assistants, have not been implemented in a systematic and comprehensive way. Romani culture and history in general are not included in a systematic way in curricula in the schools of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.

What can be done?
“The authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia must adopt an approach to the education of Romani children based on their integration into a school system that adapts to their needs and culture,” Omer Fisher said.

Amnesty International called for immediate action to confront discrimination against Roma in schools by ensuring that no Romani children are placed in special classes or groups simply because they are Roma, by monitoring the composition of classes and, where needed, the activities of teachers working with Roma, and by providing training to primary school teachers aimed at eliminating negative stereotypes and prejudices.

Tackling obstacles in access to education which are the result of extreme poverty, and including Romani language and culture in schools are parts of a long-term process which should be aimed at the full inclusion of Romani children in primary education.

“Romani children, like all other children, have the right to an education that will empower them to take their place in and contribute to the society of the country they live in,” Omer Fisher said.

“It is the responsibility of the governments to break the vicious cycle of illiteracy, poverty and marginalization and to integrate the most vulnerable part of their populations.”

The International Day of Tolerance
On the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance (16 November), Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg stressed that European governments needs to take stronger action to ensure that the current increase in Xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Tziganism is curtailed.

“I fear that if European governments do not take stronger action, these trends will become irreversible,” the Commissioner said. “Governments should actively protect the ideals on which most of Europe has been built. It has to be recognised that the weakened social support structures as well as unemployment are among the root causes of some xenophobic tendencies. Economic policies which ignore the social dimension have destructive consequences. Governments should thus manage Europe´s quest for a new place in the globalising world without further damaging this key pillar of the European social system. It is also important to add that firm legal measures are urgently needed to counter hate crimes, and the basic school curricula should be reviewed to include guidance to children on respecting those who are different.” Stays in Council of Europe Press Division press release.