Within the project „Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia, funded by UNHCR, Praxis prepared the report “Child, Early and Forced Marriages in Serbia – regulations, response and prevention”.

Child marriage represents a gross violation of child rights, especially the rights of girls, child neglect, deprivation of the right to childhood, education, proper and full development and freedom of choice, and it often includes child abuse. International and national regulations provide a satisfactory legal framework for the prevention and response to child, early and forced marriages, but the fact that as many as one third of Roma girls are currently in child marriage indicates a clear failure to implement numerous international conventions that Serbia has ratified, as well as domestic legislation.

The report, on the one hand, presents the results of the research on practical implementation of the Instruction on the manner of work of social welfare centres - guardianship authorities in the protection of children against child marriages which regulates the manner of work of social welfare centres in the protection of children from child, early and forced marriages in situations where there is a risk of entering such a marriage or where such a marriage exists. On the other hand, the report also provides an overview of Praxis activities and findings from 2020 relating to child, early and forced marriages, primarily prevention activities in the work with primary school children, as well as the views and attitudes of children about this issue.

Praxis research showed that less than half of the social welfare centres keep separate records on child marriages (43%). The centres detected only 313 cases of the risk of child marriage or child marriage in the previous two years, while current data from UNICEF (MICS 6 – Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey from 2019) indicates that 34.1% of Roma girls in the age group 15-19 are currently married or cohabiting. The centres immediately intervened in only 29% of these cases, i.e. assessed that in less than a third of cases there was a threat to the life, health and development of a child in need of protection, although the children were married or at risk of child marriage. The centres did not have an answer about the evaluation of undertaken measures and provided services for more than a third of the cases (36%) and they managed to return only 21% of the children to their primary families by applying the available measures and services.

Through workshops organized with children, it may be concluded that they are well aware of the existence of this harmful phenomenon in their community and that they make a distinction between voluntary and forced marriages. As regards forced marriages, a distinction was made between those involving the sale of a bride, arranged marriages and, finally, marriages as a type of punishment for children. In addition to the mentioned forced marriages, the children also gave examples of voluntary marriages, but these marriages also involved paying a certain amount for the child. In fact, the only type of marriage where there was no payment for the bride are those for which children do not have the support of their families and have to run away from home. The children were not aware that the child selling they talked about and the coercion of minors to marry were criminal offences. The children expressed complete distrust in institutions, because they were not aware of any situation where the mentioned bodies responded appropriately or prevented a child marriage.

In the communities where examples of child marriages were most common there were many responses such as: "Nobody can do anything to parents." "Whether she wants it or not, she MUST." "Nobody asks her anything." "She cannot try anything!

The report indicates that there is no necessary systemic response of all competent institutions and that it is urgent to intensify the activities aimed at preventing child, early and forced marriages through a networked and multidisciplinary approach of all actors that should be continuously trained, informed and held accountable.

The report may be found HERE

Evropska mreža za pitanja apatridije (ENS) objavila je ažuriran Indeks apatridije, koji sadrži nove informacije o situaciji u Srbiji. U Indeksu se ocenjuje da uprkos određenim naporima da se spreči i eliminiše pojava apatrdije, u zakonodavstvu i praksi u Srbiji i dalje postoje nedostaci.

Tako i dalje nije moguć upis u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja dece čiji roditelji ne poseduju dokumente, a odredbe zakona čija je svrha da spreče pojavu apatridije među decom rođenom u Srbiji ne primenjuju se na adekvatan način u praksi. Pored toga, u Srbiji i dalje ne postoji postupak za utvrđivanje statusa lica bez državljanstva, koji bi apatridima omogućio punu zaštitu koju im garantuje međunarodno pravo.

Ažurirani Indeks apatridije sadrži i dodatne informacije o lišavanju državljanstva u Srbiji, kao i nove statističke podatke.

Indeks apatridije je onlajn alatka koja procenjuje kako zemlje u Evropi štite lica bez državljanstva i šta rade na sprečavanju i smanjenju apatridije. Indeks je prva takva alatka koja pruža sveobuhvatnu komparativnu analizu i trenutno obuhvata 27 evropskih država, uključujući Srbiju. On omogućava korisnicima da lako uoče koje oblasti zakona, politika i prakse države mogu unaprediti.

Nacionalna koalicija za decentralizaciju (NKD), u saradnji sa ,,Ujedinjeni protiv kovida’’ organizuje onlajn Napokon Korisnu Debatu "Vakcinom za život" u sredu, 14. aprila od 19 sati putem Zoom aplikacije.

Svesni da je tema vakcinacije od neprikosnovene važnosti, kako u Srbiji, tako i na globalnom nivou, želimo da, kroz razgovor sa stručnjacima iz sveta medicine, razbijemo predrasude o imunizaciji, mitove o ,,čipovanju’’ kroz vakcinu, čujemo od stručnjaka zbog čega bez kolektivnog imuniteta nema povratka normalnom životu.

Ko sme, a ko ne sme da se vakciniše? Da li su vakcine (ne)dovoljno dugo ispitivane? Kada ćemo poljubiti roditelje, zagrliti bake, deke, unuke ili otići kod prijatelja na veselje? Ovo su neka od pitanja na koja će na onlajn tribini ,,Vakcinom za život’’ odgovarati:

• Doc. dr Emina Milošević, specijalista imunologije
• Dr Ivana Prokić, doktor nauka u oblasti epidemiologije
• Dr Bojan Dereta, specijalizant opšte medicine
• Dr Miloš Bojović, specijalizant fizikalne medicine i rehabilitacije

Moderatorka Antonela Riha

Pozivno pismo sa linkovima možete preuzeti OVDE

Danas obeležavamo Svetski dan Roma, drugi tokom trajanja pandemije usled koje i ovaj 8. april prolazi nedovoljno u proslavljanju romske kulture na način i u obimu koji ona to zaslužuje, već više u ukazivanju na probleme sa kojima se Romi i Romkinje suočavaju. 

Brojne studije pokazuju da se položaj Roma i Romkinja, posebno onih najugroženijih među njima, dodatno pogoršao u poslednjih godinu dana. Romi se kao višestruko ugrožena grupa stanovništva i dalje nalaze u teškom materijalnom položaju, neadekvatnim uslovima stanovanja, a naročito su u teškom položaju žitelji neformalnih naselja.  

Pripadnici romske populacije su višestruko diskriminisani na tržištu rada, a čak i kada su zaposleni, loše su plaćeni ili često rade poslove koji su opasni po njihov život i zdravlje. Usled mera tokom vanrednog stanja, kao i odgovarajućih mera za sprečavanje i suzbijanje zarazne bolesti nakon toga, Romi i Romkinje koji su se bavili, između ostalog, trgovinom, sakupljanjem sekundarnih sirovina, muzikom su ostajali bez prihoda ali i bez adekvatne i targetirane pomoći države koja bi donekle olakšala tešku situaciju u kojoj su se ove grupe stanovništva našle.  

Jedan broj Roma i Romkinja i dalje se suočava sa problemom nedostatka ličnih dokumenata, koji im onemogućava pristup drugim osnovnim pravima. Iako najranjivija grupa u društvu kojoj je pomoć najviše potrebna, lica koja nisu upisana u matične knjige, nemaju državljanstvo, prijavljeno prebivalište ili ličnu kartu tokom vanrednog stanja nisu mogla da pristupe humanitarnoj pomoći jer se nisu nalazili na spiskovima centara za socijalni rad i lokalnih samouprava. Sto evra državne pomoći njima je ostalo nedostižno, iako im je više nego drugima bilo potrebno.  

Nedovoljno je urađeno kako bi se promenila slika niskog obrazovnog nivoa romske populacije, naročito u doba onlajn nastave, i posebno u situacijama kada deca uče iz svojih domova u neformalnim naseljima bez struje ili kada nemaju pristup računarima.  

Situacija je nepromenjena i na polju prevencije dečjih, ranih i prinudnih brakova. Institucije koje su nadležne da se ovom pojavom bave i dalje nastavljaju da na nju gledaju kao na deo romske tradicije, a ne kao na kršenje prava deteta, i ne rade dovoljno na njenoj prevenciji i eliminaciji.  

Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da su pripadnici romske nacionalne manjine izloženi diskriminaciji, vređanju, omalovažavanju i govoru mržnje u svakodnevnom životu, a usled straha od viktimizacije najčešće ne traže zaštitu od diskriminacije.  

Iako su već prepoznati kao jedna od najugroženijih grupa po stepenu društvene isključenosti i stope siromaštva, pandemija izazvana virusom COVID-19 je sve ove probleme naglasila, a pobrojane situacije sa kojima se romska populacija u Srbiji susreće dodatno pogoršala. 

Stoga je bitno da svi zajedno, od institucija, organizacija civilnog društva, medija, do celokupne javnosti posvetimo više pažnje smanjenju jaza između jedne od najbrojnijih nacionalnih manjina, Roma i opšte populacije kroz iskorenjivanje diskriminacije i predrasuda i kroz adekvatnije mere za smanjenje siromaštva zasnovane na relevantnim podacima.  

Iako fokusirani na rad sa najugroženijima, koji usled dugogodišnje diskriminacije i marginalizacije nemaju poverenje da je bilo šta moguće promeniti, uočavamo neophodnost i potrebu promocije primera dobre prakse, priča o uspešnim Romima i Romkinjama, kako bi se pozitivno uticalo na ostale pripadnike zajednice da iskoriste mogućnosti i daju svoj pun doprinos u domenima društvenog, ekonomskog, političkog i kulturnog života, ali i kako bi se uticalo na promenu odnosa pripadnika većinske populacije prema romskoj zajednici. Neophodno je da zauzvrat država stvori ambijent u kome bi Romi i Romkinje zaista osetili dobrobiti takve socijalne uključenosti, kako bismo zaista imali društvo kome težimo, u kome je romska populacija nesporno prepoznata i poštovana kao sastavni deo njegove raznolikosti. 

Saopštenje možete preuzeti OVDE

The UN Human Rights Committee has assessed that Serbia did not respond adequately to the recommendations issued as part of its Concluding Observations on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Serbia, thus failing to comply with the Committee’s recommendations.  

These are recommendations related to resolving issues that the Committee stressed as particularly important and that need to be solved urgently, including certain problems faced by the Roma population in Serbia. The Committee has recommended, among other things, that Serbia should facilitate and allow the registration of children whose parents do not have personal documents, as well as allow the internally displaced Roma living in informal settlements to register their permanent residence.

As Serbia has not complied with the recommendations, the Committee has decided to include these problems in the list of issues for the start of the next cycle of reporting on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Serbia. 

Praxis had previously pointed out to the Committee the problems faced by members of the Roma population in registering in birth registry books, acquiring citizenship and registering permanent residence, as well as in accessing the rights to education, social protection, health care and public services.

On the occasion of the open call for physical violence by the Member of the National Assembly, Aleksandar Martinović, civil society organizations gathered in National Convention on the European Union working groups for Chapters 23 and 24 and cross-sectoral groups for political criteria and freedom of expression and the media demand a reaction from the President of the National Assembly from the position of Chairman of the Committee on Administrative, Budgetary, Mandate and Immunity Issues.

At a regular session, on March 11, 2021, Aleksandar Martinović threatened that anyone who criticized the government would be "beaten in the jack", thus openly calling for violence. We express our support and solidarity with CRTA and other organizations and individuals who have been accused by MP Martinović of participating in the "coup d'etat". We ask the members of the Committee for Administrative-Budgetary and Mandate-Immunity Issues to urgently remove the chairman of the Committee from this position; the President of the Assembly, Ivica Dacic, to sanction the drastic violation of the Code of Conduct, and the MP Martinovic to publicly apologize to CRTA.

The National Assembly forum must not be abused for the purpose of inappropriate reckoning with dissidents who are not in a position to answer to accusations. With the threats presented, MP Martinović once again showed that he is not worthy to perform the function of the Chairman of the Assembly Committee which should decide on cases of violation of the Code of Conduct for MPs. Martinovic, as well as his colleagues from the same parliamentary group, show how they have no intention to improve the work of the legislative body.

The criminalization of civil society, the media and political opponents has not stopped, despite the warnings from relevant domestic and international institutions and organizations. Verbal attacks by representatives of the executive and legislative branches of power mark the civil society organizations as "enemies of the state" and thereby question their professional integrity and reputation, and directly endanger activists and employees. This is repeated on a daily basis. Any indication of connection between the state and organized crime or a flagrant violation of the law provokes more and more brutal reactions of the holders of the highest state functions, instead of initiating positive changes and improving the environment in which we live. This kind of behavior distances Serbia and its citizens from meeting the basic criteria for EU membership, which remains declarative strategic goal of the Government.

Due to the aforementioned, the latest call for open violence against non-governmental organizations requires an urgent sanction and the removal of Aleksandar Martinović from the head of the parliamentary committee. Civil society organizations gathered in the working groups of the National Convention on the EU will continue to closely monitor the work of institutions and individuals and point out all illegalities and irregularities in their work. We are not giving up the fight for the rule of law in which freedom of expression is respected and all violence is sanctioned, even verbally, especially when it comes from the National Assembly, an institution that should reflect the sovereignty of the democratic will of the citizens of Serbia.

Signatories:

• Working Group for Chapter 23
• Working Group for Chapter 24
• Cross-sectoral group on political criteria
• Cross-sectoral group on freedom of expression and media

You can download Press Release HERE

Roma face discrimination in everyday life, in daily contacts with fellow citizens, in employment, social protection, health care and education. And yet, they rarely report discrimination, and that needs to be changed, say new reports published by Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE).  

All the three reports that MRGE is launching this week (“Roma in Hungary: The Challenges of Discrimination”, “Roma in Republic of Serbia: The Challenges of Discrimination” and “Roma in the Republic of Serbia and Hungary: The Challenges of Discrimination - A Comparative Report”) summarize and analyse the findings of two pieces of research which were conducted in the framework of the REILA project, coordinated by MRGE with the participation of two experienced partners: Praxis in Serbia and Idetartozunk (We Belong Here) in Hungary.

‘The research, that was carried out in Serbia and Hungary from October to December 2020 shows that in both countries, prejudice and negative stereotypes towards Roma are the main reasons for their discrimination.’ says Zsofia Farkas, MRG Europe’s Managing Director. ‘Roma face rejection and social exclusion from an early age, a situation that often continues throughout their lives.’

According to one study, in Serbia only around half of respondents reported that they would accept a Roma as their neighbour and only a fifth would be willing to marry a person of Roma origin. Similarly, in Hungary, according to a recent survey, 54 per cent of the respondents stated that they would not accept a Roma family member, 44 per cent that they would not want a Roma neighbour, and 27 per cent that they would not accept Roma as citizens of the country.

The report provides a thorough overview of the position of Roma in Serbia and Hungary, prejudices and forms of discrimination they face and obstacles in access to justice. As such, it also gives a comprehensive set of recommendations and calls on all relevant stakeholders, national and local decision-makers, EU decision-makers, Roma activists and Roma CSOs, legal practitioners and the media, to undertake measures within their powers to establish an efficient system of social inclusion and of institutional fight against discrimination.

‘Only a synergy of ideas, policies, measures and activities of all actors will contribute to improving the position of Roma, eliminating prejudices towards them and creating a more favourable environment and a more equal society for all,’ says Marijana Lukovic, Executive Director of Praxis.

Read the reports:

“Roma in Hungary: The Challenges of Discrimination” (in English and Hungarian)

“Roma in Republic of Serbia: The Challenges of Discrimination” (in English and Serbian)

“Roma in Republic of Serbia: The Challenges of Discrimination” (in English and Serbian)

“Roma in the Republic of Serbia and Hungary: The Challenges of Discrimination - A Comparative Report” (in English, Hungarian and Serbian)