Report on discrimination and position of Roma people in BiH presented today.

A civil rights organization, Civil Rights Defenders, today presented a report on long-standing discrimination, prejudice and negative attitudes towards Roma people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the report entitled "The Circle of Anticiganism - Roma in Bosnia and Herzegovina", it is noted that anticiganism, multiple, long-standing discrimination, high rate of unemployment, low level of education and poor housing conditions are the main causes of social exclusion and the symptoms of the situation of the Roma people.

A representative of the Civil Rights Defenders in BiH, Ena Bavcic emphasizes that the Roma community is the most marginalized community in BiH, and that the data on employment, education and social protection of this population shows that the situation is devastating.

'Roma face systemic discrimination and racism. A large number of members of this population today avoid identifying as Roma because they believe that if they do so, they will not be able to exercise their rights. I think this shows pretty well what the true situation is. A small number of Roma are employed. The situation is particularly bad for Roma women whose employment rate in BiH does not exceed ten percent,' said Bavcic.

She points out that 60 percent of Roma children are outside the education system.

'Our education system is not adapted to the needs of the Roma community. We do not have special classes in the Romani language or the option to learn that language in extracurricular activities. Our system does not recognize Roma and their cultural specificity.

Romani...