Roma in the age of coronavirus

Can Roma exercise their rights, their basic rights in the age of the coronavirus? "The Constitution of Serbia allows for measures of deviation from certain human and minority rights to be adopted during the declaration of a state of emergency. Which right it will be, depends on the circumstances of the situation that caused the state of emergency. What we do know is that there are rights for which a restriction is not possible during a state of emergency. ” YUCOM One of the most important rights for us is The right to life The right to dignity and free development of the person Prohibition of inciting national, racial and religious hatred The state of emergency in Serbia was declared on March 15, and since then the Government has adopted measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Serbia. The most important measure is restriction and prohibition of movement. The purpose of the measures should be to protect the citizens themselves, but the reality shows something else. what happens to those who do not have equal starting positions in the race for a better position in society? When the new coronavirus (COVID-19) hits Roma communities in Europe, we can assume that it will cause great damage because Roma is most vulnerable in an epidemiological crisis. Developments in Europe, in recent years, have clearly shown that the Roma are a significantly more vulnerable group when it comes to such developments due to insufficient access to clean water and sanitation. How do you wash your hands if you don't have access to water in the 21st century on the richest continent in the world? Where is money not a problem, but water? Poor infrastructure and limited access to the health system, malnutrition, poor information on preventive measures, high population densities in the settlements in which we live are just the beginning of a deep abyss of problems affecting Roma even before COVID, and the virus is deepening. Roma rarely works from home, work often requires going out in public places, as many Roma are engaged in collecting secondary raw materials, trade, music, and wage labor. Measures were taken by the government to adhere to self-isolation affect income, leading to poverty and starvation in the Roma community. Roma will not die of the virus, they will die of starvation. The recent statement of the President of the Coordination Body for Monitoring the Strategy for Social Inclusion of Roma in Serbia, Zorana Mihajlovic, congratulated the World Roma Day to all Roma citizens and pointed out that Serbia is their state and that the state fights every day for Roma to be equal members of our society. And we wonder how to be equal if you are hungry and have no access to water, and besides, you are constantly ignored by the state system. As of Monday, March 16, the work of preschool, school, and higher education institutions has been completely suspended. Until further notice, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and universities in the Republic of Serbia will not work, and classes will be transferred to distance learning via RTS 3, the RTS Planet platform, as well as Internet learning platforms. what happens to children and young people who are members of a marginalized group that is not only ideologically marginalized but also institutionally segregated? So, we will be interested in the position of children and youth in the Roma community. How to follow the school program if you do not have electricity, internet, and technical devices? How to adhere to that if you are a Roma woman in Serbia who cannot meet basic physiological needs, we wonder if the problem is in the Roma or in the system in a country that allows this situation even though it is there because of its citizens on paper, to protect them and provide a dignified life. As if all that wasn't enough, right-wingers are joining. He continues to attribute the dominant discourse of the failure of class mobility to the individuals themselves as if they were the sole and only culprits for their misfortunes. This image, which also applies specifically to the Roma community, is supported by the growing empowerment of the right in the region and Europe. Intolerance, discrimination, as well as frequent attacks on Roma youth and the Roma people in general, continue to be commonplace. In the last few years, thanks to the IPA accession funds of the European Union, 7.5 million euros have been allocated for Roma, and a project is underway that will be implemented in the next year and a half in the amount of 20 million euros. However, based on the research analysis conducted by the Opre Roma movement in 16 locations throughout Serbia, we arrive at supporting results. The Roma community is still endangered on the edge of existence. Roma men and women must organize themselves and unite. They must show the state not only that they are educated and qualified for better jobs, which form the core of economic reproduction, but also that they are the ones who can influence the laws that are passed, and they concern their future, that they are the ones who they ask themselves in solving their problems, not the experts who allegedly speak on their behalf. Because we, as the voice of the Roma community, believe and fight for it.

ABOUT ROMA !!!