State responsibility towards the Roma
A state of emergency was introduced in Serbia on March 15, a state to which our state was not ready at the time. Faced with reality, the citizens of the Republic of Serbia are afraid and the question of survival during the state of emergency, citizens are forbidden to move, completely This way of life is leaving a consequence for all citizens, but now the question is what about the Roma community? Was the Roma community ready to face the problem of the state of emergency? Were the Roma really ready for all the difficulties What state of emergency did it cause and was our state responsible enough for Roma citizens? Since Opre Roma Serbia is the voice of the Roma community, we wanted to hear what Roma men and women say during the state of emergency and during the pandemic. is a movement that represents the interests of the community by asking the community what the community needs most at this time in the face of a pandemic. who is most at risk? Online dialogues were held and we came to the conclusion that one of the biggest problems is the irresponsibility of the state, where even in these conditions, Roma settlements are not provided with water and electricity. People who do not have water and electricity in the 21st century, which are the basic human means for an average family to survive in a pandemic, do not pay attention to the most endangered with this procedure. Through online dialogues, the Roma community has shown initiative to change something. We want our voice to be heard. But that is why we need the help of institutions and state bodies. However, the Roma community is not supported by the institutions and the authorities of the Republic of Serbia. Our initiative was to send a letter to the institutions that are currently dealing with the most endangered, namely: the Red Cross, the Center for Social Work, and the Local Self-Government. We also sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Serbia, but there was no response from that side. As a movement that continues to expand and currently represents the interests of the Roma community and works to involve the community in solving problems, Serbia, we sent the letter in the hope that we will receive a response from these institutions and that the institutions will recognize the most vulnerable during the pandemic. In the Republic of Serbia, there are currently 40% of informal Roma settlements that are not connected to the water supply network, which means that 20,000 Roma live without water. At the time of the pandemic, such a thing is unacceptable, 40% of Roma do not have the basic human means of subsistence. So there is no access to water or disinfectants. Institutions here show irresponsibility not only towards the Roma community but also towards the citizens of their country. We remind you that the Roma are equal members of this society, which should not be neglected. the Roma community is one of the largest national minorities in Serbia and at the same time one of the most endangered. Assistance to the Roma community by the authorities is almost never directed towards the Roma community. And if at some point it is directed, that assistance is minimal, because the Roma are the last item on the list of priorities by the state authorities. Then, when the Roma community needs the help of the state when it is addressed in writing and as required by the legislative system of the state, the Roma community does not receive an answer. The media spreads the image of how the system works well during the state of emergency and pandemic. the picture in the field shows something else. The Republic of Serbia is threatened by poverty, which the Roma community will certainly not avoid. To make matters worse, the Roma community has always been hit by poverty, and with this situation, the situation has worsened. The question is, how will the Roma community cope with poverty during the pandemic? In the media, we can see how the current situation in the country works well, but unfortunately, it is not, as shown by the research conducted by Opre Roma Serbia and a team of leaders in 14 locations across Serbia and it gives us a real picture, and the authorities question even though they are informed they have no answer. Also, the A11 initiative sent an appeal to the Government of Serbia to take urgent measures to protect the most endangered. On March 20, in cooperation with the team for social inclusion and poverty reduction of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and some experts in the field of social rights, they prepared a proposal of measures for the protection of the most endangered during the fight against coronavirus and forwarded it to the Government of Serbia. However, despite the appeal, the state refuses to do anything regarding the Roma community, it is one of the most endangered, a community without water, without electricity, without disinfectants, without protection, a community without basic means of subsistence. The A11 initiative appealed to the European Court of Human Rights for the Roma community to be supported by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, appealing to the urgency and inability of the community to deal with the great problem of inhumanity towards members of the Roma community. In the above-mentioned facts, the Government of the Republic of Serbia shows irresponsibility in leading an equal primary system of our state. The address of the European Court of Human Rights directly to the Government of the Republic of Serbia shows the seriousness of ruthlessness towards the Roma community. The appeal of the European Court of Human Rights should be taken seriously, and the appeal of the Supreme Court of Human Rights is not enough for our government to respond and provide assistance to the most endangered community in Serbia. The non-compliance with the measures of the European Court of Human Rights actually shows the indifference of the Republic of Serbia towards the Roma community. In addition to pensioners, the Roma community is in dire need of help, no one mentions Roma, but Roma advocate for themselves.