STATEMENT OF BAJRAM HALITI
Roma Virtual Network
JOURNALISM-INFORMATIVE AGENCY OF ROMS
11080 Beograd/Zemun, Atanasija Pulje 10, Srbija, tel: 011 373 09 02, 065 686 10 58
E-mail: nira...@yahoo.com
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STATEMENT OF BAJRAM HALITI, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE INTERNATONAL ROMA UNION, REGARDING THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINARY OF “DECADE OF ROMS” WHICH HAS BEENHELDIN POPRAD IN SLOVAKIA
Belgrade, 23rd November 2009 – Bajram Haliti, General Secretary of the International Roma Union, stated for the Journalism-informative agency of Roms (NIRA) that he informed present persons on the international seminary of Decade of Roms “Creativity and innovation in the education of children from social-jeopardized life’ environment”, which has been held in Poprad, in Slovakia, from 19th till 21st November foremost about matter that one of the most important issues today is to define legal and political position of Roms in the countries of South-eastern Europe, then to start an initiative that Decade of Roms shouldn’t be a dead letter on a paper but its 4 main objectives – solving of problems of habitation, suppression of discrimination in education, development of adequate system for monitoring, evaluation and inclusion of countries-signers of Decade of Roms – should be every-day obligation in bringing of initiatives for creation of the European Romany policy.
Haliti evaluated that today in some countries of South-eastern Europe and South-western Balkan racism is getting stronger every day, and it is drastically reflected on Roms. Racism has terrible consequences: starting from the violation, till the so-called ethnic distance, efforts of isolation of Roms, all the way to genocide. Social position of Roms in the South-eastern Europe and South-western Balkan is even today worse then a position of the remaining population. Roms are unfavorable position in almost every area: education, employment, health protection, habitation and participation in public life. Also, human rights of Roms are exposed to the constant violation, especially in South-eastern Europe. Cases of violence against Roms like the extremist’s or pro-fascism’s groups are especially hard, like skinheads. From the other side, state’s bodies, especially in the South-eastern Europe and South-western Balkan are often indifferent towards violations of rights of Roms, and in some cases they even participate in that.
Education, said Haliti, should enable to everyone equal possibility in inclustion to the public spheres of life and activity through the public institutions. Rights which are guaranteed for all human beings can be realized only when the starting positions for all of us would be enabled through the system of education.
Elementary approach to the lasting of consequences of exclusion of children from the regular schooling shows that in the following period will be born generations which will still “reproduce” illiterates, and by that also social-handicapped for the inclusion into modern flows of social development.
Haliti insisted that national governments have to make a joint effort to eradicate apparitions of discrimination of Roms in schools, and to secure truly equal possibilities. National governments and other bodies with jurisdiction in the area of education should avoid undertaking of measures which have as a consequence separation of the Romany children from the school’s population in a unity, especially a practice of routing healthy Romany children to the schools or classrooms for mentally-retarded pupils.
By Haliti’s opinion, minority’s standard which South-eastern Europe and South-western Balkan should establish would provide to the members of Romany national minority shortly: right of expression for the members of national minority; equality of the members of national minority with members of the mayor population in view of enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and rights of man and inhibit of all forms of discrimination of members of minorities; right on usage of its language in private and public life (in business relations, affront the courts and other state’s bodies, in means of public informing, on the public meetings, cultural manifestations, in religious ceremonials…).
Situation when between 12 and 15 millions of Roms who live on this continent deserves and urgent acting of all governments which shape its policy towards increase of EU on the improvement of position of Roms in mentioned segments. Supporting of their progress will be conclusively for the prosperity of entire continent and will require the realization of special policy which will secure that Roms do enjoy post-transitional benefits.
Bajram Haliti, General Secretary of the International Roma Union
Bajram Haliti General Secretary of IRU, Tobias Linden director of REF, Lydia Bariova state’s facilitator for Slovakia and Czech Republic affront the REF
(NIRA)