With the support of UNHCR, the A 11 Initiative organized the workshop “Improving the Position of Roma Men and Women through Better Access to Economic and Social Rights” in Belgrade last weekend. The workshop was intended for Roma activists engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights.
During the workshop, Roma activists from 14 municipalities and cities had the opportunity to analyze the current situation and key challenges faced by the Roma community and improve the situation in the area of access to personal documents and challenges that arise in practice when registering residence.
The topic related to access to health and social care with special reference to the Law on Social Card and the effects of its implementation was of particular importance during the workshop, since it directly affects the poorest population, among which the Roma population is overrepresented.
Novelties incorporated in the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination were also presented. Attention was drawn to the importance of the role of civil society organizations in monitoring the implementation of this Law, especially Article 14, which refers to the obligation of public authorities to assess the impact of regulations on socio-economically vulnerable citizens.
The last segment of the workshop was dedicated to the right to adequate housing and forced evictions of Roma men and women.
The three-day workshop ended by mapping opportunities for networking and establishing closer cooperation in these areas.
The A 11 Initiative will continue cooperation with Roma activists in the coming period in order to improve the protection of economic, social and other human rights of Roma men and women.