Sarajevo hosts first working conference on Roma rights in the Western Balkans

The three-day event organized by Civil Rights Defenders, titled “Decade of Roma Inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Challenges and Opportunities”, will be held at the Hotel Europa in Sarajevo from 27 to 29 November this year, the Patria agency reports.

The event will gather around 35 activists from Roma organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania in an effort to improve their capacities in the fight against stereotypes, discrimination and hate crimes against Roma.

The event will be attended by representatives of the European Union Delegation, the Council of Europe Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Adi Sinani from Civil Rights Defenders says that the problems faced by the Roma community in the region are similar, although they can manifest in different ways.

- Therefore, the exchange of experiences is very important, so that our partners can become familiar with the difficulties ahead of them in the fight for equality and respect for the human rights of Roma - he said. Topics to be discussed at the event include the issue of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, as well as regional and local mechanisms in the fight against discrimination. The event also includes training on the effective use of communications - Sinani said.

The Decade of Roma Inclusion is an international initiative that brings together governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of Roma civil society organizations. It is a joint activity of European governments in combating stereotypes and discrimination against Roma.

The Decade focuses on issues such as employment, healthcare and housing rights and commits governments to respond, taking into account issues such as poverty, discrimination and gender.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is hosting such an event for the first time.

Civil Rights Defenders announced that 20 photographs from the region that best depict the living conditions of Roma men and women in the Western Balkans will be displayed at the JAVA gallery.