Council for the Rights of the Child marks International Roma Day

In observance of International Roma Day, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Council for the Rights of the Child Dragoslav Šćekić convened a thematic session of the Council to discuss the challenges faced by members of the Roma community and explore ways to improve their social standing.

Šćekić emphasised the significance of this day, highlighting our greatest responsibility towards the youngest members of society.

Every Roma child must be afforded the opportunity to participate in the educational system and efforts should be made to prevent school dropout, thereby facilitating their integration into the community through collaboration between relevant institutions and parents.

Participants engaged in discussions and unanimously agreed on the need to address the issues confronting this population and advocate for their inclusion. Education, employment, healthcare, begging, and property rights emerged as key concerns.

Council members underscored the importance of combating begging and enforcing existing laws, while also addressing the issue of arranged marriages of underage individuals by advocating for legislative amendments to raise the legal age to 18 in compliance with international conventions.

Considering the aforementioned, attendees concurred on the necessity of concerted efforts, supported by the adoption of proposed measures, to improve the social status of this vulnerable population segment.