The greatest progress regarding the position of Roma men and women has been made in education, so today we have a significant number of educated members of this national minority, said the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Janković on the occasion of the World Roma Day. However, discrimination most often occurs in the employment phase, as evidenced by the complaints received by the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality. What needs to be worked on in the future is to increase the employability of Roma men and women through the organization of professional training, internship programs, my first salary program, mentoring, and other similar programs. By acquiring new knowledge and skills, young Roma men and women become more competitive in the labor market, which significantly increases their employment opportunities, said the Commissioner at the seminar “Improving the employability of young Roma” organized by the Roma Education Fund (REF).

Increasing employability would significantly reduce poverty, which is the biggest problem of this social group. The problem that causes social exclusion requires joint action of institutions and the civil sector, but the most important thing is to hear the proposals and experiences of the Roma men and women themselves, said the Commissioner. That is why this year, on the occasion of the World Roma Day, she visited the Jovanović family in Obrenovac, father Zlatomir and son Tomislav, who, through their organizations “Association of Roma Writers” and “Information Cultural Center Radio Roma”, work to eliminate prejudices and improve the position of the Roma community. Tomislav, a student at the Academy of Arts, believes that progress is possible only through the education of children, who will be able to learn and change their parents and society. Zlatomir, a writer and activist, believes it is important to empower women and restore their role and position, because, as he said, women have preserved the Roma tradition.

During the conversation, they agreed that the preservation of Roma culture is no less important, because without it there is no true inclusion and understanding. The opportunity to hear more about Roma culture is the solemn academy “Unforgettable Great Roma of the Balkans”, which is organized tomorrow at the National Theater by the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, the Roma Integration Project of the Regional Cooperation Council, and the Romag Association.