Social – rroma.org https://rroma.org Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:53:39 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://rroma.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-greenwheel_large-1-32x32.png Social – rroma.org https://rroma.org 32 32 Ljiljana Petrović Batler https://rroma.org/ljiljana-petrovic-batler/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ljiljana-petrovic-batler Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:53:39 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=34563 Ljiljana Petrović Batler, a prominent Romani singer, faced significant challenges in her life, including becoming a mother at 14 and working various jobs, including cleaning toilets, to support her family after fleeing to Germany during the Yugoslav wars.

Despite her struggles, she achieved fame in Yugoslavia and was affectionately known as the ‘mother of Romani soul,’ often addressing issues of racism and prejudice against the Romani community.

Batler’s life story is marked by resilience and a deep connection to her roots in Belgrade, where she expressed a strong desire to return and be buried after her passing in 2010.

]]> Boni https://rroma.org/boni/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=boni Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:52:50 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=34556 The Bulgarian singer Bony openly discusses early marriages and the need for young people to have real choices about their futures, emphasizing that family should be a conscious choice rather than a predetermined fate.

She connects the issue of early marriages to education, urging parents to support their children’s education instead of pushing them into family life and work too early.

Bony calls for broader institutional support for young families, including access to healthcare, quality education, and opportunities in various fields, advocating for stability as a tangible reality rather than just a political promise.

]]> Serbian Social Cards https://rroma.org/serbian-social-cards-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=serbian-social-cards-2 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:40:41 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=33693 The UN has criticized Serbia’s social card system for leaving over 60,000 citizens, particularly from the Roma community, without financial assistance due to issues with data processing and automated decision-making.

Experts highlight that many Roma earn informal or irregular incomes, which are misinterpreted as grounds for denying social aid, exacerbating their poverty. The UN recommends that Serbia improve transparency, establish effective appeal mechanisms, and ensure that digital systems do not lead to discrimination against vulnerable populations.

]]> Serbian Social Cards https://rroma.org/serbian-social-cards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=serbian-social-cards Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:05:02 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=33142 The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights highlighted concerns over Serbia’s social protection system and the implementation of the Social Card Law, which has led to over 60,000 citizens losing social assistance since its introduction in 2022.

The report emphasizes the negative impact on vulnerable groups, particularly the Roma community, whose informal incomes are misclassified, resulting in loss of benefits despite insufficient earnings for basic living.

Recommendations include improving worker protection mechanisms, enhancing transparency in digital systems, and ensuring that public services do not discriminate against the most vulnerable citizens.

]]> Bulgaria, Crime, and Roma https://rroma.org/bulgaria-crime-and-roma/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bulgaria-crime-and-roma Sat, 20 Jun 2026 11:46:34 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=33081 Sociologist Alexey Pamporov argues that organized crime is not exclusive to Roma communities but is a result of deep poverty and institutional neglect. He highlights that similar illegal groups exist globally in areas like Rio de Janeiro, Hamburg, and Paris, where law enforcement is often absent.

The lack of educational and job opportunities for youth leads them to be drawn into criminal activities as an easy alternative.

SociolHe also criticizes the institutional blindness towards illegal wealth, highlighting the presence of luxury cars owned by unemployed individuals without legal repercussions.

The involvement of children of high-ranking officials in criminal activities complicates justice efforts, and there are concerns about lenient sentences for offenders, which discourage victims from testifying.

]]> Roma and Religion https://rroma.org/roma-and-religion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=roma-and-religion Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:49:37 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=33066 A new scientific study by sociologist Dragan Todorović explores the religious identity of Roma in Serbia, focusing on the growth of Protestant communities among them.

The study highlights the impact of religious changes on the daily lives, education, family relations, and social integration of the Roma community, particularly in southern Serbia.

Participants in the book promotion emphasized the importance of understanding the relationship between religion and social development to improve public policies for the vulnerable Roma community.

]]> Illegal Dumps https://rroma.org/illegal-dumps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=illegal-dumps Sat, 23 May 2026 15:10:58 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=32694 On May 20, 2026, the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities approved several significant projects aimed at improving the environment and basic infrastructure within several Slovak municipalities and cities. Total financial support reaches more than 1.7 million euros. One of the main activities is the rehabilitation of illegal waste dumps. Funds amounting to almost 750 thousand euros will be allocated to municipalities and cities such as Ulič, Lastovce, Modrý Kameň, Spišský Štiavnik, Olejníkov, Rožkovany and Žiar nad Hronom. These projects will allow the removal of waste from an area exceeding 25 thousand square meters.

]]> Ukraine, War, and Roma https://rroma.org/ukraine-war-and-roma-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ukraine-war-and-roma-2 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:12:13 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=32270 Women Leaders Create First Inclusive Social Laundry in Nerubayska Community in Odessa Region. In the social laundry, vulnerable families can not only use services free of charge, but also wait out the power outage, chat, drink tea, and receive psychological or social support. Another task of the “Pure Dignity” project is to overcome stereotypes: public prejudice against the Roma community, and among Roma families themselves, caution in interacting with services.

]]> Social Inclusion Agency https://rroma.org/social-inclusion-agency/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=social-inclusion-agency Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:22:26 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=31898 The Czech Social Inclusion Agency, an agency whose goal was the inclusion of Roma, is being restructured. Unions in the Agency are calling of a strike, and several Roma organisations have expressed concerns.

In a statement to the news server Romea.cz, the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková stated that the Agency for Social Inclusion has moved away from its original mission over the years, which was to support the integration of Roma and address the situation in socially excluded localities. She criticizes the lack of measurable results, transparent data and real participation of Roma and also refers to the conclusions of the Supreme Audit Office from 2024. According to her, it is therefore appropriate to consider a fundamental transformation and readjustment of the social inclusion agenda.

]]> Latvia Triplets https://rroma.org/latvia-triplets/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=latvia-triplets Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:44:09 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=31892 Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks congratulated the family that welcomed the first set of triplets this year and thanked the maternity hospital staff. The state will soon provide the family with a one-time benefit of 15,000 euros, the minister announced on social media.

The minister also responded to negative comments on social media, noting: “Today I congratulated the parents of the triplets. I have already received negative comments about Indians, etc. I’d like to emphasize that this is a Roma family who returned to Latvia after 15 years in England, and the husband found work in forestry in Valmiera. They emphasize that nowhere is as good and beautiful as home! May they succeed!

]]>