INTEGRATION OF ROMA POPULATION IN COMMUNITY
28.06.2010
Within consideration of the activities of the social position of Roma in the local communities of Serbia, Jovan Damnjanović, deputy, chairman of the Democratic Left, of Roma in Serbia and vice president of international Roma organizations, with associates visited Palilula Municipality. On this occasion, president of Palilula Municipality, Prof Dr Igor Novakovic, with guests and representatives of the city, visited a Roma family in the settlements  "Crvena Zvezda", "Stocni trg" and "Mramorska".“Our municipality, as one of five organizations of local self-government of the City of Nis, it is very responsible on the full integration of Roma in society” -  said Prof Dr Igor Novakovic. We are doing everything within our jurisdiction to disappear bias in employment, education, health care, exercise and problem solving housing, to make no discrimination on any ground. However, it is need to solve certain issues of quality of life of the Roma population systematically, especially residential conditions, method of self-employed. Palilula Municipality in the words of President Novakovic, is trying, through projects in cooperation with the city and donors to provide additional funds for this purpose.

The current issues of improving the life and work of the Roma minority in Nis spoke Dušica Davidovic, the member of City council, Zoran Jovic, director of the Center for Social Work “St. Sava”, Salih Saitović , chairman of the Democratic Left of Roma, Slavoljub Vlajković, president of the GO SPS Nis and Director of  JP “Nišstan” Marina Kocic representative of Administration of Children's Welfare, Social and Primary Health Care.

Jovan Damjanovic, a former minister without portfolio, at the present an independent deputy in the Serbian parliament and vice president of the World Roma Parliament, advocated for the progress of the Roma community in the city, especially for the possibility of appropriate employment, offering of social protection, education of children and adults.
Despite the fact that the problems of Roma for several decades dealing with a number of international governmental and international organizations, as well as institutions and politicians, their economic, political and social status did not significantly improve on the threshold of 21st century. This "oldest refugee people," who is constantly and in most cases, in the forced movement and migrations, which symbolizes the wheel of their flag, live mainly on the margins of society.

In Serbia, according to the year 2002 census, there are about 110,000 Roma, but experts say that estimate it is between 400,000 and 700,000. According to this census, according to national or ethnic origin, in the Palilula Municipality is recorded the 3435 members of the Roma population, although this number is higher because of settlement  of families from Kosovo and the return from the countries of Europe. The problem of their lack of economic development and inadequate social status has become one of the major problems of Europe, which, in almost all of its states, where they are the largest ethnic minority population, lives 12 million Roma. Roma children are mostly outside the school system, their parents are unemployed, most families living in unhygienic conditions on the outskirts of the city and in not urbanized areas, everywhere they are faced with poverty and discrimination.