Graduated in political science, Bashkim Hisari is a Human Rights and Freedoms activists in Kosovo for several years. He is also executive director of the “Movement for Citizens’ Rights” in Kosovo. Since 1999, when peace forces entered in Kosovo, up to now, he has foccused his study on the ethnic communities’ rights situation, including the Rroms.

Kujtim Paçaku: What are the results of your research concerning the Rromani community in Kosovo since 1999?

Bashkim Hisari: Although there has been some recent advancement concerning Kosovo’s Rroms, - like the improvement of movement freedom and protection, - still the members of this community remain the most endangered and the poorest among Kosovo’s population. The Rroms live both in urban and rural areas, in camps and collective centers, often in big families, up to 10 members; most of them live in unhygienic conditions and extreme poverty. The majority of the Rroms depend on social assistance, which does not cover even the minimal needs. Many Rromani children drop out the school at early childhood, during the elementary school in order to work and contribute to the family economy. They perform hard works, gathering metals, paper, glass and other recyclable materials in garbage, carrying construction material, cleaning houses, streets or buildings, so as to earn something for surviving.

Kosovo’s Rroms are real victims of the conflict between the Albanians and the Serbs and of the unsolved political questions. They are the first victims of economic pauperization and of lack of adequate social assistance, which objectively affects the majority of this ethnic community. The situation of Kosovo’s Rroms is made even more complicated because of tensions between political parties and ethnic entities, mainly those between Albanians and Serbs, which are reinforced these last times. Political debates in every phase of discussions on the future status of Kosovo and the forthcoming elections that are linked with them do not leave much space for other issues. In this situation, the protection and the efficiency of Human Rights, when it comes to the Rromani community, are realized in the margins. It is to say, mainly those rights that can be dealt with within the framework of the implementation of the standards defined by the international community. It has to be stressed that in many parts of Kosovo there still exists the social distance from the Rroms. This social distance as well as the self-isolation pushes them to passivity. Unfortunately, all this shows the brutal reality of Kosovo that has to be overcome.

Kujtim Paçaku: At your opinion, therefore, the majority of the Rroms in Kosovo still can not use their guaranteed rights, how can you explain it?

Bashkim Hisari: Yes. The constitutional frame of Kosovo guarantees to all ethnic communities the right to use their language and their spelling in courts, in organs and public institutions, to access education and access to information in their own language, equal opportunities to public employment in all levels, to use without barriers their symbols in accordance with the law, to set up educational institutions for learning in their language, lectures on their culture, history, as well as to benefit from public administrations, health and social ones, to be free from discrimination, to have guaranteed access and representation in the public media, including the electronic ones, programs in their own language etc.

Therefore, although the norms established by UNMIK and the constitutional frame guarantee these rights to the ethnic communities, we can say that in Kosovo’s practice they are not respected as they should be. The most serious problem in the realm of Human Rights remains the overall social discrimination and the mistreatments against the small ethnic communities, especially against the Rroms, when it comes to fundamental rights such as right to work, to public service to the use of language, to return etc. Violence and ill treatment on property, which is occurring from time to time with Kosovo’s Rroms is another serious problem. Our researches also show that many Rroms do not enjoy a series of other guaranteed rights. They can not use their language in courts, where there is no translation; therefore they have to speak in Albanian or in Serbian. The same situation prevails also in other public administrations, at all levels. Rroms are not adequately represented in judiciary, or in local government administrations. In Prizren, for instance, where there is a considerable concentration of Rroms, only one of them is working in municipality. They often face discrimination in employment. Other reasons of their high rate of unemployment are also the lack of qualification and the privatization. This last touches also the majority population, but the Rroms are more affected, since in some areas, as much as 98% of the Rroms are unemployed.

Concerning the education of the Rromani community, it has to be said that Rromani children can not be educated in their mother tongue; such education does not exist. They have not their own educational institutions for education in Rromani. There have been some initiatives started by NGOs for teaching in Rromani language, but until now they have not succeeded. Rromani children attend school mainly in Albanian, some of them in Turkish or in the parallel Serbian system, what means that they are learning in Serbian. The extreme poverty negatively affects the youth’s education among the Rromani community. Many families can not buy books for their children. The research led last year in Prizren municipality show that there were 1950 children in school age. Out of these, 24% of Rromani children were integrated in schooling system, among which 21,6% in elementary school, 1,6% in high school, two in college and only one in university. In media too, the Rroms have not enough programs in their language and they are represented but very symbolically, in private media in Kosovo. Among 112 radio operators, 72 work only in Albanian, 35 only in Serbian and 11 are multiethnic and/or multilingual. Until very recently no radio station broadcasted in Rromani language. From 13th April 2006, in Prizren started broadcasting the first Turkish TV station “Yeni Donem”, which had also a program in Rromani language. Very probably for financial reasons, it had to interrupt the program in Rromani. Good news is that a new radio station will start in Prizren soon, which will include also a program in Rromani. The Rroms very seldom use and display their symbols. As regards the health and the social protection, the situation is relatively good. Lately we can observe a clear improvement of the freedom of movement, but depending on the region. Let us say that, in Mitrovica region, the Rroms’ fear of eventual incidents is perceptible, and the situation is the same in Gjilan and Ferizaj. Kujtim Paçaku: According to you, what are the causes of this bad situation that lasts without for the Kosovo Rroms’ problems being solved?

Bashkim Hisari: As a Human Rights activist for several years, observing the ethnic minorities’ situation, I often asked to myself such questions; why, the time running, the numerous problems that face the Rromani community remain unsolved? Why are there among them so many poor, jobless people, but also analphabets? Why is discrimination against them so common? What is missing to them for being equal with others and for their problems to be solved in an efficient way? Could this be because they have not responsible leaders, real political representatives, or not enough educated people? Maybe because they are not very stable, or too pragmatic…? I could not find the answers to all my questions.

However, I think that more time is needed to achieve an adequate level of realization of the rights of the Rroms in Kosovo, because one can not speak about Human Rights protection as long as a part of the Rromani community has not even the minimal conditions for a normal life; if these people have not a home, a job, if they are not in a safe material situation and if they undergo sometimes various forms of violence, even with a small intensity.

Unfortunately, a considerable number of Rroms has not returned in their homes, because they have been destroyed or abandoned after 1999 and have not been reconstructed, or only partly, until now. It is sad; many of them have no shelter. They have to live in collective centers and camps in Plemetina, near Obilic, in “Kolonia” quarter in Djakova, in three separate camps, - “Çesmin Llug“, “Zhitkovac” and “Kabllar”, in northern part of Mitrovica, where they are more than a thousand. Recently, most of them moved from these three camps to another, called “Osterode”, in the same part of the town. Their security is good. They are protected by KFOR, UNMIK police and Kosovo Police Service (KPS). They can move freely and do small commerce, but they are very vigilant, because they are afraid of Albanian and Serbian extremists. Kosovo Rroms live alos in Leposavic camp, others are refugees in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and in Western European countries.

It is difficult to be optimist in this moment and to expect rapid changes of the situation of the Rroms of Kosovo, because the problems they face are also present among the Albanians, as a majority population.

Kujtim Paçaku: At what extent are the Rroms integrated within the Kosovian society?

Bashkim Hisari: The members of the Rromani community are getting integrated in Kosovian society; there is some progress, but integration is not yet complete. They are not as integrated as Bosniaks, Turks, Ashkalis or Egyptians. Rroms have their own political parties but these are not participating in government bodies, be this at local or at the central level.

In accordance with UNMIK regulations, in local government bodies and in Kosovo Assembly, there are reserved places for minorities, in proportion with their population. This is how 20 seats in Kosovo Assembly are reserved for minorities. The Rroms have their representative there, but they are not pleased with his work. Indeed, they deem that he has not done the necessary for the improvement of their overall situation and for their integration in the Kosovian society. On the other hand, there are not legal mechanisms that could strengthen the position of the minority representative when issues relevant to minorities are discussed. Our research shows clearly that among minorities the Rroms are the community that takes part the less in local government. Even in areas where there is a high concentration of Rroms, they have no representatives.

Kujtim Paçaku: According to your analysis up to now, what should be done for improving the situation of the Rromani community in Kosovo?

Bashkim Hisari: First of all, the provisional institutions of Kosovo and UNMIK should work more in this direction, first on the improvement of the economic situation, on education, on employment, on social benefits, on the use of mother tongue and generally for creating the conditions for the displaced to come back in their homes. The implementation of the standards, aiming at guaranteeing the rights, should continue. In this process, active participation of the Rroms is the only way to ensure that their rights are protected.

Kosovo’s institutions should ensure participation of the Rromani community in decision making processes, both at the local and central level.

Considering the fact that Rromani children in Kosovo have no possibility to get school education in their mother tongue, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should prepare the curriculum and the teaching material that would give to all Rroms the opportunity to get school education in their own language.

I think also that Kosovian medias should be more open to the Rromani community, to broadcast programs that would popularize their culture, their traditions but also their activities, and give to the Rroms the possibility to get informed in their language.