Assimilation or Preservation of Identity: The Choice Facing Roma in Serbia? Education as a Weapon

Dragan Mitrović, president of the non-governmental organization „New Generation Center for Development and Multiculturalism“ and coordinator for human and minority rights, spoke exclusively to the „Pravo u centar“ portal about the key problems facing Roma today, singling out discrimination as the biggest challenge.

„Recently, we had a shocking case in Veliki Crljeni (Belgrade municipality village), where a father enrolled his three children in the first grade, which is a normal procedure. However, the children were rejected on the grounds that there were too many Romani children in one class and they should be separated into different classes. That’s discrimination before they’ve even started school,“ warns Mitrović.

He reveals that discrimination is least present in high school and almost eradicated during higher education. But, despite the increasing number of Roma who pursue higher education, employment remains a key problem.

„Employment is the central problem for Romani communities. Because of this, we experience poverty, which leads to other problems, such as the loss of the Romani language and traditions. Many Roma renounce their identity to avoid discrimination and find it easier to get a job. They stop speaking the Romani language, they flee from their roots, which is a huge problem for the survival of our traditions in the future,“ Mitrović explains.

He adds that families fleeing poverty who try to rent an apartment often end up on the street because no one wants to rent to them due to stereotypes. When they are left on the street, they create cardboard settlements, search for raw materials in dumpsters, engage in crime, and live on social assistance, which has become a recurring pattern for years. Mitrović is highly critical of Roma who live on social assistance and don’t want to work, as he believes they set a bad example for young people. Looking up to this lifestyle, these young people don’t want to get an education and go down the wrong path.

„Eight out of ten Roma who are offered a job would accept it. The problem is with those who don’t want to work and continue to live on social assistance. Personally, I don’t approve of able-bodied people permanently receiving social assistance, because if that assistance were temporary, a larger number of Roma would be forced to find a job and live more dignified lives,“ Mitrović points out.

He supports and encourages young Roma to fight for their rights and believes that education is crucial for their future. However, he warns that even educated Roma often go abroad, where they also face discrimination.

„A better future for Roma lies in education and acceptance. We are Serbs of Romani origin and we want to be equal with the majority population. Our dream is to have the same rights as everyone else. All those who decide to go to other countries in search of a better tomorrow, many of whom are educated Roma, encounter similar problems as in their own country. Most of them get the right to asylum, while the rest get by and survive,“ Mitrović says.

He claims that funds intended for the economic empowerment of Roma often do not reach them and that in 2015, with the help of a Swiss NGO, a significant project was implemented to create personal ID cards, work books, and citizen identification numbers for those who did not have them until then.

Mitrović praised the work of educational assistants who help Romani children, which has shown great progress in the schooling of young Roma. The assistants’ task is to follow students during class, talk to them about the school day, and, after class and upon returning home, talk to the children’s parents. To make even greater progress in schooling, he appealed to the parents of the majority population to influence their children to accept national diversity, which would be the key to schooling freely without assistants for young Roma.

„The goal for all Roma is acceptance, as is the case in other countries where no one judges them because of their nationality. We are Serbs of Romani origin and we are proud of it! We want to feel accepted because that is the only way we will be accepted in society!“ Mitrović concludes.