THE “ROMA QUESTION” IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
THE “ROMA QUESTION” IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Summary/Abstract: Roma are the largest minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the lack of demographic data, we can only estimate their number. The estimates vary from 40,000 to 80,000, with the latter figure more realistic. Of an estimated total population of 3,800,000, the Roma thus make up a rather significant 2.1%. The Roma population has traditionally been exposed to social exclusion. This is due both to racial discrimination and their consequent self-imposed isolation within their own communities. These specific aspects of ethnic relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina additionally complicate the situation of the Roma. Roma attempts at integration are often accompanied by assimilation into one of the three constitutive ethnic groups. The scale of Roma social exclusion is evident from the findings of the UNDP Household Survey, conducted in October 2004 among the Roma, displaced persons, and members of the majority people living nearby. [...]

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