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Between February 24 and March 24, 2003 the sociological agency Vitosha Research conducted a survey on corruption among the representatives of business organizations in Bulgaria. Representatives of 447 companies and organizations in the country were interviewed employing the method of personal standardized interview.
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A marketing research study was conducted in the end of April 2003 to explore and evaluate the market for the different brands of washing powder in Bulgaria. The survey was representative of the country's adult population. The size of the multi-stage cluster sample was N=1077 respondents from across the country. Information was collected by the method of the face-to-face interview at respondents' homes.
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In the period April 18- May 15, 2003 Vitosha Research conducted a marketing research study on the market of telephone services in the country. 1,077 respondents were interviewed face-to-face. The survey is representative of the country’s adult population. Based on the data obtained, as well as on the findings of previous surveys, a comparative report has been prepared that explores the dynamics of the market over a one-year period.
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This brochure has been prepared under the project "Economic restructuring in Bulgaria" Center for the Study of Democracy. It aims to support independent analysis and recommendations efforts of state institutions to accelerate the privatization process and economic restructuring. Of particular importance for the progress of economic reforms in the country is the level of awareness of the public and experts on the possibility of transacting securities at this time.
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Today, few countries around the world can afford to overlook the problems of corporate governance and control, all the more if they seek to attract foreign investment. This is also true for economies in transition. Good corporate governance and control ensure benefits for shareholders, restricts abuse and corruption and ultimately guarantees economic growth and social development.
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In the period April 18- May 15, 2003 Vitosha Research conducted a marketing research study on the real estate market in Bulgaria. 1,077 respondents were interviewed face-to-face. The survey is representative of the country’s adult population.
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Isprepletenost etničke i religijske pripadnosti u BiH se direktno odražava na položaj religijskih manjina u BiH. Zbog takve karakteristične strukture, gdje se svi napori usmjeravaju ka pružanju jednakog tretmana trima većinskim religijama, prava religijskih manjina ostaju zapostavljena. Iako su na snazi mnogi pravni propisi koji garantiraju jednak položaj svih religijskih zajednica, religijske manjine se svakodnevno stavljaju u obespravljen položaj. Na primjer, to je vidljivo iz činjenica da Ustav Republike Srpske navodi Srpsku pravoslavnu crkvu kao crkvu srpskog naroda i drugih naroda pravoslavne vjere, te da religijske manjine nisu zastupljene u Međureligijskom vijeću BiH. Pored toga, obespravljenost religijskih manjina dolazi do izražaja prilikom religijskog obrazovanja u školama, gdje u većini slučajeva učenici nisu u mogućnosti da pohađaju religijsko obrazovanje po svom izboru, nego zbog okolnosti pristaju na vjersku pouku većinske religije. Problemi sa legislativom u BiH, kao što su neharmoniziranost, te siromašna zakonska zaštita od diskriminacije, samo dodatno doprinose marginalizaciji religijskih manjina u društvu. Zbog pojedinih ustavnih odredbi, gdje se povlašteni položaj daje određenoj religiji, te uske povezanosti religije i politike, BiH sve više daje utisak polusekularne države, u kojoj se za vođstvo takmiče tri većinske religije. Iz svega navedenog je očito da bi vlasti BiH trebale poduzeti različite mjere kako bi religijske manjine zaštitile od diskriminacije. Prvi korak ka tome je ukinuti odredbu Ustava Republike Srpske, kojom se daje povlašteni položaj Srpskoj pravoslavnoj crkvi. Dalje, religijske manjine treba da budu zastupljene u organima Međureligijskog vijeća u BiH. Aktivnim djelovanjem Međureligijskog vijeća mogao bi se znatno poboljšati položaj religijskih manjina u društvu. Pored toga, vlasti BiH bi trebale poduzeti korake kako bi harmonizirali i ojačali zakone vezane za zaštitu od krivičnog djela poticanja na mržnju. Iako krivična djela počinjena iz mržnje prema religijskim manjinama nisu česta pojava u BiH, ipak stručnjaci za ljudska prava su ukazali na njihovo postojanje. Stoga, harmonizacija zakonodavstva bi znatno olakšala sudijama i tužiocima sankcioniranje krivičnog djela poticanje na mržnju, što bi doprinijelo konzinstentnosti sudske prakse, a time i efektivnijoj zaštiti i prevenciji od sličnih zločina. Naposljetku, jedna od ključnih stvari za uklanjanje diskriminacije religijskih manjina u BiH jeste izmjena dosadašnjeg načina religijskog obrazovanja u školama. Umjesto vjerske pouke o samo jednoj vrsti religije, učenici treba da se educiraju o različitim kulturama i religijama. Kao što je prethodno navedeno, zbog okolnosti, škole su ograničene u pogledu pružanja vrste religijskog obrazovanja, tako da bi ovakva opcija bila prikladna za učenike svih vjeroispovijesti, kod kojih bi se ujedno i razvijala svijest o važnosti tolerancije i ravnopravnosti u društvu.
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Diskriminacija u oblasti radnih odnosa je neistražena tema u Bosni i Hercegovini (BiH) iako građani, mediji i nevladine organizacije redovno izvještavaju i ukazuju na već učestalu praksu diskriminacije kako na radnom mjestu tako i u samom procesu zapošljavanja. U biti, većina problema koji se javljaju na tržištu rada u BiH mogu se direktno ili indirektno povezati sa različitim oblicima diskriminacije. Tako nepotizam, zapošljavanje po osnovu pripadnosti određenoj političkoj stranci, davanje otkaza trudnicama, nemogućnost ili zabrana sindikalnog organizovanja i sl. predstavljaju pojave koje su posljedice diskriminatornih praksi, a čija masovnost je dovela do sistematskog urušavanja vladavine prava, socijalne pravde i održivog ekonomskog razvoja u BiH. Time se posljedice diskriminacije ne ogledaju samo u kršenju individualnih prava pojedinaca ili određene grupe, nego se odražavaju na sveukupne socijalne i ekonomske odnose u društvu. Društvo koje ne štiti svoje građane od diskriminacije funkcioniše na osnovu «zakona jačega», te se odlikuje visokim stepenom ekonomske i političke nejednakosti među građanima. Tako društveno uređenje ne može biti kvalifikovano kao demokratsko.
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Usljed uočenih nedostataka, nedosljednosti i relativno niskog sveukupnog kvaliteta usvojenih propisa na svim nivoima vlasti u BiH, Parlamentarna skupština BiH, kao najviši zakonodavni organ vlasti BiH, usvojila je u martu 2004. godine Zaključak o potrebi unapređenja stanja u oblasti izrade propisa u institucijama BiH, unificiranjem i modernizacijom metoda i tehnika njihove izrade, s ciljem što efikasnijeg ispunjavanja uslova i obaveza vezanih za pristupanje BiH Evropskoj uniji, kao i obaveza koje su preuzete drugim međunarodnim dokumentima. Također, temeljem spomenutog Zaključka, Parlamentarna skupština BiH je u januaru 2005. godine usvojila “Jedinstvena pravila za izradu propisa u institucijama Bosne i Hercegovine” (“Službeni glasnik BiH”, broj 11/05) koja, po uzoru na slična rješenja u zemljama Evropske unije i regiona, uvodi u proces izrade propisa niz inovativnih, lex artis, metoda i tehnika, do sada relativno malo poznatih u normativnoj praksi i tradiciji u BiH, poput obaveze izrade teza (dokumenta o javnoj politici, prije pristupanja izradi teksta propisa), procjeni troškova i koristi (tzv. ex ante analiza mogućih učinaka). Po modelu “Jedinstvenih pravila za izradu propisa u BiH”, Vlade RS-a i Brčko Distrikta BiH su usvojile gotovo identična pravila, dok je Vlada FBiH usvojila Uredbu o načinu pripreme, procjeni utjecaja i odabiru politike u postupku izrade akata, koje predlažu i donose Vlada FBiH i federalna ministarstva (“Službene novine FBiH”, broj 35/11). Ipak, kako to pokazuju izvještaji relevantnih međunarodnih organizacija poput SIGMA-e, ali i sami izvještaji Ureda koordinatora za reformu javne uprave u BiH o stepenu realizacije Akcionog plana Strategije reforme javne uprave u BiH, a što potvrđuje i ova analiza, u praksi je i dalje uočljiv izuzetno nizak kvalitet primjene odredbi Jedinstvenih pravila, koja se odnose na pitanja izrade javnih politika i ex ante procjene utjecaja. Institucije sektora pravde u BiH dijele gotovo identičnu sudbinu ostalih institucija u BiH po pitanju krajnje ograničenih kapaciteta i vještina za razvoj javnih politika, uključujući procjenu utjecaja javnih politika i propisa, koja se neminovno odrazila na efikasnost i učinkovitost pri realizaciji Akcionog plana Strategije reforme sektora pravde u BiH (AP SRSP), i čija izgradnja tek predstoji. Iz tog razloga, fokus institucija sektora pravde u BiH u narednom periodu, pored intenziviranja aktivnosti izgradnje kapaciteta i vještina za strateško planiranje, treba usmjeriti i na izgradnju kapaciteta i vještina za razvoj javnih politika i procjenu utjecaja. Smisao postojanja ljudskog kapaciteta sa specifičnim znanjima i sposobnostima za analitički pristup u kreiranju javnih politika, bio bi prelazak sa zastarjelog koncepta kreiranja zakona (kreiranje zakona na način prepisivanja i pozivanja na već postojeće zakone i propise, bez urađene detaljne analize problema) na znatno moderniji koncept, utemeljen na inovativnosti službenika i novim idejama za prevazilaženje određenog problema. Te ideje se mogu zasnivati na dobrim praksama iz zemalja u okruženju, članicama Evropske unije, ali mogu biti i sasvim nove ideje, koje nisu nigdje do sada primjenjene, ali bi bile u kontekstu rješavanja tog problema detaljno testirane na situaciju u Bosni i Hercegovini, od uzroka problema, do predviđanja svih posljedica tj. pozitivnih i negativnih efekata. S tim u vezi, a sukladno zahtjevima Strategije reforme javne uprave u BiH, potrebno je da Ministarstvo pravde BiH, Federalno ministarstvo pravde, Ministarstvo pravde RS-a, kantonalna ministarstva pravde I Pravosudna komisija Brčko Distrikta BiH, izvrše analizu postojećih organizacionih i kadrovskih kapaciteta za vršenje poslova razvoja javnih politika, te na osnovu takve analize, osiguraju uspostavu najprikladnije organizacione strukture za kvalitetno vršenje ove funkcije (ovisno od obima posla i raspoloživih kadrova za obavljanje navedenih funkcija). Također, na osnovu izvršene analize, potrebno je da svako od pomenutih ministarstava izmjeni/dopuni svoj pravilnik o unutrašnjoj organizaciji i sistematizaciji poslova kako bi uspostavili odgovarajuću unutrašnju organizacijsku strukturu ili pojedinačna radna mjesta za vršenje ove funkcije, uz utvrđivanje odgovarajućih opisa poslova. Imajući u vidu sve veća budžetska ograničenja u smislu nemogućnosti upošljavanja novih državnih službenika, i s ciljem izbjegavanja mogućeg dodatnog “gomilanja” administracije, preporučuje se da se popunjavanje ovih pozicija, prije svega, pokuša izvršiti internim premještajima i/ili izmjenama i dopunama opisa poslova postojećih državnih službenika, koji već djelimično obavljaju ove poslove u sklopu (uporedo) sa svojim redovnim radnim zadacima. U slučajevima kada provedene analize argumentovano ukažu na nemogućnost primjene ovog rješenja, ministarstva bi trebala pokrenuti inicijativu za upošljavanjem novih službenika. Paralelno s ovim aktivnostima trebala bi se pripremiti i metodologija razvoja javnih politika i procjene utjecaja politika i propisa. U cilju koherentnosti rješenja na nivou sektora pravde, optimalno rješenje bi predstavljala jedinstvena metodologija, koja bi se zatim internim aktom (npr. pravilnikom) mogla transponirati u okviru svake institucije sektora pravde, dok bi kao model pri izradi ove metodologije mogla poslužiti Uredba Vlade Federacije o načinu pripreme, procjeni utjecaja i odabiru politike u postupku izrade akata koje predlažu i donose Vlada FBiH i federalna ministarstva (“Službene novine FBiH”, broj 35/11). Također, s obzirom na složenost procesa razvoja javnih politika i procjene utjecaja, preporučljivo je da uz metodologiju bude izrađen i odgovarajući priručnik, kao i da se imenovanim službenicima ministarstava pravde osigura dodatna specijalistička obuka i mentorska potpora, s ciljem izgradnje i produbljivanja njihovih tehničkih znanja i vještina neophodnih za vršenje ovih poslova. Iz svega navedenog, evidentno je da institucije sektora pravde u BiH neće biti u mogućnosti same provesti sve predložene aktivnosti, pa se čini opravdanim da im se, u tom smislu, osigura odgovarajuća tehnička potpora od strane bilateralnih ili multilateralnih donatora aktivnih u sektoru pravde u BiH. Kako djelovanje u području javnih politika podrazumijeva širi aspekt djelovanja od samog kreiranja javne politike, mora se imati na umu da je neophodno da se pored kreatora javnih politika u procesu osigura i sudjelovanje drugih segmenata društva, kao što su predstavnici akademske zajednice, praktičari i predstavnici civilnog društva u BiH. Imajući u vidu da se sve javne politike moraju zasnivati na relevantnim činjenicama i analizama, budući kreatori politika moraju imaju razumijevanja o vrijednostima podataka i resursa, koji su im na raspolaganju, te je neophodno da se kroz uspostavu odnosa suradnje između svih spomenutih aktera, osigura razmjena podataka i naučnih istraživanja. Na kraju,posebno naglašavamo potrebu da se na razini sektora treba napraviti opis poslova i profila ljudi, koji treba da rade na poslovima razvoja javnih politika i ex ante i ex post procjene utjecaja.
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U januaru 2010. godine potpisan je Memorandum o uspostavljanju mehanizama za praćenje i ocjenu provođenja Strategije za reformu sektora pravde u Bosni i Hercegovini (SRSP-a) između Ministarstva pravde BiH i pet organizacija civilnog društva, i to Asocijacija za demokratske inicijative, Helsinški komitet za ljudska prava BiH, Udruženje „Vaša prava BiH“, Biro za ljudska prava Tuzla, Centra civilnih inicijativa, a ovih pet NVO u toku 2011.godine pridružila se NVO PAR Excellance. Memorandumom je utvrđena odgovornost i obaveza ovih organizacija, da svaka u okviru pojedinog stuba SRSP-a sistemski prati i ocjenjuje provedbu reformskih mjera i aktivnosti Akcionog plana Strategije za reformu sektora pravde u BiH. Udruženje „Vaša prava BiH“ je zaduženo za praćanje Stuba 3. Pristup pravdi Akcionog plana SRSP-a. Kao strateški cilj, između ostalih, utvrđeno je da se naprijedi sistem besplatne pravne pomoći i uspostavi jačanje i održavanje sistema kojima se garantuje jedank pristup pravdi u BiH. Programi iz reformske oblasti „ pristupa pravdi“ koji će se rješavati u okviru petogodišnje strategije, podjeljeni su u slijedeće segmente: međunarodna pravana pomoć i saradnja, besplatna pravna pomoć i pristup pravnim informacijama, briga o koriasnicima suda i uloga civilnog društva u pitanjima koja se tiču pristupa pravdi. Koristeći se višegodišnjim zagovaračkim iskustvom u oblasti demokratizacije i zaštite ljudskih prava, te poznavanje problematike u sektoru pravde u BiH, ove su se organizacije uključile u proces sveobuhvatnog izvještavanja o provedbi AP SRSP-a sa ciljem da doprinesu izgradnji nezavisnog, koordiniranog i efikasnog sistema pravde u BiH koji je odgovoran prema svim građanima BiH, potpuno usklađen sa EU standardima i najboljom praksom, te garantuje vladavinu zakona. Jedna od predviđenih aktivnosti vezanih za monitoring i ocjenu implementacije SRSP u BiH je i izrada ove studije slučaja kojom se želi prikazati neujednačenost i neefikasnost sadašnjih rješenja u oblasti besplatne pravne pomoći u Bosni i Hercegovini, te potreba za donošenje sveobuhvatnog Zakona o besplatnoj pravnoj pomoći za što kao osnova služe konkretna iskustva, naučene lekcije i praktični primjeri iz svakodnevnog rada Udruženja „Vaša prava Bosne i Hercegovine“ koje već više od 14 godina radi sa korisnicima na pružanju besplatne pravne pomoći.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) submits this parallel report to the Human Rights Committee reporting country-specific information on issues affecting Roma in Serbia that raise questions under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR). The present report describes the current situation regarding serious human rights abuses of Roma in Serbia – school segregation, ethnic discrimination and lack of birth registration. The ERRC respectfully submits its written comments concerning Serbia for consideration by the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) at its Concluding Observations of the 119th Session, which will be held from 6 to 29 March 2017. The ERRC has undertaken regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Serbia and this report reflects the current priorities in our work in Serbia. According to current official estimates, Roma in Serbia make up approximately 2.05% of the total population or 147,604 Roma. This makes Roma the second largest minority after Hungarians. However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. Unofficial sources suggest that the number of Roma in Serbia is significantly higher, ranging between 250,000 to 500,000. In addition to the autochthonous groups, an estimated to 50,000 Roma fled during and after the conflict in Kosovo to Serbia; only half of whom registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, it is not known if all of them remained in Serbia or left for destinations in Western Europe. Furthermore, thousands of Roma have been returned to Serbia from Western European countries in the last years as failed asylum seekers; including Roma who were originally from Kosovo. Roma are the youngest ethnic group in Serbia. The average age is 27.5 years, compared to 40.2 years among the general Serbian population. According to UNICEF, the primary school completion rate for non-Roma children is 94.5% and the transition rate to secondary school is 96.5%, while for Roma children the primary school completion rate is considerably lower - 63%, while the numbers for secondary school for Roma youngsters is even lower - 55.5%. Illiteracy rates range between age groups from 13.7% amongst adolescents to 57.2% among the elderly. Romani women are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to education achievements; illiteracy is estimated to reach up to 80%.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Praxis respectfully submit their written comments concerning Serbia for consideration by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at its Concluding Observations of the 74th Session, which will be held from 16 January to 3 February 2017. The ERRC and Praxis have undertaken regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Serbia and this report reflects the current priorities in our work in Serbia. According to current official estimates, Roma in Serbia make up approximately 2.05% of the total population or 147,604 Roma. This makes Roma the second largest minority after Hungarians. However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. Unofficial sources suggest that the number of Roma in Serbia is significantly higher, ranging between 250,000 to 500,000. In addition to the autochthonous groups, approximately 4,000 –50,000 Roma fled during and after the conflict in Kosovo to Serbia; only half of whom registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, it is not known if all of them remained in Serbia or left for destinationsin Western Europe. Furthermore, thousands of Roma have been returned to Serbia from Western Europeancountries in the last years as failed asylum seekers; including Roma who were originally from Kosovo.Roma are the youngest ethnic group in Serbia. The average age is 27.5 years, compared to 40.2 years among the general Serbian population. According to UNICEF, the primary school completion rate for non-Roma children is 94.5% and the transition rate to secondary school is 96.5%, while for Roma children the primary school completion rate considerably lower - 63%, while the numbers for secondary school for Roma youngsters is even lower - 55.5%. Illiteracy rates range between age groups from 13.7% amongst adolescents to 57.2% among the elderly. Romani women are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to education achievements; illiteracy is estimated to reach up to 80%.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) is a Roma-led international public interest law organisation working to combat anti-Romani racism and human rights abuse of Roma through strategic litigation, research and policy development, advocacy and human rights education. In May 2016, the ERRC responded to the European Commission’s request for input regarding the forthcoming annual Progress Reports for the current candidate countries of Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. The ERRC comments cover only those areas which have been monitored by the ERRC and its partners. The submission makes no claims to be comprehensive: comments and observations are confined to ERRC’s strategic priorities and reflect the organisation’s activities, advocacy and research in those particular countries over the past year.
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The Center for Civil and Human Rights (Poradňa pre občianske a ľudské práva, hereinafter also referred to as “Poradňa“) and the European Roma Rights Centre (hereinafter also referred to as “ERRC”) hereby jointly submit this report to the United Nations Committee against Torture (hereinafter also referred to as “Committee”) for the consideration to the 55 Session (27 July 2015 - 14 August 2015). The report focuses on the following issues: • sterilisation of Romani women and girls without parental and informed consent; • police ill-treatment and harassment of Roma; • ineffective investigation of allegations of police ill-treatment and harassment.
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1. The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) respectfully submits written comments concerning Romania for consideration by the Committee Against Torture at its 54th Session. The ERRC is an international public interest law organisation engaging in a range of activities aimed at combating anti-Romani racism and human rights abuse of Roma, in particular strategic litigation, international advocacy, research and policy development, and human rights training. Since its establishment in 1996, the ERRC has endeavoured to provide Roma with the tools necessary to combat discrimination and achieve equal access to justice, education, housing, health care, and public services. 2. Regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Romania has been undertaken by the ERRC and other NGOs. The analysis of the Romanian legal framework is informed by our extended litigation experience in both domestic and international forums. 3. After a brief overview of anti-Roma attitudes in Romania, this submission follows the order in the List of Issues Prior to Reporting. While the issues highlighted are often of a general interest, the ERRC is convinced that they have a disproportionate impact on Roma, given Romania’s history of discrimination against and exploitation of Roma, as well as enduring stereotypes and hostility towards them. The present document does not aim to address all issues of relevance to the implementation of the Convention or its provisions in Romania, nor is it a comprehensive summary of all human rights issues facing Roma in Romania. 4. According to current unofficial estimates, Roma in Romania make up approximately 9% of the population (approximately 1,850,000). However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. According to the final results of the 2011 Census of the Population and Households published on 4 July 2013 by the National Statistics Institute, Romania had a total population of 20.12 million. Among the 18.88 million respondents who self-reported their ethnicity, 621,600 were Roma (3.3%, an increase from 2.46% in the 2002 census). 5. Deeply entrenched anti-Roma attitudes can be vividly seen in the annual surveys carried out by the National Council for Combating Discrimination (NCCD): in 20052 61% of respondents thought that Roma were a source of shame for Romania, while 52% of respondents went further to say that Roma should not be allowed to travel outside the country. These attitudes have not improved much: in 20133 48% of respondents said that they did not want a Roma work colleague, 41% would not want a Roma neighbour, and 38% would not want any Roma in their municipality. Public authorities are not insulated from these wide-spread and pernicious attitudes; in the absence of robust safeguards these attitudes may translate into violations of the Convention. 6. In recent years international monitoring bodies have expressed particular concern about the rise in anti-Roma rhetoric and racism in Romania. For instance, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) noted in its 2014 report that “Stigmatising statements against Roma are common in the political discourse, encounter little criticism and are echoed by the press, the audiovisual media and on the Internet. No effective mechanism is in place to sanction politicians and political parties which promote racism and discrimination.” Similarly, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (“CERD”) stated in its 2010 Concluding Observations on Romania that it was “concerned at reports of the spread of racial stereotyping and hate speech aimed at persons belonging to minorities, particularly Roma, by certain publications, media outlets, political parties and certain politicians”. 7. CERD also expressed its concern regarding “the excessive use of force, ill-treatment and abuse of authority by police and law enforcement officers against persons belonging to minority groups, and Roma in particular”. 8. The climate of impunity for hate speech, stigmatisation, and discrimination is compounded by the absence of a robust framework to address anti-Roma violence, in particular violence perpetrated by the police. Again according to ECRI, as of 2014 “No significant steps have been taken to ensure compliance with the principle of non-discrimination by the police or to enquire as to the reasons why no complaints have been lodged against police officers”.
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1. Access to Education 2. Freedom of Movement 3. Violence and Hate Speech
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1. Anti-Discrimination and Other Human Rights Law 2. Political Developments 3. Attacks on Roma 4. Legal Threat to Housing Rights
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According to current unofficial estimates Roma in Romania make up approximately 9% of the population (approximately 1,700,000). However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. According to the final results of the 2011 Census of the Population and Households published on 4 July 2013 by the National Statistics Institute, Romania had a total population of 20.12 million. Among the 18.88 million respondents who self-reported their ethnicity, 621,600 were Roma (3.3%, an increase from 2.46% in the 2002 census). The ERRC’s research on Roma in Romania shows that Roma continue facing discrimination in all areas of social life, including housing, education, employment and health. In December 2011, the Romanian Government adopted the Strategy for the Inclusion of the Romanian Citizens belonging to Roma minority for the period 2012 – 2020 in the context of the European Commission’s Communication on adopting an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 (hereinafter the Strategy). The Strategy focuses on four areas, namely access to housing, access to health, education and employment. However, it has been highly criticised by NGOs, which were not consulted prior to its adoption. Moreover, the Strategy lacks clear indicators on measuring its impact, reducing the possibility of effective implementation and of improving Roma inclusion policies through lessons learnt.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Chiricli respectfully submit written comments concerning Ukraine for consideration by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) at its 52nd Session from 28th April to 23rd May 2014. Regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Ukraine has been undertaken by the ERRC and Chiricli, and the work of both organisations is reflected in this submission. The present document does not aim to address all issues relevant to the implementation of the Covenant or its provisions in Ukraine, nor is the document a comprehensive summary of all human rights issues facing Roma in Ukraine. With this submission, the ERRC and Chiricli aim to present the results of research in several areas of relevance to the Covenant in order to complement the information provided in the State Report. The information reflects the current priorities of the submitting organisations in their work in Ukraine. According to the 2001 census, the most recent census data, the population of Ukraine is about 45,453,000 people, among them 47,587 Roma. However, unofficial estimates suggest that the number of Roma in Ukraine is between 120,000 and 400,000. Nationwide, comprehensive data on the socio-economic situation of the Roma in Ukraine do not exist. While nationwide statistics are in general based on the census results, the majority of Roma – for reasons that should be clear from what follows – do not disclose their identity in census-taking which creates a serious obstacle for the production of reliable data. Roma in Ukraine face everyday discrimination and social exclusion. Available data, often collected by civil society organisations, indicate that many Romani communities in Ukraine live in conditions of extreme poverty, often in segregated settlements with little or no access to services such as the education system, health system and other essential services. A number of overarching issues and developments have an impact on the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights by Roma in Ukraine. These include the Strategy for the Protection and Integration of the Roma national minority into Ukrainian society up to 2020 and the National Action Plan on Roma Inclusion, both adopted in 2013 as well as recently-introduced anti-discrimination legislation. Other major issues of concerns also addressed in this submission are the lack of personal documents and the consequences thereof when trying to access essential services, the lack of comprehensive or reliable ethnic data, and particular obstacles faced by Roma in Ukraine in relation to accessing education and housing.
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(English edition) The Justice Network in BiH is an informal network of 64 non-governmental organizations established in January 2010 to support development of efficient, independent, and accountable judiciary, in order to instigate more efficient protection of human rights and establishment the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). To this end, the Network launched monitoring of the implementation of UPR recommendations in BiH in the same year. During the last 4 years, i.e. in period from January 2010 to March 2014, based on the monitoring, evaluation and research activities conducted by the members of the Network gathered around the Working Group for monitoring the implementation of UPR recommendations, we have published 4 annual reports on implementation of UPR recommendations pertaining to the justice sector. The reports were submitted to an extensive number of the justice sector stakeholders and the international community. The process of monitoring and evaluation was based on the methodology which included the identification of measurable indicators for each UPR recommendation, data collection and processing in a period of 6 to 8 months, and drafting the report and additional recommendations for the local decision-makers to ensure that UPR recommendations are adequately and timely implemented. This summary, which was the subject of extensive consultations within and outside the Network, was prepared on the basis of the aforementioned reports.
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