ZAGREB, 6 Oct (Hina) – Drug availability, weapons, social isolation and poverty are among the main problems faced by residents of Roma settlements, participants in a roundtable on Roma living conditions said. Investment in education, employment and cooperation with institutions were highlighted as key solutions.
“In the absence of formal financial support, people turn to alternatives. Loan sharking becomes a parallel system filling the gap left by the state. It’s a vicious circle of poverty, which is why we must ensure access to legal microloans, social loans and financial education,” said Veljko Kajtazi, an MP representing the Roma minority.
The roundtable, titled “Communities of Resilience: Combating Violence, Drugs and Weapons in Roma Settlements” and held in parliament on Monday, also discussed the challenges faced by Roma trying to start new lives outside those communities.
“Many Roma return to settlements after failed attempts to integrate elsewhere. These return migrations are not a desire for isolation but a result of exclusion,” Kajtazi said.
He added that reinstating compulsory military service could have a positive effect on young Roma. “If implemented carefully, it can provide discipline, a sense of responsibility and a chance to meet non-Roma peers. Properly managed, it can build bridges rather than walls between communities.”
Suzana Krčmar, president of the Roma association Kali Sara, warned of rising drug use even among children as young as 10 or 11. “When we ask our children what they fear most, they say rejection, joblessness, drugs, weapons, their parents’ alcoholism, and above all, not being equal to others.”
Čedo Todorović, deputy head of the Roma Minority Council in Brod-Posavina County, noted that while police conduct anti-drug campaigns in schools, they also share some responsibility for the spread of narcotics. “Some people with criminal records became informants and were allowed to get away with certain things. We’ve protested many times, saying this can’t continue.”
To strengthen trust between police and the Roma community, Vladimir Faber, deputy police chief in Međimurje County, called for more Roma officers. “We currently have two male and one female Roma police officers. With community outreach, next year we expect seven, which will certainly improve communication.”
In the first nine months of this year, offences within the Roma community fell by 25%, and criminal acts by 24% year-on-year, Faber added. “It’s not all negative, but social media and online portals often spread misinformation, creating a worse impression.”
Alen Tahiri, head of the Government Office for Human and Minority Rights, said education and youth employment are key to escaping poverty.
According to a 2018 survey, only one in three Roma children attend kindergarten, and a third enrol in secondary school. “It makes little sense that so many Roma are unemployed while we are hiring foreign workers, who are also welcome in Croatia,” Tahiri said.
Fadila Bahović, state secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Administration, cited the Roma Mentor project as a successful model of integration that could not continue due to lack of funding. “Six trained Roma mentors worked with 12 settlements in Međimurje County, linking communities with institutions such as the police, employment offices and social welfare services.”
