On April 29th, a round table discussion titled “Current Issues of Security for Large Roma Families during City Shelling and Solutions” took place in Dzerzhinsk. The event was attended by experts and researchers on Roma issues, representatives of civil society organizations, government authorities, and the Roma community of the city.
“We came to Dzerzhinsk at such a difficult time, not only for the Roma but for the entire community, which has become ‘forced migrants.’ We are very grateful to our Roma women and activists for uniting their efforts and working together to overcome the challenges faced by our large families,” said Zola Kondur, Vice President of the International Charity Organization “Roma Women’s Fund ‘Chirikli,'” who moderated the round table.
The Roma families in Dzerzhinsk are facing numerous problems, especially since the outbreak of hostilities that escalated the crisis in Ukraine, exacerbating the impoverishment of Roma families. “The problems related to the rights of Roma, including access to education, employment, property rights, social status, and healthcare, have not been resolved in Ukraine as a whole, and in Dzerzhinsk specifically, for many years. This has made the vulnerability of Roma even worse. Roma families with their problems have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Roma people experience unfounded heightened negative attitudes both from the public and authorities,” said Olga Rudenko, Chair of the Board of the NGO “Ecology and Social Protection.”
Maria Vishnyakova, a Roma activist, emphasized, “We are willing to be ‘socially included’ citizens, we are ready for family changes, but we understand that protecting our children during the war is something we cannot do on our own without professionals and the support of local authorities.”
During the round table, the initial steps and potential support for Roma families were discussed. Zola Kondur mentioned, “We are ready to support the Roma-initiated projects and promote cooperation between the Roma community and local authorities within the ROMED2 Program, even though Dzerzhinsk is not a participant in the program. We invite you to come to Kyiv for an international event on the implementation of the ROMED2 Program. This experience will be valuable to see what the Roma from other regions of the country are doing in their communities and how local authorities contribute to the development of Roma activity.”
Sergiy Mikhayev, a lawyer from the Anti-Discrimination Center “Memorial,” also participated in the event. Their organization recently presented a report titled “Roma and the War. Roma Residents of Eastern Ukraine Affected by the War: Refugees, Displaced Persons, Victims of Violence.” He discussed the challenges faced by Roma due to the war in Ukraine and Russia.
International European structures have developed various programs, recommendations, and guidelines for the integration of the Roma population into society. The International Fund “Vidrodzhennia” has been contributing to the creation of suitable conditions for the protection and integration of the Roma minority into Ukrainian society for over 20 years. The fund is ready to consider proposals and ideas that align with the goals of their open competitions. They also provide scholarships for Roma youth wishing to continue their education at higher institutions.
The event was a platform to discuss pressing issues and seek solutions to the challenges faced by large Roma families during times of conflict and displacement.
Representatives of state and municipal services also shared their perspectives on addressing the issues of the Roma community. Olena Reva, Senior Inspector No. 22 of the State Fire and Rescue Unit, shared insights from her personal experience as a forced resettler about behavior during shelling. Volodymyr Fedorov, Head of the Dzerzhynsk State Department of the State Emergency Service in the Donetsk region, proposed submitting a collective appeal to the authorities regarding the provision of administrative services with the involvement of Roma intermediaries. He mentioned that in practice, his service encounters the problem of Roma individuals being unable to access various services independently. The reasons for this vary, from lack of skills and knowledge to insufficient funds for taxes or property ownership. “Moreover, I would like to join you in addressing the authorities to find a solution for a space where the Roma population can be registered, especially those who lack property rights to housing, in order to ensure their equal access to community resources,” noted Volodymyr Fedorov.
“To reduce the risk of military threats and enhance the safety of the livelihood of the Roma community in conditions of armed conflict, in our opinion, local self-government bodies and executive authorities should develop a local program ‘Plan of Special Measures for Civil Defense Training of the Roma Community.’ This program should consider the ethno-social and ethno-cultural needs of the Roma,” stated Olha Rudenko, Chair of the Board of the NGO “Ecology and Social Protection.”
The roundtable discussion “Current Safety Issues of Large Roma Families During City Shelling and Paths to Their Resolution” took place within the framework of the initiative “Actions of Authorities and the Safety of the Livelihood of the Roma Community in Times of Armed Conflict.” This initiative is being carried out as part of the project “Public Actions in Support of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine,” implemented by the Civic Association “Educational House of Human Rights in Chernihiv” with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The project is part of the action plan of the All-Ukrainian Educational Program “Understanding Human Rights.” The views of the developers and implementers of the initiative may not necessarily align with the official position of the Civic Association “Educational House of Human Rights.”
