“I am the Head of the Family and Youth Department of Kirovohrad City Council, Lyudmyla Dorokhina.
With the Roma community, we have been working for over two years through the Roma charitable organization ‘Chirikli.’ Today, we have achieved a number of positive developments. In our region, there are two mediators recognized by the authorities, who have their own working programs with the Roma community. Sometimes, when the authorities struggle to establish contact with the Roma community, they turn to Roma mediators for assistance.
Our Roma community is significantly smaller compared to regions like Zakarpattia. According to official statistics, there are around two thousand Roma living here. However, since there hasn’t been a population census in a while, this number cannot be considered accurate. In reality, the Roma community is much larger.
We have managed to assist the Roma. For example, we eliminated discrimination against Roma children in terms of their admission to schools, and we have achieved some success in ensuring that Roma undergo medical examinations. I believe these are the first steps, and they are quite successful.
We are satisfied with our collaboration with Roma mediators. I cannot say the same about the local authorities – not one hundred percent. However, we will continue working on this.
Speaking about the prospects of our work, it seems to me that we need to focus on changing the mindset of the entire regional and city community – so that Roma are perceived like any other citizens. We are succeeding in this aspect because an informational campaign is currently underway in the region, roundtable discussions are being held, and relevant television programs are being broadcasted. This deepens the community’s understanding of Roma.
Roma mediators alone or local authorities alone cannot solve the problems. The community needs to be involved – both the Ukrainian and Roma communities.
Currently, a Roma mediator is already a part of the regional public council and has the opportunity to advocate for the interests of the Roma community at the regional level. This means that such a community is being recognized, and that is very heartening.”
