All about the situation regarding statelessness worldwide and in Ukraine, particularly among the Roma minority. Successful stories of overcoming this issue, resulting in the loss of individual rights. Awards with honorary distinctions and gifts from creative groups. All these are components of the “Roma Pride-2017” event, which took place on November 3, 2017, in Kyiv, at the Ukrainian House.
Roma Pride is a European action symbolizing the celebration of equality and dignity for the Roma in Europe. Events on this occasion have been held for 6 consecutive years in 12 countries around the world. Roma Pride is a civic response to anti-Roma sentiments throughout Europe and Ukraine. It represents solidarity among millions of people from different regions engaged in local, national, individual, or collective initiatives against racism.
This year, the theme of “Roma Pride” was focused on reducing statelessness among the Roma in Ukraine. The event was organized in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, and the International Roma Women’s Foundation “Chirikli”.
Statelessness – an Artificial Problem
According to human rights activists, statelessness is an artificial problem that can be solved through proper political will of states and public support. This is why a significant feature of this year’s “Roma Pride” event was the acceptance of invitations to attend in Kyiv by numerous representatives of international organizations, relevant ministries, and institutions. Among the guests were representatives of the UNHCR, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, the Ministry of Social Policy, the State Migration Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, the International Renaissance Foundation, as well as Roma community leaders, artists, and human rights defenders.
– It’s extremely gratifying for me to see so many people at an event like this who are authorized by the state to make decisions – representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Migration Service, the Ministries of Culture, Justice, and Social Policy. So, there are all the prerequisites to talk about the political determination to finally resolve the issue of statelessness and undocumented Roma, and we are moving closer to the “zero point” where this problem won’t be on the agenda anymore,” noted the representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Non-Discrimination, and Gender Equality, Aksana Filipishina.
Ms. Aksana was one of those who received the honorary award “Roma Pride-2017” on this day. She also emphasized that the Roma minority in Ukraine is the most segregated and least integrated, and Roma face multiple forms of discrimination. Therefore, the issue of documentation significantly affects an individual’s ability to realize their rights, to feel like a human being, a full-fledged citizen of Ukraine.
The scope of the statelessness problem on a global and nationwide scale was outlined by the representative of the UNHCR in Ukraine, Pablo Mateu.
According to estimates by the “Chirikli” International Roma Women Fund, 40% of the entire Roma population of Ukraine lacks passports. In fact, when a person doesn’t have a passport and isn’t a citizen of their own country, it deprives them of their human rights, – he stated.
The Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine, Jeffrey Erle, added that today, many Roma and Sinti within the territories of OSCE member countries still lack documents confirming citizenship, leading to their social isolation and discrimination. Women, children, and internally displaced persons are particularly vulnerable.
Video about statelessness issues by UNHCRUkraine.
Finally, I am a human being!
Vice-President of the “Chirikli” International Roma Women Fund, Zemfira Kondur, welcoming the guests of the event, recalled the story of a Roma man from Kropyvnytskyi who received his first passport only when he wanted to get married. With the support of civil organizations, he exclaimed, “Finally, I am a human being!”
Roma Pride is an event and a celebration of our pride, our achievements, but also a day when we talk about our problems… Today’s meeting, I hope, will help us collectively find more mechanisms to overcome statelessness issues, not only among Roma, – expressed hope Mrs. Kondur (pictured below).
Deputy Head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine, Dina Pimakova, shared the steps taken by the agency to minimize the number of Ukrainian Roma without identification documents. Specifically, the plans of the State Migration Service include visits to Roma settlements in Zakarpattia and Odessa regions on November 8-9 and 11-15, upon the invitation of the UNHCR representation in Ukraine. Officials will visit places of compact Roma settlement and hold interdepartmental meetings to document data on local Roma without citizenship.
Non-governmental organizations, human rights advocates, and intermediaries – drivers of progress
The director of the Roma Program Initiative at the International Renaissance Foundation, Olga Zhmurko, received the “Roma Pride-2017” award during the evening. The Foundation presented the award for supporting promising projects of Roma organizations.I am proud of the International Renaissance Foundation and the team of the Roma Program Initiative. Sincere thanks to the organizers and partners for recognizing the Foundation’s contribution to strengthening Roma communities, supporting and defending Roma rights, promoting education, and preserving cultural identity for nearly 20 years, expressed gratitude Mrs. Zhmurko.
Head of the Coalition of Roma NGOs of Ukraine and the Odessa Roma Human Rights Foundation, lawyer Vladimir Kondur, is convinced that the issue of Roma statelessness does exist. However, if we compare the situation with 2014, when activists were just beginning to raise this issue, there has been progress.
First and foremost, in every region where Roma live compactly, human rights advocates dedicate significant efforts to collaborating with administrative bodies and representatives of the State Migration Service (DMS). We work extensively with local councils. In the Odessa region, we actively advocate for a simplified procedure for Roma to obtain documents. Four years ago, when we proposed this, people looked at us in surprise, but today we are doing it together, and I hope that starting from 2018, this procedure will be officially applied at the legislative level, Mr. Kondur stated (pictured below).
The role of Roma intermediaries in addressing statelessness cannot be overemphasized. Over the past 6 years, more than 3,000 Roma have received passports and birth certificates with the assistance of mediators. A successful example of such assistance is the story of Lyudmila Doronina, a mediator from Kropyvnytskyi who has been cooperating with the “Chirikli” International Roma Women Fund for over 7 years. In her city, Mrs. Lyudmila established collaborations with various institutions and helps many Roma, for which she received the “Roma Pride” award. Among her beneficiaries is the young Roma, Oleg.
Just 3-4 months ago, Oleg had no birth certificate or passport. But he wants to learn, acquire a profession. We went through court sessions and obtained his birth certificate and passport together. Now Oleg is already working and helping his mother, shared Mrs. Lyudmila.
The hope of the young and the wisdom of the experienced
“Roma Pride” is also an opportunity to give hope for a better future to the young, so that they can receive proper education, find their path, and live without restrictions on their rights. That’s why it’s notable that the first “Roma Pride-2017” award of the evening was given to a young Roma activist. This is Petro Rusanenko, a student and actor at the Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv Theater University, and the author and producer of a short film about the Roma Holocaust titled “Remember.”
Another award will go to the city of Mukachevo in Zakarpattia, where the “Rom-Art” children’s art school under the leadership of artist Tiberiy Jonash has been operating for many years. Guests of the event were able to view works by Tiberiy and his Roma students at the exhibition, which “arrived” at the Ukrainian House from Mukachevo on this day.
Among the Roma children, there are also many talented athletes. One of them is Rostyslav Netudykhata, a 10th-grade student from the village of Kovtunivtsi in Zolotonosha district, Cherkasy region. He will receive the award from the event guest, head of the Cherkasy Regional NGO “Romani Rota,” Volodymyr Bambula. Along with him, an esteemed guest from Cherkasy, 92-year-old Ivan Korniyovych Bilashchenko, a colonel and a veteran of World War II, also attended the event. He survived the Holodomor and the Roma Holocaust, and today he is a keeper of Roma history and an example of optimism for his fellow countrymen. Ivan Korniyovych is also featured in the photo exhibition “Life on the Edge of Survival” about the Roma who survived the Holocaust. The exhibition was brought from Cherkasy specifically for the “Roma Pride” event.
We constantly invite Mr. Ivan to our events, to schools, so that he can share knowledge about those terrible times, about the Roma who lived through them. He even initiates such meetings with young people himself. He remembers everything from those years, knows the genealogy of the Roma, for example, the history of the Servo-Roma of Cherkasy and Poltava regions, Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi. He knows the Roma who lived there. He tells about family ties, how our great-grandfathers lived back then. His knowledge is very valuable for modern Roma, Mr. Bambula shared.
Chairwoman of the Public National Cultural Community “Romano Kham,” Honored Cultural Worker of Ukraine Lyubov Vlasova is another recipient of the “Roma Pride-2017” award. She is also one of the heroines of the documentary series “Seven Stories of Successful Roma Women.” Together with her Roma folklore ensemble “Zhyva Voda,” Mrs. Lyubov gave an incredibly heartfelt concert to the attendees. Roma poetess Rani Romani (Raïsa Nabaranchuk) greeted the guests with poetic words. Ultimately, the creative part of the evening united guests of all nationalities in a circle.
*Statelessness in numbers:
