Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Marking the completion of the “Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia” project, funded by UNHCR, Praxis held a conference on December 20, 2016, aiming to emphasise the problems and challenges that the Roma community faces regarding the access to status rights, and to present the activities performed in the field of child, early and forced marriages. On this occasion, Praxis also presented the reports “Analysis of the Procedures for Determining the Date and Place of Birth and for the Exercise of the Rights to Citizenship and Registration of Permanent Residence” and “Child, Early and Forced Marriages are Not a Private Family Matter.”

The representatives of Praxis once again drew the attention to the problems that have been impeding the access to the rights to birth registration, citizenship and registration of permanent residence for years. At the same time, the progress made in this field over the past few years was highlighted, since the amendments of the applicable and the adoption of new regulations provided for the possibility to register in birth registries and register permanent residence even for the persons who had not been able to do it before. In addition, as it is stated in the report, the competent ministries issued relevant opinions and instructions to the relevant bodies in order to unify the proceeding practice, while the training for professionals conducting these procedures has been organised for several years.

During the presentation of another report “Child, Early and Forced Marriages are Not a Private Family Matter”, the title of which clearly indicates that this phenomenon must not be a private family matter, but that it presents serious violation of the rights of the child and gender-based discrimination, the problems of child, early and forced marriages were defined and Praxis activities on prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages were presented. It was emphasised that the majority of recommendations might and should be implemented at the level of local self-government, by independent professionals acting according to their fields of work.

Source: praxis.org.rs