Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

On 29 March, Branka Drašković, Special Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the President of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality stated that, with its strategic documents and action plans, the Coordination Body devotes special attention to the support of the highly discriminated and vulnerable groups of women, which include Roma women.

At the meeting with the Roma Women’s Centre Bibija, held as part of the regional campaign Month of Roma Women Activism – “I have the Right to have Rights”, Drašković stated that the biggest cause for concern was the fact that 80.4% of Roma youth leave school very early, while this percentage was only 7.8% if the entire population was considered.

Drašković added that early marriages and teen pregnancies represented major issues that required the engagement of the whole society and raising awareness about the potential consequences.

At the meeting it was emphasised that owing to  the support of the state, 21 thousand people were subsequently registered in the Register of Births, 75 health mediators were engaged, 180 pedagogical assistants, while 525 children received tuitions.

Drašković stated that the improvement of the status of Roma women required support with regards to their education since that was the only way it was possible to further work on their employment, economic strengthening, and prevention of violence against them.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs