France Roma from Kosovo: Children born in refugees' camps can't go to school

May 20, 2008

Comment: Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians (RAE) children aren’t eligible to enter the education system in Kosovo cause they live without official identification papersays ‘le Courrier du Kosovo’ (article translated by ‘Le Courrier des Balkans’).

The journalist Serbeze Haxhaij emphasizes that most of children and adults from RAE communities grow up the most of their life without any official registration. This situation cause major problems to the entire community.

In Kosovo, ‘Le Courrier du Kosovo’ interviewed Ylfete Buzolli who has always been encountering difficulties with the Serbian administration. She said that her son won’t be able to start his education as long as he doesn’t acquire a birth certificate from the authorities. This situation will delay RAE children training course and they will probably end up with a lack of schooling in comparison with their peers. She continues saying that her family haven’t been eating for 5 days and that’s what she’s the most worried about above all.

Unfortunately, in Albania the conditions of the RAE communities are far from being better. Unless they’ve been registered on an official document they won’t be able to benefit from the monthly 40 Euros from Albanian’s Social Care Insurance. This situation often incites some parents to be involved in the exploitation of their own children abroad, as beggars for instance. Tdh-Albania addresses this particular issue in the press review called “begging in Pristine, 32 people repatried”.

Eventually, the civil society tries to involve the authorities in major innovative projects. ‘Le Courrier du Kosovo’ met the CRPK, a human rights organization that gathered with the HCR to set up a census project of RAE population in Kosovo to avoid this people being marginalized. So far, 4000 RAE have been registered.

Courrier des Balkans full text.