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Izbijaju kontroverze oko evikcije Roma u Srbiji
Ministarstvo za rad i socijalna pitanja u Srbiji namerava da prebaci u Vranje 62 romske porodice koje treuntno žive u ilegalnom naselju ispod mosta Gazela, uprkos neslaganjima lokalne uprave u Vranju.
U poruci koju je Ministarstvo poslalo gradonačelniku Vranja, koju je Balkan Insight imao prilike da vidi, kaže se da je “preseljenje tih porodica prioritet“ i da se “mora sprovesti u skladu sa politikom prisilne evikcije“ koju promovišu Evropska investiciona banka i Evropska banka za razvoj i rekonstrukciju koje su dale zajam za rekonstruciju mosta Gazela.
“Lokalne vlasti se ne slažu sa tom naredbom Ministarstva, iako smo pod strašnim pritiskom da tako postupimo“, rekao je Balkan Insight-u Branimir Stojančić, član Gradskog veća Vranja zadužen za socijanu politiku.
“Od nas se traži da sami organizujemo prebacivanje Roma u Vranje, a Ministarstvo ne intersuje gde će i od čega će ti ljudi da žive.“
Stojančić kaže da se ovom odlukom vrši diskriminacija među stanovnicima glavnog grada i da bi ovo preseljenje Roma ugrozilo osnovno ljudsko pravo da izaberu mesto u kojem će da žive.
“Ovi Romi imaju prebivalište u Vranju, ali oni imaju pravo da sami izaberu gde hoće da žive. Oni su odavno došli u Beograd, nadajući se da će tu moći da obezbede (bolji) život, rekao je Stojančić.
Ministarstvo je utvrdilo da od 175 porodica koje žive pod mostom, 113 zadovoljava kriterijume za raseljavanje po Beogradu. U obaveštenju koje je Ministarstvo poslalo vlastima u Vranju kaže se da preostale porodice ne mogu da ostanu jer bi to “podstaklo dalje migracije u Beograd i
Ali Stojančić tvrdi da Ministarstvo nema nikakav plan pomoći loklanim vlastima koje treba da private raseljene porodice.
“Grad Vranje odvaja za socijalnu brigu 800.000 evra od ukupnog budžeta koji iznosi 18 miliona evra, a 70% korisnika socijalne pomoći su Romi. Jednostavno ne možemo da iznesemo još 62 porodice“, kaže Stojančić.
Mile Bajramović, predsednik udruženja građana Romalen kaže da je ovo klasičan slučaj diskriminacije Roma.
“Odluka ministarstva je krivo tumačenje sopstvene uloge koja je da brine o socijalnim i radnim pitanjima. Od čega će ti ljudi da žive ako se vrate u Vranje“, kaže.
“Izbacuju ih iz Beograda iako Romi taj Beograd čiste. Bojim se da će neko da donese odluku da nas isteraju i iz Srbije“, kaže Bajramović.
Romi u Srbiji, njih oko 150.000, dobili su 2002. godine status nacionalne manjine. Po svim izveštajima, Romi su ekonomski i socijalno najugroženija etnička grupa u Srbiji.
Vranje, oko 350 km južno od Beograda, blizu granice sa Kosovom i sa Makedonijom, ima 88.000 stanovnika od kojih su deset procenata Romi. Južna Srbija se smatra osiromašenom regijom, sa ekonomskim parametrima ispod republičkog proseka.
“Ministarstvo hoće da nam donese nove socijalne slučajeve o kojima mi ne možemo da brinemo. Ako insistiraju da sprovedu ovu politiku, zašto ne narede da se vrate i svi naši.
Ministarstvo za rad i socijalna pitanja je reklo Balkan Insight-u da je ovaj projekat tek u početnoj fazi i da razgovori sa predstavnicima lokalne uprave tek predstoje.
Vranje 17. mart 2009.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17409/
Eviction of Roma Sparks Controversy in Serbia
Vranje
17 March 2009
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17409/
Serbia's Ministry of Labour and Welfare intends to relocate 62 Roma
families, that are currently living in an illegal settlement under the
Gazela bridge in Belgrade, to the southern Serbian town of Vranje -
despite protests from Vranje's local authorities.
The notice from the Ministry to Vranje's major - which Balkan Insight
had an opportunity to see - says that the "displacement of these
families is a priority" and that "it must be carried out in accordance
with the policy of forced eviction" put forward by the European
Investment Bank and European Bank for Development and Reconstruction,
who have issued a loan for the reconstruction of the Gazela bridge.
"The local authorities do not agree with this order from the ministry,
despite us being under a terrible pressure to do so," Branimir
Stojancic, the local minister for welfare policy in Vranje, told
Balkan Insight.
"We are asked to organize the transport of Roma people to Vranje by
ourselves, but the Ministry is not interested where these people would
live and from what," he added.
Stojancic says the decision is discrimination by people living in the
capital, and that the relocation will endanger the Roma's basic human
right of being able to choose their own place to live.
"The place of residence of these Roma is Vranje, but they have the
right to choose themselves where they would want to live. They came to
Belgrade a long time ago, hoping they would be able to provide (a
better life) for themselves there," said Stojancic.
The ministry has established that out of 175 families living under the
bridge, 113 of them meet the requirement of resuming their life in a
different place Belgrade. The notice form the ministry issued to
Vranje's authorities, says the remaining families cannot stay, as this
would "inspire further migration to Belgrade and exert unacceptable
pressure on the city's welfare and residential policy".
But Stojancic claims that the ministry has no plan to aid the local
authorities who are supposed to welcome the displaced families.
"The town of Vranje has an annual welfare budget in the amount of
800,000 euros out of a total budget of 18 million euros and of all the
users of welfare over 70 per cent are Roma. We simply cannot put up
these 62 families," says Stojancic.
Mile Bajramovic, chairman of the Civil Association Romalen says this
is a classic case of discrimination against Roma.
"The ministry's decision perverts its basic role of taking care of
welfare and labour. What would those people live from if they return
to Vranje," he said.
"They are being thrown out of Belgrade although Roma are cleaning the
very same Belgrade. I am afraid that someone would make a decision to
expel us from Serbia too," says Bajramovic.
The Roma in Serbia, around 150,000 of them, received the status of an
ethnic minority in 2002. Most observers consider that the Roma are
economically and
socially the most vulnerable ethnic group in Serbia.
The population of Vranje, 350 kilometres south of Belgrade near the
border with Kosovo and Macedonia, is 88.000, ten per cent of which are
Roma. South
Serbia is considered to be an impoverished region, with economic
parameters below the republic's average.
"The ministry wants to bring us new welfare cases which we cannot take
care of. If they insist on carrying out this policy, why don't they
issue an order that all our scientists, professors, businessman and
other citizens of Vranje who live in Belgrade return to Vranje as
well," said Stojancic.
Contacted by Balkan Insight, the Ministry of Labour and Welfare said
the project is only in its initial phase and that meetings on the
issue with representatives of local authorities have yet to begin.