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Needs Assessment Study for the Roma Education Fund Background Paper

MONTENEGRO

Version of July 2004. Please send comments and updates to: [email protected]

PART ONE: SITUATION ANALYSIS 1. Roma population in Montenegro

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2. Social and Economic situation of the Roma in Montenegro 2.1 Internal stratification 2.2 Level of poverty 2.3 Type and level of employment 2.4 Housing 2.5 Health

8 10 12 12 14 14

3. Enrollment, dropout and completion of compulsory ed.

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4. Educational quality and students performance

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5. Roma groups and associations active in education

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PART TWO: POLICY AND FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT 6. Policy

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7. Integration of Roma children into regular classes

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8. Special programs for catch-up for youth…

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9. Estima tes of required policies and cost implication

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10. A comparison of these government goals

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11. Review of all programs and projects aimed at Roma

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12. A list of ideas for projects that could be put to the Fund

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13. Bibliography

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14. Annexes

49

.

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PART ONE: SITUATION ANALYSIS Roma population in Montenegro Republic of Montenegro is member of Union of States of Serbia and Montenegro, her surface is 13812 km², the main city is Podgorica and the Capital is Cetinje. Republic of Montenegro has 21 communities and 672.656 residents from that total population according to the research of Roma NGOs, the Roma/Ashkalie/Egyptian (RAE) population was estimated to be approximately around 15000 domestic and around 5000 IDP. Presence of RAE in Montenegro could be followed from the beginning of the 16 century. From that period are historical resources, in which are mentioned Roma /Egyptian as working labor “for building and repairing of fortresses”. From the same period (1508. year) are resources in which is Roma working labour mentioned as participants in“ transformation of Herceg -Novi into Turkish trade center”. From the second half of the XVI century (during which cities Bar and Ulcinj became important trade centers and ports) are some historical resources about presence of Roma population in Montenegro. In countries on the coast of Mediterranean Roma population lived like slaves in ancient past. Pirates from Ulcinj bought them in Europe and Africa, and then they were brought to Ulcinj and sold. On the coast of the sea Roma were used as pulling labor on pirates boats and for work on estates (From the book «Roma in Montenegro » by Momcilo Lutovac, MD). Currently, Montenegro is part of the Union of States of Serbia and Montenegro (SAM), which share a joint Parliament, Presidency and Coucil of Ministers. The union Perliament elects the President of the union, who is responsible for proposing the Council of Ministers and direct its work. The union Council fo Ministers has five departments: foreign affairs, defense, international economic relations, internal economic relations, and protection of human and minority rights. These common functions in SAM are jointly financed, in proportion to each republics contribution in GDP. While these two republics have some joint institutions, they operate separate economics, fiscal and monetary policies. Roma, Ashkaelia, Egyptians (RAE – Magazine “Document” - eternal travelers from margins, August 2001) represents one of the minorities that has always been, and are still today, discriminated against. They probably have the most distasteful status among all minority groups in the world, in Europe, and in the Balkans, and the situation is not better in the countries that have emerged from the former Yugoslavia. Regardless of time or geographic area, RAE are very often called by insulting names with the intent to show scorn and intolerance toward members of the RAE population. In France they were called Rabuins (“devil himself”), and later they got the name Gitan that applies to them even today; in Azerbaijan they are called Karaki; in Spain and Portugal their name is Karakos (thieves and tramps), and the name that is used in a large number of countries for these Roma people is Gypsies. For RAE, the only way to survive and to save themselves from extermination and injustices was to keep moving. As Mr. Slobodan Berberski said: “For Roma, the only response and salvation from scorn of the community was permanent migrations. That way of living is not a result of their identity’s specific characteristics, but of their striving to save themselves from persecution and extermination.” The position, freedoms and rights of national and ethnic groups in Montenegro are regulated legally by the Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro and by the Charter on human and minority rights and civil freedoms, which is a

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constituent part of the Constitutional Charter of the Un ion of States of Serbia and Montenegro. Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro under the Section “Freedoms and rights”, articles 15, 16, 17 and 18 regulates that all the citizens of the Republic of Montenegro shall be “free and equal, without taking in to account any peculiarity or personal feature”. (art.15); that “everybody shall have the right on equal protection of his/her freedom and rights by the legally established procedure”. (art.17); i.e. “everybody shall have the right on legal assistance” (art.18). Article 16 of the Constitution guarantees that these rights and freedoms are inviolable. Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro in the special Section: “Special rights of the members of national and ethnic groups”, also regulates position, rights and freedoms of national and ethnic groups. Article 67 of the Constitution guarantees “protection of national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity” to the members of national and ethnic groups, in accordance with the protection of human and civil rights. The members of national and ethnic groups are guaranteed the use of “language and alphabet, right on education and right to be informed in their own language” (art. 68) and “usage of their own language in legal proceedings of the state organs” (art. 72). The rights to “establish educational, cultural and religious associations, financially supported by the state” (art. 70) and right to “use and raise national symbols” (art. 69) are also guaranteed. Constitution also guarantees the “right of proportional involvement in public services, government organs and local self-governance” (art.73). In order to maintain and prevent national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of the members of national and ethnic groups, Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro envisages the formation of the Republic Council for the protection of the rights of the members of national and ethnic groups. The President of the Republic shall govern the Council (art. 76). RAE in Montenegro live in extremely harsh living conditions, in spite of the fact that they are the third largest minority population in Montenegro (after Muslims and Albanians). The largest problems of this population are: education, housing problems, employment, unrecognized status as minority ethnic group, unregulated personal documents. Nearly half of the RAE population does not speak the official language in Montenegro (Montenegrin/Serbian/Bosniak/Croatian), very few of them have an elementary education, and the jobs they perform are primarily based on selflearning skills, rather than formal knowledge. As to the numerousness of the RAE population in the Republic, there are great differences among the data of the official statistics evidence on one side, and data given by the RAE Association in Montenegro and other organizations, on the other side. According to the official data, in the last census in 1991 there were 3.282 RAE or 0.54% out of the total population of the Republic. According to the data of the Center for Social Work in the Montenegrin municipalities, that provides different kinds of assistance to the RAE, as well as to the data of the Red Cross Organization in Montenegro and the RAE Association of Montenegro, in 1999 there were approximately 21.000 inhabitants who belonged to the RAE nationality, and were permanently inhabited in Montenegro, what is 6.5 times more than according to the almanacs of the Bureau for Statistics (During the last 50 years 36.3% RAE have inhabited Montenegro, out of the total RAE population that are permanent residents. A small number of the members of this ethnic group - 0.51% - have settled in Montenegro before 1945. Most of them – 48.9% - have moved to Montenegro in 1981. Most of the Roma population who live today in the area of Montenegro has moved from Kosovo – 63%, a small number of them from central Serbia – 23%, from Bosnia and Herzegovina – 6.3% and Macedonia – 5.8%. Insignificant number of them has moved from Slovenia, Croatia, Vojvodina and from abroad).

We should note that the demographic indicators of the RAE existence in Montenegro, as well as in the other countries, couldn’t be, at once, taken as reliable.

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We can state various reasons why the smaller number of the RAE population was indicated in the censuses than it was the case with the certain researching procedures. One of the reasons is the fact that the RAE declare themselves as individuals belonging to other national groups, first of all as Muslims and Montenegrins, hoping they would have better chances for a more quality life and thus fit into the majority population. The fact that the RAE are not interested in census, as well as their frequent moving from one to another place of the same state makes it even more difficult to determine the exact numerousness of their population. It has to be taken into account that a number of the RAE have assimilated into the members of other national groups not only because of the social circumstances, but also because of the family relations (for example, according to the census that took place in March, 1971 in the town of Ivangrad (former name of the town is Berane) out of 234 Roma, only six declared themselves as belonging to their ethnic group). At the beginning of 2001 in four Montenegrin municipalities (Andrijevica, Pluzine, Pljevlja and Savnik) none of the Roma ethnic members were registered so. According to the last official listing done in October 2003. by MONSTAT (State Institute for Statistics), in Montenegro are living following nations: Chart no.1

We should pay special attention to the issue of position of the RAE – displaced person that found shelter in Montenegro after the NATO intervention in Kosovo. There are about 42.000 refugees and displaced persons in Montenegro at the moment, what is approximately 7% out of the total population. Most of the refugees came from Kosovo (28.547 or 4.57% out of the total population), and 21.9% RAE. In the meantime, a great number of them continued moving towards other Western Europe countries. RAE NGO’s data shows that in March-April 2000 ano ther 10.000 RAE – displaced persons from Kosovo lived in Montenegro, and a small number of them (7%) thought about returning to Kosovo, while 42% expressed the

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wish to stay in Montenegro permanently. The majority (51%) intended to go to other European countries. During the conflicts in the region, the impoverished Montenegrin economy and society were host to all refugees and IDP’s who sought refuge in Montenegro. At one point the number of those seeking refuge from neighboring countries and republics, amounted to 20% of the total population of Montenegro. After the conflicts were over and with the assistance of international humanitarian as well as republican level organizations, many succeeded in returning to their homes. Nevertheless, a large number of IDP’s and refugees are still in Montenegro, without much hope of return, and with a desire to become full citizens of Montenegro. At present, it is estimated and that in Montenegro there are around 20000 Roma, out of which 5000 are from Kosovo, around 13300 refugees from former Yugoslav Republics, and around 28000 IDP’s from Kosovo, which, in total, represents an estimated 8% of the population. Considering the fact that RAE are a territorially “scattered” ethnic community and that most of them do not want to declare themselves as Roma, researchers and demographers estimate that currently there are between 19500 – 20500 RAE in Montenegro. The exact number of RAE is so hard to quantify, and different RAE organizations operate with data that estimates more than 20000 Roma living in the territory of Montenegro. Table.1 – RAE Population in Montenegro RAE POPULATION IN MONTENEGRO – NATIONALITY STUCTURE Roma

Egyptian

Muslim

Montenegrin

Serb

Croat

Yugoslav

Albanian

Other

Total

66,3

24,0

5,8

1,5

0,1

0,1

0,3

1,4

0,5

100% 20.470

Table.2 – Gender/Marital Status and Distribution in Municipalities GENDER AND MARITAL STATUS OF RAE POPULATION IN MONTENEGRO Gender Marital Status under age 15

Male Female

%

No.

Single

52 48

10.156 9.378

20,8 55,8 44,2

Informal relation

13,6 50,0 50,0

Formal marriage

60,8 51,4 48,6

Widows Widowers

4,0 43,5 56,5

Divorced

0,8 0,9 0,7

Table no.3 – Distribution of RAE Population in Montenegrin Municipalities DISTRIBUTION OF RAE POPULATION IN MONTENEGRIN MUNICIPALITIES Municipality RAE REA Municipality RAE REA of families population of families population Andrijevica / / Nikšic 260 1496 Bar 171 1112 Plav / / Berane 114 856 Pljevlja 9 51 Bijelo Polje 26 132 Plužine / / Budva 41 277 Podgorica app. 2000 app. 12500 Cetinje 23 153 Rožaje 38 235 Danilovgrad 2 8 Šavnik / / Herceg Novi 149 1240 Tivat 160 1300 Kolašin / / Ulcinj 140 870 Kotor 30 240 Žabljak / / Mojkovac / / Grand Total: app. 3163 app. 20.470

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Version of July 2004. Please send comments and updates to: [email protected] Table is done according to research of RAE NGO's from year of 2003.

Average age of RAE in Montenegro (in comparison with regular population) Chart no.2 33.5

35 30 25 20

24.9 20.9 17.5 12.7

15

10.911.9

15.7 12.712.2

11.7

7.8

10

3.6 4

5 0

0 - 10

RAE Population

11.-18

19-30

Regular Population

31-40

41-50

51-60

more than 61

Table no.4 – RAE Population – Age Distribution REA Population – Age Distribution Age % Approximate Number less than 10 33.5 6850 11 – 19 20.9 4270 19 – 30 17.5 3580 31 – 40 12.7 2600 41 – 50 7.8 1620 51 – 60 3.6 730 more than 61 4.0 820 Total: 100.00 % 20.470 The recently realized research of CEDEM Center for democracy and human rights in Montenegro (Podgorica, June 2004) about existing interethnic distance between different nationalities in Montenegro, shows that the interethnic distance towards RAE is the most evident. Research in the area of attitudes of different national groups about whether they agree that certain different national group (for example Roma, Serbs, Bosnians etc) should live in the same country, in the neighborhood, to be teachers for all the children etc. (more details in table no.5). Among other, the research shows that the RAE are the most unacceptable to be teachers, or even as matrimonial partners. It is also shown that the Serbs in Montenegro are the nationality which has the most expressed interethnic distance which means that in many of the categories have significantly negative attitudes towards cooperation and life with other nationalities.

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Tabele no.5 – Interethnical Distance in Montenegro Serb

Bosnian

Albanian

Croat

Roma

American

French

Russian

German

English

Italian

To live in my country To be my neighbor To be my colleague To be my chief To be teacher of my children To be my friend To have governance position in my country To be my relative /marriage with relatives/ To be my close relative /by children marrieages/

Montenegrin

Sentences

97.9 97.1 96.7 93.5 92.7

95.6 94.5 93.7 88.3 87.2

83.4 77.3 80.0 63.3 57.9

69.0 60.9 63.3 48.9 43.3

75.2 70.4 72.9 56.6 51.7

77.9 63.3 61.8 45.8 39.3

64.7 65.3 69.9 58.3 50.5

72.0 72.8 74.1 61.4 54.9

75.3 75.7 76.3 62.9 56.2

66.2 67.4 72.4 58.9 52.6

67.5 68.0 71.3 58.9 53.5

76.6 76.7 78.1 63.6 57.2

97.4 95.1

95.3 82.6

79.8 52.7

60.6 39.3

70.5 44.4

57.0 35.7

69.2 36.8

75.0 38.5

77.6 41.1

70.0 38.4

70.4 36.6

78.8 40.0

87.4

83.2

44.6

30.8

42.8

23.1

52.2

55.0

56.5

51.4

51.2

58.6

84.8

79.8

38.8

24.9

35.3

17.7

45.7

47.6

49.0

43.9

44.8

51.5

The CEDEM research had shown also a very non popular position of RAE population in Montenegro in area of their full integration in the institutions of the system and living along with them. Besides Serbs with the largest interethnic distance towards RAE population, other nationalities don’t look with consent on the possibility that their children might have RAE teachers, that RAE have certain leading positions in the state, that RAE would be related to them by marriage with cousins etc. Chart no.3 – Interethnical Distance by National Groups 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

4.42

3.06

3.07

3.16

3.35

3.6

3.63

3.66

4.59

3.75

0.87 0.5 Mo Se rb nte ne gri n

Ita lian

Bo sni an

Ru ssi an

Fre nch

En glis h

Cro at

Ge rm an

Am eri ca

Alb an ian

Ro m a

2. Social and economic situation of the Roma Since 1990, Montenegro has faced many problems, which were reflected primarily on the economic situation in the Republic. The last decade was characterized by a decrease of GDP, many internal and external shocks, a fall in production, increasing inflation, as well as an increasing unemployment rate and the informal economy. Although Montenegro managed to avoid conflicts, the consequences of instabilities in the region were very significant. Wars and conflicts caused mass migrations of the population. Montenegro became the new home and inhabitation for thousands of refugees from the former Yugoslav Republics and for

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internally displaced persons from Kosovo. When conditions changed, many of them spontaneously went back to their original homes, while others moved to other parts of the region or to other countries. However, the population structure in Montenegro is significantly changed as well as the socio -economical indicators. There are many areas without relevant and valid data because it was not realized in the census for twelve years in Montenegro and the official statistics are in process of transformation. Most data collection and analysis is conducted by national and international NGO’s. The analysis confirmed the low living conditions and standards of certain population strata in Montenegro. Among those most vulnerable are RAE, regardless if they are domicile, displaced, or refugees. They typically live in ethnically homogenous areas, illegally built at the outskirts of the cities. The Montenegrin economy has been marked by internal and external political and economic shocks, leading to a deep and sharp decline in output, hyperinflation, a rise in official unemployment, and a growing informal sector (“gray” economy) in the last decade. In January 2002 Montenegro introduced EURO as official currency and consequently, the Montenegrin economy experienced ”€ inflation”, characteristic for European countries that adopted the new currency. In recent years, Montenegro has undertaken an ambitious program of wide-reaching economic reforms in an effort to promote growth and raise living standards. Still, additional reforms are needed, for example, to confront a large public sector wage bill, heavy dependence on donor assistance, and inefficiencies in state-owned en terprises. The uneven progress in reform is reflected in rather ambiguous macroeconomic performance: while GDP has been slowly recovering since 1999 to about two percent growth during the last two years, employment indicators do not reflect the positive gains to GDP. Unfortunately, many new policies are being implemented with little information available about the numbers and characteristics of the poor, let alone with an evaluation of the subsequent impact of reforms for the poor. Moreover, efforts to redu ce poverty and raising living standards are made more difficult by the high expectations of the population for the economic reforms. Recognizing the need for rigorous planning for poverty reduction activities and monitoring. Montenegro completed and Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in November 2003. The PRSP has shown that 12.2% of the population of Montenegro is poor. The absolute poverty line is defined as the total expenditure below the expenses of the minimal consumer basket for a standard household (€ 116. 2 per consumer unit) and the line of defining the economically vulnerable population is set 50% above the poverty line € ( 173.4). Assessments of poverty are sensitive to the poverty line: more than one third of the population is classified as economically vulnerable or without access to sufficient resources, because they live below the level of 150% of the poverty line. Poverty assessments are particularly sensitive around the poverty line (the concentration of the population around the poverty line is big, in other words, a slight moving of the poverty line upwards, significantly increased the % of poor people). According to research from June 2003, raising the poverty line for 20% would double the poverty rate. Therefore, a significant part of the population living in the zone immediately above the poverty line is vulnerable in the sense that it is sensitive to any form of economic instability or drop of personal income. Positive changes in income (those cause by growth or good economic policy) would lead to more than the proportional reduction in poverty; on the other hand, negative trends (recessions) would lead to an increase in poverty far above proportion. Given that this study includes research by population group, there are clear variations in poverty. The poverty rate is largest among RAE (52,3%); it is equal among refugees and IDPs (slightly below 40%) and smallest among the standard population (9,6%). Nevertheless, the majority of poor in Montenegro are its own residents (72,5%), while the percent of RAE among the total poor is 11,7%, refugees 5,9% and IDP’s is 9.9%.

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The most vulnerable are the residents of northern Montenegro, which has an overall poverty rate of 19,3% and where 45% of the total poor are located. This region also includes 9,7% of Roma, 10,4% of the refugee and 51,6% of the IDP’s populations. Around 35% of the poor live in the central region, which has a poverty rate of 10,8%. The central region also contains 52,3% of the Roma, 51,1% of refugee and 36,6% of the IDP’s population. Around 19% of the poor population lives in the southern region which has the lowest regional poverty rate of only 8,8%.

Poverty Where No One Wants to Notice it: “Unofficial” Roma Settlement in Montenegro Around ninety persons from twenty Roma families, mostly displaced from Kosovo and currently settled in the Lovanja settlement, struggle daily just to survive. Lovanja is located in the Tivat Field (Tivatsko polje), in the territory of Kotor municipality, on the beautiful Montenegrin coast along the Adriatic Sea. Roma of Lovanja live on the edge of local garbage dump in substandard housing conditions in self-made huts. The settlement does not have a supply of potable water or electricity supply, and is under threat of flooding in heavy rainfall. The closest medical facility in the town of Kotor, around 8 km away from the settlement, and there are no public transport connections. Reportedly, the local authorities had decided to relocate the settlement to a more humane environment in 1999, but nothing had happened to date. Roma in settlement live in extreme poverty. About one half of the settlement’s inhabitants are under the age of 18, and none of the children attends school. The Lovanja Roma make a living by collecting scarp materials and occasionally manual labor paid by the hour. According to the Secretariat fof Displaced Persons of Montenegro, Lovanja is categorized as an “unofficial center for displaced persons”. Such unofficial camps vastly outnumber official camps, and provide self-made temporary shelters for a majority of the estimated 20.000 Roma IDP’s fro Kosovo in Montenegro. Source: The European Roma Right Center (ERRC), city of Tivat- based non- governmental organization “MARGO” – Association for Help and Support to Marginal Society Groups.

. 2.1 Internal stratification Inequality measures give implications of how benefits of growth are distributed over time. The Gini coefficient in Montenegro is 0,29, which is in the range of other transition countries in Eastern Europe. Including marginalized populations does not change the Gini coefficient figure; 90/10-decile ratio coefficient has increased and demonstrates a higher level of inequality in Montenegro in comparison with other transition economies. In terms of inequalities within the marginalized groups, inequality is greatest among the RAE, both in terms of the Gini coefficient, as well as when we take into account the decile ratio. As demonstrated in the analysis, the average monthly expenditure per person within the RAE population is 2,3 times lower than the average expenditure per person in the country as a whole. Given these figures, the poorest RAE spend over 15 times less that the RAE who have the highest expenditures. Inequality is least present among the IDP’s, but e ven within this group it is very high.

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Table no.6 - Inequality measures Inequality The total population Gini coefficient Decile ratio

0,29 7,0

The standard population 0,28 6,5

RAE

0,38 15,4

Refugee s 0,31 7,8

IDP’s

0,27 5,7

With respect to analyzing the RAE population’s poverty profile, the situation is somewhat different; as the poverty rate is high, all categories are more or less affected. An average RAE household has 5,7 members. It is clear that the majority of this population (92,3%) lives in households with more than four members, and their poverty risk is higher (55,1%) in comparison with those who live in small households (up to 3 members 0 18,5%). Household members whose household heads are less than 50 have a higher poverty risk (54,1%); the case is the same with RAE households headed by males (53,9%). Household size plays an important role in the poverty levels for RAE, and this is probably because households headed by males usually have more members. Also, the poverty rate is larger with households headed by persons with elementary education (54,4% in comparison to 36,9% of households whose househeads attended secondary school). It is interesting that the poverty risk is higher when the head of the household is employed (53,1%). The average age of those participating in the RAE survey is 21,6 years. 88,6% of the members of this population live in urban or suburban areas, and only 11,4% live in rural areas. The majority of RAE (47,6%) live in shacks; 30,5% live in houses, while 7,8% live in one room flats. The majority of RAE live in accommodation made from hard material (50,2%); 42,8% live in homes made from wood, 4,5% in homes made from mixed materials, 1,2% in homes made from earth combined with other materials. Living conditions of RAE households are made additionally worse due to the environmental problems, which characterize their immediate surroundings. Namely, 47,5% of RAE households live in close proximity to a dump, 22,3% live in settlements where waste waters flood, 17% live in areas where the air is polluted, and 12,8% have problems with mud . Furthermore, the survey results show that the birth rate among Roma women is very high, with 85% of women having five or more children. 7,8% RAE households receive family support. 18,7% of RAE families receive support from humanitarian organizations. 2.2 Level of poverty RAE in Montenegro share the destiny of RAE from neighboring countries, with an especially bad influence with the transition to market economies. The low education levels and the large number or RAE who work in low paying jobs take them into a bad situation in the labor market. The expectation to find a new job is low. Additional barriers are the limited possibilities to gain credit and ownership over property. All of this, mixed with a high dependency rate on the economy, has created the poverty trap in Montenegro with a very narrow exit. The poverty rate among the RAE population in Montenegro is 4.5 times higher than the national poverty rate, and 5.5 times higher than the poverty rate among the regular population. This report provides an analysis of poverty in Montenegro and among the marginalized population and is based on several indicators derived from the data with regards to household consumption expenses; moreover, the multidimensional aspect of poverty is not neglected. According to the indicators, the national rate of poverty is 12.2% while among the regular population it is somewhat lower (9.6%). The poverty rate is several times higher among RAE (up to 60%), refugees (up to 48%), and displaced persons (up to 46%) as compared to the regular population.

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RAE are deeply unhappy with their condition and express concerns over food security: eight of ten RAE households (80.7%) think that providing food for their households in the long term is a huge problem. On the other hand, the analysis show that most RAE children (94.5%) have been vaccinated. This data confirm results of common action of non -governmental organizations and health institutions in terms of children vaccination. 2.3 Type and level of employment Recession in the economy does not work well for newcomers: the work market is not flexible, even long-standing workers-residents remain a job and education is not a guarantee for employment the unemp loyment rate varies: the lowest is among the regular population and is 17% while 43.3% of RAE, 32.5% of refugees, and 30.4% of the displaced population want to work, but have no possibilities. RAE very often perform jobs that no one else wants to do, and often these are the jobs with the lowest salary. Gathering and selling secondary raw materials, trade, and crafts occupy the greatest number of jobs. In numerous cases, the RAE children who are not able to go to school since they don’t have money to buy bo oks and necessary equipment and since they are needed to contribute to the household budget, are begging at the street. In terms of the income sources of the regular population, the majority of households acquire income through employment (75,7%), in the second place are pensions (45,5%), and in third are private transfers received from relations and friends in-country and abroad (19,3%). Among the RAE, this income source is more significant (27,6%), followed by humanitarian aid (18,7%) and income acquire d through unemployment (16%). Among the refugees and IDP’s, income from employment is most significant for the majority of households (54% and 43,3% respectively). In terms of the structure of expenditures, food expenses dominate in all the population groups: 49,4% among the standard population, 66,7% among the REA, 51,9% among the refugees and 53,6% of total expenditure among IDP’s. The second largest expenditure represent accommodation expenses. RAE households have expressed dissatisfaction with their living conditions. Furthermore, 80,7% of REA households believe that food security represents a major problem over the long term. The issue of the volume of (registered) employment is closely linked to poverty levels. The volume of the informal sector in 2002 is estimated at 30%. The economic recession, is having detrimental impacts on both the domestic population and the refugees and IDP’s: the labor market is inflexible, even workers with many years of experience are left without jobs, and education no longer guarantees employment. Among the domestic population, within the 16 to 65 age-group, 17% of those surveyed is not working, but is ready to work if employment opportunities emerge. At the same time, the unemployment rate is 43,3% among RAE, 32 ,5% among refugees and 39,4% among IDP’s. RAE in many cases conduct work that no one else wants to do and work that is least paid. The largest number of RAE engage in gathering and selling recyclable materials, trade and craftsmanship. In a majority of cases, RAE children who do not have access to education because they do not have the financial resources necessary to buy books and necessary equipment, as well as because of the need to contribute to the household budget, beg on the street. The majority of refugees and IDP’s are involved in trading, mostly within the grey economy.

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2.4 Housing Research has demonstrated that more than a third of the population has low living standards and living conditions, which especially characterizes the Roma. Around 16% of the domestic population does not have access to piped water or a bathroom. In terms of the Roma, ¾ of their homes have no access to piped water and in terms of the refugees and IDP’s, the figure is 30% and 40% respectively. Over 50% of both refugees and IDP’s, as well as 86% of RAE live in cramped living conditions with less than 10m2 per household member. Among the most vulnerable groups are the Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptian minority (RAE) irrespective of whether they are domestic, refugees or IDP’s. In the majority of cases, the RAE live in ethnically homogenous settlements that are illegally built and located on the outskirts of the towns and cities. The poor quality of the overall living conditions has not surpassed with refugees and IDP’s who lost everything they had acquired. In the majority of cases, the refugees and IDP’s (excluding the RAE) lived a 'normal' life in their countries of origin, which included a regular job, good living conditions, security and an active social life. The psychological pressure, which is experienced by members of these communities, represents an additional problem. The biggest number of Roma – refugees (about 4000 of them) is housed in one of the camps for refugees (“Konik”), which is situated in Podgorica, capital of Montenegro. 2.5. Health Access and quality of health services is an important element of a poverty profile of a given society. In the research analysis, the percentage of the population, which was unable to conduct its regular activities in the last 30 days, as a consequence of illness/injury, was used as a key indicator. Around 6,2% of the domestic population had experienced an illness or injury, which limited their capacity to carry out regular activities. Even though the RAE live in significantly poorer living conditions, they are not significantly more affected by health-poverty. Around 10% of RAE, in comparison with 3% of refugees and IDP’s consider themselves poor in terms of their health – which means that they have experienced an illness/injury, which has prevented them conducting their regular activities in the 30 days, which preceded the time, the survey was implemented. On the other hand, the research showed that the majority of RAE children (94,5%) are vaccinated, which confirms the success of the joint activities of NGO’s and health institutions with respect to prevention and child immunization. Analysis findings show that three-quarters of RAE respondents (75.1%) were not sick or injured during the last year, while the remaining 24.9% did have certain health problems. The most frequent causes of health problems were: chronic diseases (5.8%), cold (5.7%), flu/pneumonia (2.5%), pain in back/knees (2.3%), psychological problems (1.5%), and headaches (1.1%). Other illnesses mentioned include: other injuries, gynecological problems, diarrhea, jaundice, etc. Due to health conditions, 9.3% of respondents had to quit their usual activities in the last month. In most cases, the reason for quitting their usual activities was chronic disease s (26.4%) or pain in back or knees (12.5%). Most respondents (69.4%) did not consult a doctor nor did they visit a health institution in the last year, while 20% visited a health center, 6.7% visited a hospital, and 1.5% asked for medical help from a midwife, private ambulance, or a “witch doctor”. Although there was a need to do so, 2.3% of respondents did not ask for medical help since they could not afford it or they were not in the position to do so.

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Among respondents who did use medical services last year, most were covered by health insurance (81.4%), while 16.6% had to pay for their medical help since the intervention provided was not included in their health insurance and 1.4% paid extra to receive what they believe to be better service from the private sector. Just 0.6% of respondents compensate for medical help in some other way. Most respondents who pay individually for these services are those who suffer chronic diseases, since necessary interventions are not covered by the health insurance. Among all RAE respondents, 95.8% do not have any disabilities; while 2.4% suffer from a physical handicap, 1.1% from a mental handicap, and 0.6% have some mental disease. Among those respondents that have some disability, 37.5% of them cannot do regular activities because of the handicap. RAE respondents over the age of 30 were asked their opinion about the condition of public health institutions. Half of respondents (50.8%) think that the situation in public health institutions is very bad, 9.7% think it is bad, 38.8% say that the situation in public health institutions is good, and only 0.7% think that it is very good. Among respondents who have used the services of the public health institutions last year, 38.3% think that the situation is very bad, 10.7% think it is bad, 49.5% believe the situation is good, and 1.4% think that the situation in public health institutions is very good. the greatest number of respondents who used the services of the public health institutions in the last year, and also think that the situation is very bad, have visited a health center or a hospital (57.3% and 32.9%, respectively). Females older than 15 were asked about the number of births they have had. Two-fifths (41.5%) have not had any, 6.8% have had one child, 7.8% have had two children, 7% three, 10% four children, and 27% have delivered 5 or more children. The average number of births for RAE women older than 15 who have had deliveries is 4.7 children. On the other hand, 15% of women over 15 years old have had stillborn children. In order to better understand the position of Roma women in their families, it is worth noting a few findings from the survey of the Democratic Roma Center (Poll “Roma woman on the threshold of XXI century – yes or no? ) realized on the sample of 850 Roma females. The survey shows that RAE women are human beings with very few rights and many obligations: obligation of birth, maintaining the household, and caring for posterity and elderly family members. In many cases, women of the Roma society are the economic pillars of the family’s existence. RAE women typically get married at a very young age. RAE girls often must leave school early in order to remain virgins while they prepare for an early marriage and begin performing their household duties. Among the 850 Roma women polled, 90% got married when they were under 16 years old, 3% when they were between 16 and 20, and 7% when they were older than 20. eight of ten marriages (80%) are made through mediators, and most of them are successful. The most important thing for a RAE girl is to get into the marriage “honestly” otherwise her husband has the right to humiliate and abuse her during their entire marriage. Birthrate and number of deliveries among RAE women is very high. Namely, 85% (The percent of women who have more then 5 kids is much higher since the survey had targeted sample) of women have five or more children (Percentage of women who have five or more children is significantly higher than in our survey because the sample was targeted one), while 10% have two or three, 3% have only two children, and just 1% of Roma women have no children in their marriage. Nearly 70% of RAE women do not take part in deciding the size of their family, but rather this decision is left up to her husband and his family. Nearly one -third of RAE women do not visit doctors, while 50% of them go to doctors very rarely. Just one of ten RAE

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women (10%) visit doctors to seek help with the flu or a toothache, and similarly, one of ten (10%) report to visit a gynecologist. Knowing that RAE families usually have many members, making the problems of already hard material conditions even harder, a few questions were aimed at gathering more information about planning a family among the RAE population. The average age of fathers at the time their first child is born is 21.6 years. The survey has shown that the greatest number of household heads from the sample became a father when they were between 18 and 25 years old (61.9%). When asked to plan their family, the average age is even a bit lower and stands at 20.6 years. Additional family planning indicator is the trend in the number of family members, or children. On average, parents of the household head who answered this question have 4.1 children. Households with children under 5 were asked a few additional questions. Among all families, more than half had children under 5. Most had been born in a hospital (87.5%), while 12.5% were born at home. The analysis show that most children (94.5%) have been vaccinated; 2.7% of children have not been vaccinated because they do not have a medical-care booklet and 2.7% because of a lack of information. One household reported that they do not have any access to health care. this data confirm results of common action of non governmental organizations and health institutions in terms of children vaccination. The most majority of households (92.2%) say that in the last three months they did not have any epidemic diseases. However, 5.8% faced dysentery, 0.8% had colds, 0.8% experienced jaundice, while 0.4% of the families report having had the flu. 3. Enrollment, dropout and completion of compulsory education First of all, it is necessary to emphasize that in Montenegro from September of 2004, from next school year, a segregated RAE school will not exist. By the decision of MoE from May the 15 th 2004 the only elementary school in Montenegro attended exclusively by RAE children is cancelled. It is also important to emphasize that this school was not an independent institution, but a dislocated class of ES “Bozidar Vukovic Podgoricanin”- Konik, and that with a new decision of MoE this class belongs to the mother school, to school in which the children and young RAE population will attend the teaching process with all the other children. Besides, the RAE children will not be segregated into special, ethnic clean classes, but attend the teaching process in multiethnic classes. The largest part of the data in this section of the report were given by competent professional services of Ministry of Education and Science of Republic of Montenegro and are a part of their internal official documentation. The given data were not publicated or presented anywhere, until now. But, what is encouraging is that proffesional MoE services began, for the first time, in this school year following more systematically and researching the data connected to education of children and youth from RAE population. The number of RAE children, primary students in school year 2001/02 was 536, and in the school year 2003/04 that number was 826. In this school year, 2003/04, in pripramy school are 1006 students of RAE population. From 2001 to 2002 the number of RAE students was increased for 290 children, i.e. 35%, and in 2003. in comparasion with previous school year that number is increased for 180 students, i.e. 18%.

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Chart no.4 Number of RAE population students in Primary Schools School Year 2003/04

1006

School Year 2002/03

826

School Year 2001/02

536

0

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1200

During 2002. 840 RAE students attended regular classes, and 392 RAE students passed year exams. RAE students are only 1% of the total primary school student population in Montenegro. In school year 2002/03 primary education in Montenegro students of RAE population attended in 12 municipalities, and in this school year in 13 municipalities. Chart no.5 Number of REA students in Montenegrin Municipalities Ulcinj Podgorica Herceg Novi Kotor Cetinje Budva Bar

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Number of students

The number of RAE students in lower grades (1st to 4th) is much higher then in upper grades (5th to 8th) and the number of RAE students is decreasing constantly during the schooling process. In 2002/03 in first grade of Primary School the 299 RAE students started eduction and that number is increased in 2003/03 to 2003/04, which is increasing of 15,5% in comperasion with previous school year.

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Chart no.6 Number of RAE children in 1st grade

Skolaska 2002/03

Skolaska 2003/04

270

280

290

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310

320

330

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360

In the school year 2002/03 the number of RAE students, enlisted from first to eight grade is decreasing. The number of students in VIII grade is ten times smaller than the number in I grade. The number of enlisted students in the school year of 2003/04 to VIII grade remained the same as last year. Besides the III grade in which in the number of enlisted children in the school year of 2003/04 was smaller than previous year, in other grades an increase of enlisted is evident. Chart no.7 Number of RAE students by Grades (Primary School)

8

7

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Školska 2003/04 Školska 2002/03

4

3

2

1 0

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The number of students of RAE nationality in elementary education in the period from 2002 to 2004, has increased in 5 districts, remained the same in 2, and decreased in 6 districts. In one district in the school year of 2003/04 for the first time has registered 18 pupils of RAE nationality. Podgorica is the district in which the elementary education attends the larger number of RAE children, and where in the year of 2003/04 is formed about 54% of the entire number of roma pupils in elementary education, which represents an increase of 10 % to the previous year.

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Table no. No.

Municipality

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Total

Bar Berane Budva Bijelo Polje Cetinje Danilovgrad Kotor Tivat Herceg Novi Nikšic Podgorica Rožaje Ulcinj

2002/03 Number of Percentage student % 63 7 52 6 10 1 10 1 24 2 9 28 53 99 368 31 79 826

2003/04 Number of Percentage student % 84 8 75 7 3 2 11 1 18 1 18 1 3 2 28 2 29 2 78 7 543 54 33 3 83 8 1006

1 3 6 11 44 3 9

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