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Tillbaka till hemsidan
April
- PARACIN/JAGODINA/CUPRIJA: The authorities believe that there is organized begging in Serbia, mostly Roma, but the collaboration is necessary of all the relevant authorities in order to uproot it. And the beggars' stories are similar to the one Svetlana Kostic from Aleksinac has told us."I have six children, 4 boys and 2 girls. I am not schooled to know how old they are. None of the children go to school. We receive public assistance allowance of around 4.000 dinars. We sometimes sell waste iron, aluminium, copper so we manage to squeeze by. I don't beg all the time. Only when I am out of money. I can make 100-200 dinars a day", says Svetlana and claims to be married to Pero Todorovic from Paracin and that they live in the Karadjordjevo Brdo settlement.
Since the social work centers regard begging as a form of child abuse, as of this year the activities will be increased of removing the children from the street and the punishments will be more strict for those who exploit the children like that.
The problem is also the lack of shelter in the Morava Valley for children who get removed from street, so they are temporarily put up in the Home for Neglected Children in Cuprija.
Female children trafficking is not rare among Roma, we learn from the police. They simply pray to God for female children so they could sell them. So it is people trafficking, but it is very difficult to prove because not even the victims themselves will confess anything. For example, there is a Roma colony in Bor and we believe that girls are also sold for marriage, and the price is 5.000 - 30.000 euros, our source says.
"Glas javnosti", 3. 4. 2006.
- BUDVA: 8,4 - 13,6% of Montenegro's population lives in absolute poverty, whereas more than 1/3 of the population lives on the edge of miminal economic endurance, said Rifat Rastoder yesterday, vice-president of Montenegro's Parliament.
"Glas javnosti", 2. 4. 2006.
- SKOPJE: Croatia intends to engage 1.000 shepherds from Macedonia for a monthly fee of 1.000 euros, TV Channel 5 in Skopje reported.
The Macedonian Farmers Federation has announced that there is a great demand abroad for Macedonian shepherds.
"Glas javnosti", 2. 4. 2006.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Deputy regional spokesman for Kosovo Police Service, Sami Mahmeti, confirmed yesterday that UNMIK police and Kosovo police had arrested two Albanian boys aged 17 and 15 from the southern section of Mitrovica who confessed to stabbing 19-year-old Milisav Ilincic with a knife.
"Glas javnosti", 1. 4. 2006.
- PARACIN: The municipality of Paracin will get 15.000 euros from Netherlands' Development Cooperation Ministry for the project of "Social integration of refugees and IDPs".
"Glas javnosti|", 1. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: More than 230.000 boys and girls study university in Serbia. Every 12th graduates.
"Glas javnosti", 4. 4. 2006.
- LOZNICA: Dragan Stanic, local commissioner for refugees in Loznica, says that there is only one family left in the collective center for refugees and IDPs in Banja Koviljaca. "Adequate accommodation will soon be provided for this family. The building where the collective center is located now, will change its purpose, although it is still uncertain what it will be used for", Stanic says. He reminds that when the dislocation of the tenants started, there were 95 people living there from Bosnia&Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo. They were all provided with 5 options for leaving the center.
"Glas javnosti", 4. 4. 2006.
- GNJILANE: Serb sources in Kosovo report that two nights ago unknown persons shot at the house of Cedomir Ivkovic in Strazak near Gnjilane. The attack took place at 2:30 in the morning and it was sinchronized fire from several pieces of automatic weapons. At that moment, six members of the Ivkovic family were in the house, but no one was hurt. The attackers killed the dog in the courtyard.
"Glas javnosti", 5. 4. 2006.
- SARAJEVO: Natasa Kandic, director of the Humanitarian Law Fund, will be presented with the honorary citizen of Sarajevo reward at the session of the City Council on April 6th, marking the Day of the Liberation of Sarajevo.
The explanation of the initiators of the reward is that Kandic was not the only one, but she was definitely one of the few to raise her voice trying to stop the bloodshed of innocent citizens.
"Danas", 5. 4. 2006.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: The reconstruction of the Roma Mahala in southern section of Mitrovica will start today officially. Around 8.000 Roma lived in the Mahala until 1999, confirmed Krstimir Pantic yesterday, head of the Returns Office in Mitrovica.
The foundation stone was laid in the Roma Mahala today for the construction of 57 houses and two apartment buildings.
"Vecernje novosti", 4. 4. 2006.
- KIKINDA: The latest research of the Health Protection Institute of Vojvodina show that 12% of Vojvodina's citizens suffer from diabetes.
"Kurir", 1. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: According to the latest studies, domestic violence and child negligence are increasing in Serbia - every 5th child is abused in some way, and only in the last 7 days, four newborn babies in Serbia were abandoned or dumped, of which three survived and one was found dead in a brook where its mother threw it in the settlement of Bogaljica near Belgrade.
"Glas javnosti", 6. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: 150-200 newborn babies are abandoned in Serbia every year.
Women who dump their newborn babies are:
- mothers suffering from postnatal syndrome
- alcoholics, prostitutes, drug addicts and mentally disturbed persons
- women living in bad social conditions
- victims of rape
"Blic", 6. 4. 2006.
- PANCEVO: Every 3rd child in Pancevo suffers from asthma, which is a consequence of almost daily air contamination spreading from the local industrial zone, said Dr Stanisa Bauman at yesterday's press conference organized by the Democratic Movement for Pancevo.
"Glas javnosti", 6. 4. 2006.
- LESKOVAC: 22 refugee families have moved into the recently finished apartments in Leskovac, constructed thanks to the funds provided by the German Government through the ASB humanitarian organization. The municipality provided the infrastructure.
Thanks to this project, and the previous project when another 22 apartments were constructed and also houses were constructed in the nearby village of Drcevac, the housing problems of 56 refugee families are solved and the collective centers have become redundant n this commune so they have all been closed down, says Miroslav Jankovic, municipal official in charge of refugee and IDP issues.
"Glas javnosti", 6. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The new book dealing with the problems of Roma in Serbia "The Art of Survival" wants to point out today's cruel Roma reality - Dragoljub Ackovic (member of the Presidency of the Roma Congress Union of Europe) stressed yesterday at the presentation of the book published by the Insitute for Philosophy and Social Theory in Belgrade.
The book deals primarily with the origin and identity of Roma, it contains a list of all the Roma settlements in Serbia, brings an investigation into the living conditions of Roma families and finally, examines the possibilities of integration of this community into Serbia's society.
"Danas", 6. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Vladimir Macura, vice-president of the Society for the Improvement of Roma Settlements, says that there are 593 Roma settlements with a total population of around 270.000 in 120 municipalities in Serbia, but the local authorities only in 9 municipalities have taken some steps to improve the construction of infrastructure and Zrenjanin is the only town in Serbia where a procedure is started for the legalization of a Roma settlement.
There are 120 Roma settlements in Belgrade with a total population of around 27.000 Roma. But when the war in Kosovo broke out, lots of Roma from this Province came to Belgrade. Their registration has just started, so the exact number of the inhabitants of the Roma settlements is still unknown.
"Danas", 6. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Today UNMIK will hand over to the Serbian authorities the remains of 11 persons of Serb nationality found on various locations in Kosovo.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: There are around 20.000 miners in Serbia. The average salary in the mines is around 22.000 dinars.
A specialist medical doctor in Serbia has a salary of around 30.000 dinars, a general physician has a salary of 25.000 dinars and a nurse - 18.000 dinars.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Last March a law was passed in Serbia providing for all those born on the territory of former Yugoslavia or Serbia to get Serbia's citizenship.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The situation of Roma in Montenegro has been significantly improved thanks to the activities of NGOs, the Government and the international community, but it is necessary to do much more in order for the efforts of the society to integrate the Roma to be sustainable and efficient, especially in the area of education which is recognized as the only way for long-term exit from poverty, stated the Roma Scholarships Fund on the occasion of the World Day of Roma which is marked every April 8th.
According to official statistics, around 76% of Montenegro's Roma are illiterate, making difficult their more intensive participation in all the forms of education, training, economy and society in general. Still, a positive step forward is the fact that every year more and more Roma finish elementary and secondary school but also more and more receive academic education.
We expect from Montenegro's Government to support financially the Roma Scholarships Fund for the students of secondary schools and the University of Montenegro. The Fund is financing the schooling of some 30 Roma at the moment - a group of students of the Faculties of Philosophy and Law, 7 graduates of the journalist school and 13 highschool students, says this organization's statement for the press issued on the occasion of the World Day of Roma.
"Danas", 7. 4. 2006.
- SMEDEREVO: Police have arrested two 18-year-old boys and 3 underage boys on suspicion of stoning the local catholic church in Smederevo on March 27th, on which occasion they broke the glass on the front door and ran away.
"Blic", 7. 4. 2006.
- PRISTINA: As the Pristina "Express" daily in Albanian reported yesterday, Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku has ordered the Minister of Return, Sasa Petkovic, to submit a detailed report on what has been done with the 7,5 million euros this Ministry has received and so far not one euro has been activated in any project.
"I demanded a meeting with the UNDP officials so they could say what is with the above millions of euros which the Ministry had granted for various projects. Even despite the amounts that I have granted, not one euro has started to function to this day", some news media in Albanian bring this statement by Petkovic.
"Vecernje novosti", 7. 4. 2006.
- PODGORICA: There are over 5.600 medical workers in Montenegro, of which 1.300 are doctors, said Danica Masanovic, Montenegro's Minister of Health, so now there is one doctor to 520 inhabitants. It is a considerably better "coverage" compared to the situation 10 years ago.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: On May 1st, 2005, a boy and a girl wearing military boots beat up Esma Jusufovic and her son Sebastian in the center of Nis. The motive was - the attackers were bothered by Esma Jusufovic's and her son's Roma nationality. The police arrested the attackers, handed them over to the court authorities. Epilogue: both persons were released the same day.
Roma have been living in Serbia for nearly nine centuries, and at the moment there are more than 600 Roma settlements at the moment. The Belgrade based Minority Rights Center dealing, among other things, with the problems of Roma in Serbia, often points out the increasing violence against Roma and the slow reaction by the competent authorities because the state should participate more actively in the struggle against racism and immediately pass a Law against discrimination.
"The Law on health insurance adopted in November 2005, Roma are defined as a separate category and when it comes to employment, there are certain funds intended for Roma and they have priority in employment. The biggest problem is housing because only in Belgrade there are 163 illegal Roma settlements", Marija Demic says, investigator of the Minority Rights Center in Serbia.
The Center is warning that Roma in Serbia are often victims of systematic discrimination when it comes to basic civil rights, and as many as 19,65% of the illiterate persons in Serbia are of Roma nationality.
"When it comes to human rights violations of the Roma, only in the last 3 months we registered 56 cases in Belgrade and Nis - as many as 16 were cases of violence by private persons; 13 were cases of violation of the right to employment on ethnic basis; 11 were cases of violation of the right to access to public services; 11 cases of the violation of education related rights, and 6 were cases of police torture", Demic said.
Nearly 6% of Serbia's population under 15 are of Roma nationality. However, their participation in preschool and elementary education is neglegably small. More than 30% of the Roma are illiterate, mostly women. Dragan Stevanovic, head of the regional office in Belgrade, says that "things are changing for the better" when it comes to the situation of Roma in Serbia. "The situation has improved also thanks to the pressure from the EU and now we are treated as a national minority and not as an ethnic group. We have a good cooperation with the municipal authorities and many affirmative actions for Roma have started", Stevanovic says.
Roma are the most numerous national minority in Europe, there are 12 million of them. Researches show that the social distance towards Roma in Serbia is smaller than in some other European countries.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 4. 2006.
- MAJDANPEK: The Red Cross soup-kitchen in Majdanpek has started working again after 9 months. It is expected for 200 beneficiaries to have one free daily meal, said Kaca Petrovic, secretary of the Red Cross in Majdanpek. Most beneficiaries are older people, pensioners, people without any income for whom this one daily meal means a lot.
The food is provided by the Red Cross of Serbia and the Red Cross of Norway, and the costs for the preparation of the meals are paid by the local self-government.
"The Norwegians are willing to support the soup-kitchen even after the three months are expired, but the question is whether the municipality will find the money to support the soup-kitchen", Petrovic says. She says that the municipality is paying for electricity, water and two cooks.
One of the beneficiaries is Branko Kljajevic (aged 54), refugee from Banija, who has been living in Majdanpek for 11 years. "I used to be a construction worker, today I have no more strength left, my health is poor, and I won't have the right to public assistance allowance in the next three months because, according to the new regulations, public assistance allowance only lasts 9 months per year", he says.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 4. 2006.
- NOVI PAZAR: A Molotov cocktail was thrown on the offices of Rasim Ljajic Sandzak Democratic Party in Novi Pazar on the night between Friday and Saturday. Several Party members were in the premises at the time and they put out the fire, so there no major property damage was done. The Party has announced that the bottle hit the wooden frame of one of the windows and the impact caused the glass to crash. The police arrived at the spot soon and guarded the premises until the following morning when they investigated the scene.
"Glas javnosti", 9. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Serbia and Montenegro's embassador in the Republic of South Africa is a psychiatrist by profession; the embassador in Great Britain is an electrotechnical engineer; the embassadors in Slovenia and Sweden are machine engineers; in Syria - a gynecologist; in Portugal - a writer and movie director; in Austria - a writer; in Croatia - a journalist; in Greece - a psychologist.
"Blic", 8. 4. 2006.
- KRAGUJEVAC: Dusan Janjic, director of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, has stated that sexual discrimination is much higher in Serbia than ethnic discrimination. In Serbia the most discriminated against are Roma and then women.
"Glas javnosti", 10. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: According to the 2002 census in Serbia, around 1,3 million inhabitants don't have elementary education and another 1,3 million only have elementary education. UNESCO's recommendation for all countries to reduce the number of the illiterate by half by the year 2015, Serbia could carry out only in 2137 given the number of schools for elementary education for adults and the number of the illiterate. Mirjana Milanovic, advisor to Serbia's Minister of Education, says that there are only 13 schools for elementary education for adults in Serbia.
More than 70% of the illiterate in Serbia are citizens over 65 whose schooling should have started during or right after Second World War. Vesna Fila, assistant minister of education, says that the rest of the illiterate in Serbia are mostly citizens of Roma nationality.
"We have a major problem keeping Roma children in school because they mostly quit school at the age of 10-15. The Ministry of Education has launched an affirmative action of enrollment of Roma children in secondary schools. We have facilitated the enrollment of Roma children in universities and enabled them very cheap accommodation in student camps. In cooperation with the OSCE, we have formed a group of Roma assistants in elementary schools and in preschool institutions as a link between Roma families and the school", Vesna Fila says.
As part of the "Roma Decade", the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Roma National Council and the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy, have launched the "Functional elementary education of adult Roma" project - this new form of education of adults will last 3 years. The first year, for example, will cover the first 3 grades of elementary school and the students will receive basic functional literacy, i.e. they will learn how to read, write, fill out forms... After completing the 3-year-education, the students will get a certificate of elementary education and a certificate of the professional qualifications they received.
"Glas javnosti", 10. 4. 2006.
- NIS: Of the 480 persons in Nis whose annual income in 2005 was over 1,2 million dinars, 16 are unemployed persons and 13 are pensioners.
"Glas javnosti", 10. 4. 2006.
- SKOPLJE: Compulsory military service will be abolished in Macedonia by 1st of May. Only volunteers will serve the army and the service will be reduced from 6 to 3 months.
"Glas javnosti", 12. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Economic expert Dr Zoran Popov of the BK University in Belgrade says that in the last five years, the economic growth in Serbia was around 4,8% which means that in 17-18 years we will reach the production level and the living standard we had in 1986 or 1989.
"Glas javnosti", 12. 4. 2006.
- SOMBOR: Police stopped the attempt of taking a 14-year-old Roma girl to Italy for the purpose of her engagement in begging, and the perpetrators have been convicted. Namely, a Muharem Cuprijani from Italy wanted to buy a girl for 50 euros and 24 pairs of jeans to train her for begging, and Sahiti Baskimi, with whom the 14-year-old girl was staying, accepted the price and was ready to sell the girl to Cuprijani.
"Glas javnosti", 12. 4. 2006.
- KRUSEVAC: Staphyloccoci bacteria were found on sterilized instruments in 4 private dentist practices in Krusevac, which can cause hepatitis B and C.
"Blic", 12. 4. 2006.
- PODGORICA: Through the program of sustainable return, more than 400 IDPs have returned from Montenegro to Kosovo (to the municipalities of Pec, Klina, Decani and Vitomirica) since last May. The Commissioner, Zeljko Sofranac, says that the successful implementation of the program of IDPs' return to Kosovo is a significant contribution to the realization of the National strategy for permament solution of refugees and IDPs issues in Montenegro.
"Glas javnosti", 16. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Unknown persons torched the car of Danica Lib-Ivanez of Serb nationality living in Austria while she was visiting her mother in her native village of Zagrad near Benkovac (Croatia). Just before dawn she and her husband heard strange noise in the frontyard but it was too late because the car was already on fire. The firefighters arrived only several minutes later but they couldn't put out the fire and the car burnt down completely.
Criatuab police have announced that petrol was poured on the car and set on fire. The damage is estimated at 110.000 kunas (around 27.000 euros).
Before the war in Croatia, the majority of Zagrad's population were Serbs. During the "Storm" in 1995, most of them left the village and several families have returned in the last couple of years.
"Glas javnosti", 16. 4. 2006.
- PODGORICA: The Popular Movement for Sandzak has announced that they will demand independence for Sandzak if Montenegro gets independence in the referendum on May 21st.
"Glas javnosti", 17. 4. 2006.
- CROATIA: Zagreb "Vecernji list" daily reports that Milenko Popovic, Zagreb vicar of the Serbian Orthodox Church, has said that more than 30.000 Serbs in Croatia have converted to catholicism and this process goes on continually. Conversions to catholicism have been recorded in 12 villages. Serbs mostly decide to convert out of fear from getting fired from their jobs.
"Glas javnosti", 14. 4. 2006.
- BUJANOVAC: Police have arrested Dzevat S. (aged 27), Rasit R. (29), Ragmi F. (35), Ferdi R. (20) and underage S.S. suspected of people trafficking, rape and concubinage with a minor.
Ferdi found underage K.S. in Belgrade and lived with her in concubinage for 9 days. When he threw her out, Rasit found her in Bujanovac and raped her together with Dzevat, Ragmi and underage S.S. After that, he sold her to Dzevat for 4.500 dinars.
"Blic", 19. 4. 2006.
- SKOPJE: According to official statistics, 37,3% of Macedonia's population fit for work was unemployed last year.
"Danas", 13. 4. 2006.
- NOVI SAD: President of Vojvodina's Parliament, Bojan Kostres, expressed his contentment yesterday wih the fact that the number of inter-ethnic incidents in Vojvodina dropped significantly last year and said that it was the result of increased engagement of the relevant institutions, as well as the actions of Vojvodina's administration.
"Danas", 13. 4. 2006.
- PIROT: Julka Stankovic and Sladjana Stevic from Kragujevac are married to Serbs displaced from Kosovo who have been living in the refugee camp in Bresnica since 1999. However, the Commission for Refugees considers that they live in the camp illegally so they have to move out. These two women and their children don't have the right to a free daily meal.
Sladjana Stevic's husband works for daily wages, and their only regular source of income is 2.600 dinars of child allowance. They have two daughters, one aged 3,5 and one aged 10 months.
Julka Stankovic and her husband have a 3-year-old daughter and her husband's father lives with them in the same room.
"Julka Stankovic and Sladjana Stevic are citizens of Kragujevac. They don't have a housing recommendation so they are staying in the collective center illegally. Their husbands broke into the rooms where they are staying now. We understand their problems and inconveniences. The Government of Serbia finances the housing and food for refugees so they don't get any food", says Slavica Stevanovic, agent for refugees of the City of Kragujevac.
"Blic", 13. 4. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Serbia is the only country in the world where less than one child is born to each family, and we rank first in Europe when it comes to the number of abortions!
"Glas javnosti", 30. 4 2006.