LAWYERS IN ROMA SETTLEMENTS

26. August 2015.

Nis, Bujanovac - Getting acquainted with the Roma rights, preparation of necessary documents and the uncovering of potential discrimination will, in the future, take place in Roma settlements in Nis and Bujanovac, as the lawyers of the CHRIS Network will set up their checkpoints there.

Statistics show that most Roma don’t know what their rights are, which institutions they can turn to for help, while a large number of them have no money for a lawyer.

The CHRIS Network, which is an organization that has been striving for the respect of human rights in Serbia since 2000, decided to approach the Roma by their lawyers going to Roma settlements.

The coordinator of the organization Dragan Djordjevic says that “we are obliged to provide to each individual to find out what his or her rights are, but, unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. Among the uninformed residents are the Roma, and lawyers rarely visit their settlements. So we decided that instead of the citizens coming to us, we will go to their settlements. We’ll set up the so-called mobile checkpoints at which Roma will be able to get information on all forms of assistance available to them", Mr. Djordjevic said.

CHRIS lawyers will try to be a link between the Roma communities and local authorities and to contribute to their voices being heard among those who have the task of developing and implementing local policies for reducing ethnic distance.

The legal points in South Serbia will be set up in the Roma settlements in Nis and Bujanovac. When it comes to the rest of Serbia, they will be set up in Negotin, Valjevo and Novi Pazar.

Interested citizens may obtain the information on when the lawyers will be visiting their settlements on the following phone numbers: 017 / 651-793 for Bujanovac and 018 / 526-232 for Nis.

The CHRIS Network opened a call center for free legal aid and thus made it possible for all citizens of Serbia to contact via the free phone number 0800 008 007 the legal team of the organization.

Source: Southern News and Coordination Body