Don’t let international crises obscure the plight of the Roma

A fire broke out in October last year in a house in the northern port town of Brcko, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where an impoverished family had been trying to stay warm using a faulty stove. Six Roma, including two children, died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The fire occurred in a predominantly Roma neighborhood called Suljagica Sokak. The incident sparked outrage among human rights activists and was covered widely in the media, but Bosnian society and institutions remained largely silent.

Bosnia and Herzegovina never quite recovered economically from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, and its political situation is equally dire. While all citizens feel the impact, the difficulties are particularly glaring for minorities.

A common phrase among the Roma in the former Yugoslavia is that life was good under Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, and the Roma enjoyed equal education and work opportunities. As Yugoslavia collapsed, so too did the status of the Roma in the Balkans.

Of the 17 recognized minorities in Bosnia, the Roma are in the worst position. Many live in substandard accommodation. Due to discrimination and lack of skills caused by unequal access to education, they are not able to find adequate jobs. Many have left the country and migrated to western Europe, leaving the remaining community even more vulnerable.

Despite their rampant disregard of the Roma, who make up about 1.7 percent of Bosnia’s population, ethno-based political parties are eager to manipulate the community for political purposes — as a voter base, and to rig numbers during the country’s population census.

During the 2013 census in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for instance, some Roma communities already facing prejudice and discrimination were coerced into declaring themselves Serbs, Bosniaks, or Croats, depending on their location. This sort of manipulation makes it even more difficult to determine the exact number of Roma and the services they need.

The focus on international politics, whether it is the Ukraine war or the looming threat of conflict in Bosnia, should not deter Sarajevo or Brussels from recognizing and addressing the plight of the Roma.

Hikmet Karcic

With the growing instability in the Balkans, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are especially susceptible to any kind of security threat that will create chaos for minorities caught in the crossfire, as was the case in the 1990s. When countries or empires fall apart, it is minorities who suffer most.

It is not only in contemporary Bosnia’s tense political and security context that the Roma are under threat, however. The situation in Bosnia is a microcosm of Romas’ position in the Balkans, and the rest of Europe for that matter.

Hate speech and hate crimes against Roma have intensified over the years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. With the rise of nativist far-right movements and parties across Europe, minorities such as the Roma are under increasing pressure, and are targeted by politicians and ultranationalist gangs alike.

It is an obligation, therefore, for Bosnia, and other countries to do more to recognize the reality of life for the Roma. For Bosnia, it would be a first step to acknowledge the crimes that were committed against Roma during the Samudaripen, the Roma genocide during the Second World War. These crimes were committed by virtually all armies and military fractions and have long been ignored and denied.

Second, Roma culture, language and identity needs to be fully acknowledged and respected. The Roma identity is virtually on the sidelines of our societies. And most importantly, a specific strategy on countering discrimination needs to be established, which would include criminalising anti-Roma hate speech.

History has shown that an atrocity is more likely if it has already been committed in the past. The focus on international politics, whether it is the Ukraine war or the looming threat of conflict in Bosnia, should not deter Sarajevo or Brussels from recognizing and addressing the plight of the Roma. In fact, it is more vital than ever to change policies toward the Roma and other minorities in the region.

• Hikmet Karcic is a genocide scholar in Sarajevo, and author of the forthcoming book “Torture, Humiliate, Kill: Inside the Bosnian Serb Camp System” (University of Michigan Press, 2022). He was the 2017 Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation-Keene State College Global Fellow.

Twitter: @hikmet_karcic