Praxis
Information Submitted to the CERD on the Occasion of Initial Periodic Report of Serbia
NGOs from Serbia – Regional Centre for Minorities, CEKOR - Centre for Ecology and Sustainable Development, CHRIS – Network of the Committees for Human Rights in Serbia, and Praxis submitted an alternative report entitled Information Submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on the Occasion of Initial Periodic Report of Serbia.
As a State Party to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Republic of Serbia is obliged to regularly submit reports to the Committee, presenting all measures taken regarding the implementation of the Convention. Serbia submitted the Initial Periodic Report to the Committee in August 2009, 19 months late. It is also practice that non-governmental organizations submit alternative or shadow reports as additional information to the Committee in their estimate of State reports.
The organizations submitting the report have opted for the so-called “violations approach” which identifies burning issues in exercise of basic human rights, such as, for example, problems related to right to housing, right to nationality, right to freedom of movement and residence within the border of the State, right to own property and other basic human rights. Due to the selected approach, the report does not deal with the positive sides of the State policy in certain topics, but exclusively with serious violations of human rights of which no information was given in the Initial Periodic Report of the Republic of Serbia.
The data presented in this report are a result of years of field work, information and cooperation with grass-root organizations, analysis of our previous experience in the topics relevant for the report and following on and analysing the work of the State bodies.
The Committee will consider the report during the 78th Session, on Thursday 24th February and Friday 25th February 2011. The report will be considered together with those of the State and international organizations Amnesty International and European Roma Rights Centre.
Download: Information Submitted to CERD on the Occasion of Initial Periodic Report of Serbia
Praxis Organized Training in Vranje on Access to Social Protection and Health Care for Members of Vulnerable Groups
On 18 April 2013, Praxis organized training in Vranje for Roma activists and organizations and representatives of non-governmental organizations working on the protection of human rights. The topic of the training was access to social protection and health care for the members of vulnerable groups. The training was organized as a part of the Project “Access to Social Welfare and Health Protection for Vulnerable Groups in the South of Serbia,” funded by the Fondation Caritas Luxembourgh. The training was attended by 19 Roma activists and representatives of non-governmental organizations from the Pcinja District.
The purpose of the training was to acquaint the participants with the current problems the Roma and internally displaced persons are facing in exercising socioeconomic and other rights, and, at the same time, to empower them to provide adequate assistance to the vulnerable groups. The present participants were acquainted with the obstacles in access to social protection and health care and available mechanisms for overcoming these obstacles. The regulations and legal solutions the implementation of which directly or indirectly affects the exercise of the above-mentioned rights were also presented. Furthermore, the participants had the opportunity to get thoroughly informed about the consequences of lack of personal documents, as well as the difficulties related to registration of permanent residence, newly adopted regulations prescribing the possibility of registration of permanent residence at the address of social welfare centre and the problems occurring in practice as a result of poor implementation of these regulations.
At the final part of the training, the participants took active part in the discussion and expressed their observations and experience in this legal field. Thus, the present participants pointed that it would be necessary to organize a joint meeting of the representatives of local Roma community, social welfare centres and other competent institutions, in order to additionally inform and sensitise the representatives of competent state institutions about the specific characteristics of the living conditions and social position of Roma and internally displaced persons.
Sustainable Solutions for Displaced Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians and Policies to Improve the Reintegration of Repatriated Roma
Report of the OSCE-ODIHR roundtable organized in co-operation with the Serbian Ministry of Human and Minority Rights has been published.
Praxis Interns
Bojana Vulić is a student of the final year at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade. She studies at the Department of criminal law and she would like to continue to practice law in non-governmental organisations.
"During my internship at Praxis I was able to learn more about administrative law on the ground level. Also, I was able to improve my soft skills, such as communication, initiative, problem solving, etc. An opportunity to participate at a constructive meeting of stakeholders regarding discrimination against minorities was very useful experience for me. On a daily basis, I could meet different beneficiaries of Praxis’ services, find out about their needs and experiences, and witnessed efficient providing of support to them. Since this internship was my first real contact with the law, it helped me shape my future goals and plans."
Nikola Petrovic has graduated from the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade. He is currently attending Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Intercultural Mediation: Identities, Mobilities, Conflicts, and his thesis is related to social inclusion of Roma in Serbia.
"My internship in Praxis primarily allowed me to familiarise myself with the functioning of an NGO acting in the area of human rights protection. Praxis' staff members were glad to respond to all of my inquiries and they assigned me to tasks of relevance to my master's thesis. I was able to broaden my knowledge on strategic and planning documents and public policies regarding inclusion of Roma in Serbia, and to gather more information on the forms of discrimination this national minority faces in school context and on various legal actions undertaken by Praxis in order to address these issues. The visit to an informal settlement was particularly important for me since I was able to gain in-field experience and to get a deeper insight into the problems encountered by the Roma community in the schooling process."
Aleem Datoo is a candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Political Science at Northeastern University and took part in the Praxis Internship Program from January to June 2015. He was involved in several research projects including a detailed study of the asylum system in Serbia and in Europe. He also helped to reach Praxis’ publicity goals by writing press releases and blog posts regarding pressing issues in Serbia today. Through these projects, along with his work in field visits and other internal tasks, Aleem has demonstrated both his passion and initiative to support Praxis and the work it does.
“Working at Praxis has been a wonderful experience for me, and was the perfect compliment to an ongoing university education. The organization helped me transition the theoretical knowledge and skills I had developed through classes and apply them in a real-life setting. Not only was I able to enhance my research and writing skills, I also had the opportunity to see how an efficient NGO is run, and the different components that comprise the organization. The office ensured that I was exposed to a variety of different tasks including: funding, research and communication, which proved to be an invaluable experience. Additionally, I was exposed to the situation of the Roma as well as other minorities in Serbia, and their interactions within different layers of Serbian society. I greatly appreciate the skills and knowledge I have developed from Praxis, and thank them for igniting my passion for discrimination and equality that they work so hard to promote. Hvala puno!”
Ivana Stojadinovic graduated at the Faculty of Law of the Union University, Belgrade. She was an intern in Praxis from January until March 2015. During her internship, she conducted research within the Child Rights Programme. She also went on field visits with Praxis legal team, participated in hearings in the procedures for determination of time and place of birth, and at various meetings.
“Internship in Praxis was very useful for me on many levels, since this was my first work experience and I had the opportunity to share the office with legal staff members who were so kind to reply to my every question or clarify doubts. During this time, I gained an insight into the legal status of IDPs and persons of Roma ethnicity by listening, both in the office and in the field, about the difficulties they face every day which represents a valuable life and professional experience for me and has provided me with the direction as to how I want to develop my future career.”
Theresa Park is a candidate for Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs at Northeastern University in Boston. She took part in Praxis Internship Programme in the period from September to December 2014. Theresa conducted the extensive research related to child labour and child marriage in the selected countries. She has shown great devotedness to improving research and analyzing skills.
"My experience at Praxis was a rewarding opportunity that I am very grateful for. This internship provided me with valuable insight to various human right issues that I do not believe I could have fully understood otherwise. I was able to improve my analytic research and reporting skills, as well as participate in Roma settlement site visits and attend an Anti-discrimination workshop. These opportunities within the Praxis internship will supplement my repertoire and will without a doubt help me in my future endeavors.
Kajsa Freijd has finished Legal Science Program with International Approach at Örebro University. She took part in Praxis Internship Programme in the period from September to November 2014. Kajsa was working on the comparative analysis of the accession process, negotiations and the main challenges faced by Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. Kajsa also immensely contributed to summarising the screening reports for the chapters 19, 23 and 24. She was a meticulous, systematic, analytic and very devoted intern.
"After completing my internship at Praxis I went back to Sweden with a luggage filled with new experiences. During the last 4 years I’ve studied Public International Law combined with EU-Law and through my internship I got my very first experience of putting theoretical knowledge into practical work. Praxis’ personnel supported me in my work on own projects and gave me valuable job assignments that resulted in a great understanding of human rights issues in the specific national context.
I realize how lucky I was that I ended up within an organization with such passion and dedication to the issues they are working with. This became especially apparent to me when I got to go on a field visit to an informal settlement together with some fellow employees from the office. Thanks to you all for a great time!"
Marija Todorovic graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences, Department for International Relations in Belgrade and obtained MA Degree at the Central European University in Budapest. Following her master studies, she took an internship position in Praxis in the period from February to April 2014. During that period, Marija developed the paper regarding the negotiations on Serbia’s accession to the EU. Moreover, from May until July 2014, Marija was engaged in the project when she devotedly conducted Initial Evaluation on Mediation in Serbia.
"The possibility of internship in Praxis was a great opportunity to gain insight into functioning of an organization that is active in the protection of human rights. By getting acquainted with their activities I had a chance not only to better understand the problems faced by the members of socially vulnerable groups in their everyday life, but also to understand the wider social and political context that hinders search for long-term and sustainable solutions. Also, through this internship programme, I increased my knowledge in the field of interethnic relations by getting better acquainted with the position of Roma minority in Serbia and obstacles found in the process of their institutional and social integration. I am sure that the knowledge and skills gained during the period of internship in Praxis will be very useful in my further professional development.
Milica Novkovic graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences, Department for Journalism and Communication, in Belgrade. While she was at master studies, she took an internship position in Praxis in the period from January to May 2014. During that period, Milica conducted the Analysis of Online Reporting on Asylum Seekers in Serbia. She possesses great analytical skills and is very devoted and task-oriented.
"Interning in Praxis was highly important to me. In addition to being my first encounter with business tasks, interning in Praxis provided me with an opportunity to have a better insight into the position of minority groups thanks to Praxis' employees. Praxis' mobile legal teams' visits to informal Roma settlements I participated in and talking to refugees, mainly from Kosovo, helped me imagine their life in Serbia. Also, taking part in conferences, drafting announcements and doing analysis of online reporting on asylum seekers in Serbia enriched my experience and made these topics become my everyday interest."
Hayley Anderson is a candidate for Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs at Northeastern University in Boston. She took part in Praxis Internship Programme in the period from January to June 2013. Hayley was involved in reviewing, analysing and summarizing U.S. court cases relevant to Praxis legal work. In addition, she also conducted the extensive research of the human rights work of European NGOs involved in assisting vulnerable populations and organized the resulting information for use by housing rights specialists at Praxis, and also investigated anti-discrimination techniques implemented in the U.S.
"Interning at Praxis has solidified my interest in international human rights issues. I’ve found the issues that Praxis works on incredibly interesting, and I’d like to eventually work in the field of human rights. Praxis has helped me get closer to that goal by allowing me to expand my knowledge and world view and by giving me an opportunity to improve skills, such as writing and analysis, that are very relevant to working with human rights and international issues. I’m excited to use the skills and knowledge I’ve gained at Praxis both in the classroom during my last semesters at Northeastern, and in my next co-op and beyond."
Melissa Aldape volunteered her consultancy with Praxis to develop guidelines for an internship program during the spring 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in both International Studies–cum laude and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Utah, USA. Prior to joining Praxis, Melissa worked in program development and coordination for the International Rescue Committee and the Utah Mentoring Partnership. At home, Melissa has a breadth of experience working in community activism and human rights with a variety of grassroots, local to international not-for-profit organizations. While living abroad, she has traveled to 14 countries and still favors Belgrade, Serbia as a favorite.
"My internship at PRAXIS was infinitely valuable. It was an excellent opportunity to expand my understanding of human rights issues, and gain valuable insight into the context that PRAXIS impacts in the Balkan region. I was impressed with the passion and dedication of the organization and learned a great deal of current needs and solutions to real-life conflicts, as well as the institutions that are working in this arena. They listened to my own interests and helped me to tailor a project that would suit their needs as well as apply my skills. I have already used this to consult other organizations and companies since then. My only regret is not have had more time with PRAXIS!"
Housing
Copies of Kamenica and Vitina Registry Books Handed over
EULEX representatives handed over certified copies of 1550 civil registry books from Serbia to the Civil Registration Agency of Kosovo. The complete files for two municipalities, Kamenica (824 books) and Vitina (726 books), were handed over, consisting of the certified copies of original civil and religious registry books with data on birth, marriage and death.
The copies have been produced and certified in the last two months as part of the project based in Nis, Serbia, involving EULEX, the EU Office in Kosovo/EUSR, the Danish Refugee Council as the implementing partner, and the teams from Kosovo and Serbia.
It is estimated that there are in total some 12,000 registry books in Serbia. This process of certifying copies of the original registry books is part of the EU facilitated Dialogue agreement reached on 2 July 2011 between Pristina and Belgrade. This EU Office funded project is the first phase of the establishment of a fully reliable and sustainable Civil Registry in Kosovo, as stipulated in the road map for Visa liberalisation.
EULEX now has handed over a total of 6,320 certified copies of Civil Registry books, covering the municipalities of Pristina (1013), Lipjan (848), Obilic (264), Kosovo Polje (219), Glogovac (425), Podujevo (1066), Gnjilane (935), Kamenica (824) and Vitina (726).
Announcement taken from EULEX Kosovo website
Roundtables on Testing the Implementation of the Ombudsperson’s Recommendations Regarding Vulnerable Persons Held in Belgrade
In June and July 2013, Praxis in cooperation with the Deputy Ombudsperson for National Minority Rights held 4 roundtables named “Testing the Implementation of the Ombudsperson’s Recommendations Regarding Vulnerable Persons”, within the project of the same name, funded by USAID through Judicial Reform and Government Accountability Project.
The goal of the roundtables held in Belgrade, Subotica, Kraljevo and Bujanovac was to present the report “Testing the Implementation of the Ombudsperson’s Recommendations Regarding Vulnerable Persons”, which comprises the results of testing of the implementation of 19 Ombudsperson’s recommendations and the main obstacles to their implementation, to the representatives of non-governmental sector and republic and local authorities. The roundtables were also an opportunity to exchange opinions related to the model of mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the Ombudsperson’s recommendations proposed by Praxis in the report.
Several proposals, which would contribute to more efficient implementation of recommendations, were presented during the discussion: deepening the cooperation between the ombudspersons at republic and local levels, more active role of the non-governmental sector in the process of testing of the implementation of recommendations and necessity of appointing someone in public authorities to be responsible for maintaining the contact with the Ombudsperson.
Download the report: Testing the Implementation of the Ombudsperson’s Recommendations
Download: Interview of Ivana Stankovic, Praxis programme coordinator, on the publication of the report
Migration
Employment
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