MINELRES: ERRC: Roma Rights 3/2003: Personal Documents and Fundamental Rights

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Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <errc@errc.org>


Roma Rights 3/2003: Personal Documents and Fundamental Rights

Roma Rights 3/2003 takes as its theme "Personal Documents and Access to 
Fundamental Rights". Research shows that numerous Roma around Europe -
and particularly in countries emerging from the dissolution of large 
federations such as the former Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and 
Czechoslovakia remain disproportionately affected by a lack of personal 
documents, including birth certificates, identity documents, residence 
permits, documents proving eligibility for state-provided social welfare 
and health insurance, and passports. Roma are frequently unable to
access citizenship, and the anathema phenomenon of statelessness has
arisen in a number of states. The lack of one document leads to the
inability, in many cases, to access others. The inability of Roma to
access such basic personal documents has given rise to a situation in
which their ability to access services crucial to the realisation of a
number of fundamental rights and freedoms is threatened and, in many
cases, denied. Due to a lack of personal documents, many Roma are barred
in practice from registering to vote, registering residences, and
accessing rights to health care, education, employment and social
benefits. Roma living in regions affected by state succession and
massive forced migrations, such as the war-affected former Yugoslav
countries, are particularly vulnerable to this
phenomenon. Apart from localised actions by some non-governmental
organisations, little work to date has been undertaken to remedy this
problem. The contents of Roma Rights 3/2003, including direct links to
articles, follows:

EDITORIAL
Privileging the Document Claude Cahn
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/editori.shtml

NOTEBOOK
Personal Documents and Threats to the Exercise of Fundamental Rights of
Roma in Europe, by Tatjana Peric
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb1.shtml
The Erasure: Administrative Ethnic Cleansing in Slovenia, by Jasminka
Dedic
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb2.shtml
Profile of One Community: A Personal Document Survey among the Romani 
Population of Kumanovo, Macedonia Narrative project report of the Romani
organisation Roma Community Center DROM
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb3.shtml
Roma in Russia: A Personal Documents Disaster, by Leonid Raihman
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb4.shtml
The Right to an Identity, by Lindsey Cameron
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb5.shtml
Faces of Romani Statelessness in Greece, by Theodoros Alexandridis
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb6.shtml
Exercise of Fundamental Rights by the Roma of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Access to Personal Documents and the Right to Housing by Paul Prettitore
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb7.shtml
A Step in the Right Direction: Accessing Personal Documents in
Montenegro, 
Narrative project report of the non-governmental organisation
Humanitarac
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/noteb8.shtml

SNAPSHOTS FROM AROUND EUROPE
Albania * Belgium * Bosnia and Herzegovina * Bulgaria * Croatia * Czech
Republic Denmark * Germany * Greece * Hungary * Ireland * Italy *
Macedonia * Moldova * Netherlands * Romania * Russia * Serbia and
Montenegro * Slovakia * Turkey * United Kingdom
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/snapshots.shtml

ADVOCACY
Housing Rights in Greece: First ERRC Action Under the European Social 
Charter, by Mona Nicoara
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/advocacy.shtml

LEGAL DEFENCE
European Roma Rights Center in Action - Developments in Strategic 
Litigation, by Gloria Jean Garland
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/legal_defence.shtml

FIELD REPORT
ERRC in Montenegro, by Djordje Jovanovic
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/field_report.shtml

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
ERRC Scholarships for Romani Students of Law and/or Public
Administration 
2003-2004 Academic Year
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/human_rights_education.shtml

ROMANI LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS
Konkluzie/phanglipa: Personale Dokumentura Thaj Problemura Pala
Astaripe Fundamentale Chachipengo/Xakajengo Mashkar Rroma
Ande Purani Jugoslavia Romani-language translation of conclusions on
ERRC workshop on personal documents and access to fundamental rights,
Igalo, Montenegro, September 6-8, 2002
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/romani.shtml

MEET THE ERRC
The Dark Side of the Moon, by Istv�n Fenyvesi
http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/meet.shtml

CHRONICLE: http://errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/chronicle.shtml

***

Editor-in-chief Dimitrina Petrova
Executive editor Claude Cahn
Associate editor Savelina Danova Russinova
Guest editor Tatjana Peric
News co-ordinator Tara Bedard
Design and layout Istv�n Fenyvesi

� October 2003 European Roma Rights Center ISSN 1417-1503. The opinions 
expressed in authored pieces are not necessarily those of the European
Roma Rights Center. The contents of this journal are free from all
copyright restrictions on condition that the source is mentioned and
reproduction is not for commercial purposes. The ERRC requests that
three copies of the reproduced text be sent to the editor.

Roma Rights is published quarterly in Budapest, Hungary, by the European
Roma Rights Center. ERRC action in the field of personal documents and
access to fundamental rights has been supported by the Human Rights
Project Fund of the government of the United Kingdom's Foreign and
Commonwealth Office. Roma Rights 3/2003 is also partially funded by a
grant from Freedom House.

_____________________________________________

The European Roma Rights Center is an international public interest law
organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and provides legal
defence in cases of human rights abuse. For more information about the
European Roma Rights Center, visit the ERRC on the web at
http://www.errc.org.

European Roma Rights Center
1386 Budapest 62
P.O. Box 906/93
Hungary


Phone: +36 1 4132200
Fax:   +36 1 4132201

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