Recommendations for overcoming the discrimination against Roma on border crossings

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, in collaboration with the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Office of the Ombudsman, as a result of the joint work of the partners in the area of anti-discrimination for many years, organized a Conference on the topic “Restriction of the right to freedom of movement of Roma at the State Border Crossings”.

The Conference was held on 14 October 2015, at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Skopje. Around 60 representatives from the relevant ministries of internal affairs, foreign affairs, justice, labor and social policy, Commission for Protection from Discrimination, the Agency for Minority Rights Realization, the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors and numerous civil society organizations participated at the event. Representatives of foreign embassies and international organizations were also present at the Conference.

Speeches were delivered by the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ombudsman, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, OSCE/OIDHR, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and the NGO KHAM from Delcevo addressing the phenomenon of racial profiling and discrimination of Roma at the border crossings, including comparative  presentations of the situation in the wider region.

The participants expressed their appreciation of the initiative to organize a conference on this important topic and were actively involved in the discussion which resulted in the adoption of several recommendations.