T H E F ormer yugoslav republic of macedonia | The Roma and other ethnic minorities “They were born here, how can I not get a birth certificate for my children?” Sokolovski, a 28-yearold ethnic Albanian man. His mother, who abandoned him as a child, was from Kosovo but he was born in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and has lived there his entire life. Sutki’s only document is an I.D. for foreigners, which comes without any entitlements to health insurance and limits his employment to the duration of his permit (i.e. one year). “With an I.D. for foreigners, no one wants to employ you. We are reduced to poverty”, says Haidar Osmani. Poverty, in combination with the inability to access public healthcare, has devastating health Aijnur Demir, 26, and his young family at Pod Kale settlement, Skopje, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. implications for many Roma, who are unable to pay for medical insurance from their own pockets. Haidar was forced to sell his house after he needed treatment for cancer. For the five members of his family, he has to cover around USD 240 per month for health insurance. Without a national I.D. he is not entitled to health insurance, social assistance or sustainable employment. “I have made more than 20 formal applications for documents since 1991. I even visited the Ombudsman’s Office. They [the authorities] didn’t explain things to me, The Roma and other ethnic minorities they just asked for documents that I don’t have”, he explains, defeated. Almost all members of the community share his sentiments that they are not given clear instructions by the authorities, that they experience arbitrary treatment and that they are asked to produce documents they are unable to obtain. “I went to the public notary and asked for these documents”, Haidar continues, “I even got the notary to certify that I am who I am. I even had witnesses. When I went back to the authorities to show them the documents, they said I didn’t need them and tore them apart.” Bajramsha Esad, a 42-year-old Roma mother who tried to obtain a birth certificate for her son, tells us “when the lady at the desk saw me she made a face and told me to leave. They offend us, and often say ‘Get away from here, gypsy.’” This feeling of being shunned due to their ethnicity resonates strongly within the community. “Every time I show up they are repulsed because I am Roma”, says Ferdi Bislimi, a 23-year-old Roma man without any identity documents. Unless accompanied by a lawyer or supported by a local NGO, the Roma typically face discriminatory treatment when trying to access public services. The community therefore relies on UNHCR’s partner organisation, the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, and Roma NGOs, like Ambrela, in order to obtain birth certificates and other forms of documentation as well as to access other rights, such as education. Due to futile attempts in the past, many Roma are of the view that they cannot enroll their children in school. The national Law on Primary Education, however, states that every child has a right to primary education on a non-discriminatory basis. This includes the admission of stateless and undocumented 26 • UNHCR STATELESSNESS REPORT 2017 | T H E F ormer yugoslav republic of macedonia children residing on the territory. In practice, Roma children are often prevented from graduating to the next level and birth certificates are mandatory in order to take final exams. Mivtar Rustemov, a 48-year-old Roma father of seven, has for years been trying in vain to obtain birth certificates for his six children who were born at home. “I cannot understand how this is possible. They were born here, how can I not get a birth certificate for my children? I want her [his daughter Lirije] to have the same opportunities as her friends have.” The younger generation feels that they are missing out on opportunities due to their inability to travel outside the country or even to move around freely within it because of targeted I.D. checks by the police. “They [police] know what we do, where we go. They ask for our I.D.s, when we say we don’t have any, we are arrested. They take us to the police station, beat us and threaten us with fines”, explains 26-year-old Ajnur Demir. Despite the younger generations’ wish to escape these daily humiliations, they admit that “our country is dear to us. We need the conditions to live here. Everywhere else we are foreigners. Here we are home.” Some of these issues are now being addressed. The Working Group on ‘Resolving the Issue of Undocumented Persons’ under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy has recently resumed its work and discussions are ongoing on potential law reforms that would help the Roma access procedures for birth and personal name registration. The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy is also covering the costs of DNA testing for the most vulnerable Roma families to enable birth registration for children born at home who lack other evidence to prove their family links. 2017 UNHCR STATELESSNESS REPORT • 27