Furthermore, Roma girls and women might face additional vulnerability with regard to obtaining their personal documents due to phenomena that include the practice of early and child marriages, while home births of the children of undocumented parents might leave their children without birth registration and protection. As a result, the lack of personal documents precludes a number of Roma women and men from enjoying their basic economic and social rights, such as the right to quality education, the right to health, the right to adequate housing and the right to social assistance. The study calls for a more proactive and systemic approach to addressing the problem of the lack of personal documents among Roma. The Ukrainian authorities should consider amending the existing laws and regulations, particularly to improve access to free legal aid and to simplify administrative procedures. Efforts to improve access to personal documents for Roma should also include capacity building for the judiciary and civil servants, revocation of fines imposed on persons without personal documents, the abolition of court fees for the procedure for establishment of the fact of the birth, and improved access to justice. Moreover, the study recommends establishing an expert body, supported by relevant international organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to co-ordinate these efforts and to develop more specific proposals and guidelines to solve the problems identified. The Ukrainian authorities should also initiate a nationwide awareness-raising and information campaign on the importance of obtaining identification and civil registration documents, especially registration at birth, following the adoption of simplified procedures. The study also takes positive note that some regional authorities in Ukraine have already demonstrated that there are sufficient examples of practical approaches and initiatives which led to a successful solving of the identified problems, such as the enhanced participation of the Roma community and Roma civil society organizations and a more proactive approach by the authorities. An important element of these examples is that the authorities have adjusted their activities in accordance to the specific situation of Roma without personal documents. These good practices should be broadened and experiences shared with other regions where communities face similar problems in obtaining personal documents. Regional and local authorities are called to genuinely consult the Roma community, including Roma women, and to include them in their work, as well as to develop joint projects and programmes with local civil society organizations. Successful stories and good practices in this area can also be found in other OSCE participating States. National authorities, with technical support from the OSCE, the UNHCR and other relevant stakeholders, should draw from regional experiences for issuing personal documents to Roma and ensure their access to basic rights and services without discrimination. 9