Registration of Roma Citizens

OSCE

20 December 2004

The lack of personal identification papers, such as birth crtificates, ID cards or residence permits, adds to the exclusion of Roma from society.

The failure to report a new-born child at the appropriate registry office could later prevent the enrollment of the child in the education and social welfare system. The lack of personal identification also has negative impact on the use of healthcare services and participation in elections.

The impossibility to get documents is related to the poverty and the low social status of the Roma community. Many Roma don’t register their new-born children for variety of reasons, in spite of the fact that reporting is legally obligatory in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The OSCE Mission to B&H assists the Roma to register in new births Registry Book through a pilot-projct implemented in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, through mediation of the dialogue with the local authorities, regarding the simplification of the complex administrative procedures in cases of late registry.

On the other hand, the project includes an information campaigns to raise the awareness of the Roma population about the importance of registration in birth registry books.

The project is funded by the Norwegian People’s Aid.

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