Three diplomas, but “discriminated against” at work

This 32-year-old from Pristina belongs to the Roma community; there are two “backor diplomas” one in Business Management, one in Education; there's a “mister” in Education Sector Management; and I'm attending studies for another “master” in Inculousive Education.

Amanda says she has applied four times for various jobs in Kosovo state institutions, but without success.

Amanda Toska

She doubts she is discriminated against because of ethnic affiliation.

“I doubt that rejection at work occurred because I belong to the Roma community, because I have always applied to positions for which I am qualified”, Amanda tells Radio Free Europe.

Two of the institutions where it says it has applied are: Kosovo Radio Television (RTK) and the Kosovo Health Ministry.

In Radio Free Europe's interest as to why Amanda was not admitted into work, the ministry did not respond, while the RTK said briefly that “the process of electing the RTK Board members is made by the Assembly of Kosovo”.

Amanda has recently committed to the non-governmental organisation “The Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians”, which supports the marginalised ethnic communities.

She says neither her four sisters nor her brother, all graduates of different faculties, they don't work at state institutions.

“Dating [in employment] is done in implementing criteria when work experience is required... Young people in these communities have no work experience. Where experience can be gained when no job opportunities are given”, says Amanda determined not to give up her public sector employment efforts.

Invaluable Employment

With the Civil Service Law in Kosovo, 10 percent of the jobs in central public institutions must be met by members of communities, while at the municipal level, the fulfillment of jobs by communities is in accordance with the population rate in that municipality.

Over 80,000 people are employed in Kosovo's public sector. Data from the organisation “Voice of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians” indicates that 113 of them belong to these three communities.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, over 13,000 people in the state administration work in 36 of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

In Kosovo, an estimated 40,000 citizens of these communities live.

Representatives of nongovernmental organisations say they are ignored and that the small number of employees affect their social situation.

Young Community People RAE, unemployed and discriminated against
Bashkim Ibishi, director of the organisation “Advancing Togetherı, which aims to integrate communities in Kosovo, claims discrimination is the main reason for the non-employment of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian citizens.

The government's previous questioning that there are no qualified vaults, no longer exists. There are many competitive boys and girls in the market. But, unfortunately, there is no understanding from the Government to engage in public institutions”, Ibishi tells Radio Free Europe.

Ibishi, himself a member of the Roma community, says his son has completed level “master” in Diplomatic Sciences and that six times he applied to Kosovo Foreign Ministry contests, but, according to him, he has never even been invited to the interview.

Ibishi says nongovernmental organisations are the only employer for the young people of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

Representatives of Kosovo institutions agree that the employment quota of minorities is not met, but say they are working to improve the situation.

According to the Office's data on community issues within the Kosovo Prime Minister's Office, over 90 percent of members of Roma communities, Ashkali and Egypt are unemployed.

To improve the situation, officials remember that the Government of Kosovo, in June, has established the inter-institutional team for, reportedly, promoting and promoting the employment of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

“Under this mechanization, we are identifying education, age, geographicality, to see where we can direct and employ these communities in public institutions”, Free Europe Free Habit Hajredini, director of the Office for Good Governance under the Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, tells Radio.

Ibishi, from the organisation “Advancing Together”, suggests concrete measures, dedicated only to these communities.

“to open competitions only for Roma, the Ashkali of Egyptians”, he says.

With the Constitution of Kosovo, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities are recognised as special in Kosovo and enjoy equal rights with all other communities.

According to data from the 2011 population census, 8,824 Roma, 15,436 Ashkalinj and 11,524 Egyptians live in Kosovo.

Kosovo's Statistics Agency has no data on the level of education of these communities.

In the Kosovo Progress Report, released by the European Commission in 2021, the situation of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in the country has been described as serious “”.

Concerns about these communities have also raised human rights organisations Human Rights Watch, headquartered in the United States.

In the report released in January, Human Rights Watch has said that “discrimination against Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians in Kosovo remains a problem”.

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Among other communities in Kosovo are members: Serbs, Turks, Bosniaks and Gorani.

Employment in the two largest communities -- Serbs and Turks -- seems to stand out better.

According to the Office's data on community issues, the unemployment rate among them is over 40 percent.