The findings of a survey on the implementation of the 2013-20 national strategy for Roma inclusion showed that in the month before the survey, the Roma households in Croatia had the average monthly spending of only 2,500 kuna (less than €338).

The survey was conducted on 1,550 Roma households and among the representatives of the Roma civil society organisations and institutions in 12 counties. It was aimed at ensuring the comprehensive and effective exercise of human rights, as well as facilitating Roma integration on local, regional, and national levels, while preserving their identity, culture, and tradition.

The results showed that 28 percent of respondents have felt discriminated against over the past year, notably in the labour and employment areas.

They also showed that 95 percent of Roma children aged 7-14 regularly attend elementary school, while only 31 percent of those aged 15-18 attend secondary school, although 91 percent of the parents whose children attend elementary school want their children to continue with school.

The project, implemented from February 2017 to August 2018, is co-financed through the IPA 2012 programme for the government Office for Human and Ethnic Minority Rights, whose acting manager, Branko Socanac, said the idea was to improve the well-being of all Roma people.

Roma MP Veljko Kajtazi said there were 17,000 Roma living in Croatia, adding that now was the right time to come up with a better approach to resolving their issues.

The Centre for Peace Studies (CMS) and the company Ecorys Hrvatska are in charge of implementing the project.

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.