WORLD DAY OF THE ROMA PEOPLE

Belgrade, 7. April 2005 - HRH Crown Prince Alexander II extended his congratulations to all the members of the Roma Community today, on the occasion of 8 April, the World Day of the Roma people.

HRH Crown Prince Alexander II would like to draw the attention of the public about the difficult situation of the Roma in society. Through the centuries, Roma people have always shared destiny with the people in the areas they live. Beside the fact that the Roma People in Serbia are recognized as a national minority, there is much more to be done to improve their integration into society.

It is stunning that only very small number of the Roma people finish elementary and high school. A large number of Roma children are not included in the most elementary prevention activities of health protection, such as vaccination, and that Roma people live shorter than the rest of the population, which is proof of their difficult conditions of life.

Because of that, HRH Crown Prince Alexander II strongly believes that more effort should be put into securing better conditions for the Roma population in all fields, especially in the field of education and health protection.