Professional paper
Improving the lives of the Roma national minority in the City of Zagreb
Ivana Šućur
orcid.org/0009-0007-1290-7311
; Teaching Institute for Public Health "Dr. Andrija Štampar", Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Improving the quality of life for Roma in Zagreb is not just a matter of social justice and human rights, but also a key aspect of public health. Roma face numerous forms of inequality; access to education, particularly secondary education, is difficult, as is access to employment. Their health status is generally poorer, and access to healthcare is often hindered by obstacles such as unresolved legal status, lack of insurance, and discrimination. Planning effective interventions is hindered by imprecise demographic data (according to the 2021 census, 2,167 Roma live in Zagreb). Furthermore, the unresolved legal status of part of the population represents a fundamental barrier to accessing basic services. Deep poverty and high unemployment rates are widespread, particularly affecting children and women. Although national and local strategies exist, along with specific programs like scholarships for pupils and students, civil society organizations play a vital role. They contribute through research, policy advocacy, project implementation, and direct community support. Key challenges include the lack of reliable data for monitoring progress and evaluating impact, as well as a significant "implementation deficit" in existing policies. The main causes of this deficit include insufficient or inadequate funding, bureaucratic obstacles, poor coordination among stakeholders, and the insufficient involvement of Roma themselves in planning and implementation processes.
Keywords
inequality; national minority; Roma; strategies; Zagreb
Hrčak ID:
332653
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2025.
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