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Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian Communities in Kosovo Face Double Burden of Poverty and Discrimination

In Kosovo, where institutions promise equality on paper, the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities continue to live on the margins of society, locked out of economic opportunities and ignored by policies meant to protect them.

Two recent reports paint a concerning picture of the situation faced by Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities in Kosovo, who cope with deep-rooted problems like economic exclusion, discrimination in public institutions, and traditions like early marriage, which disproportionately affect young girls. 

Despite constitutional guarantees and a legal quota mandating that at least 10% of public sector jobs go to non-majority communities, the reality of the situation remains bleak.

Emrah Cermjani, director of the NGO Roma in Action in Gjakova, says hiring discrimination remains one of the biggest obstacles.

“These three communities continue to be the most discriminated against in employment and inclusion, due to prejudice and the lack of equal opportunities on the labor market,” Cermjani told Prishtina Insight.

While Kosovo’s civil service law mandates a 10% quota for non-majority employment, implementation is sporadic. Cermjani notes that the Serbian community is often ‘favored’ and candidates from other communities are sidelined.

He also mentioned the abuse of minority quotas by members of the majority.

“It’s not enough to present a piece of paper claiming minority status. Some majority applicants exploit the system, especially in university admissions,” he said.

Kosovo’s Ombudsperson Naim Çelaj told Prishtina Insight that, “we’re seeing some improvements in education and employment efforts, but they are slow and uneven.”

During the presentation of a report on non-majority communities in Kosovo by the North Mitrovica based NGO Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture, ACDC, in Prishtina on June 24, Çelaj said that, “we receive complaints about employment discrimination from these communities.”

“The law leaves room for inclusion, but it lacks concrete mechanisms. The criteria often applied for public service jobs are hard for minority applicants to meet,” he claimed.

According to Çelaj, one of the key challenges is the lack of specific data. 

“In many government reports, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians [legally considered one of the six ethnic communities in the Republic of Kosovo] Croats, and Montenegrins [legally ethnic minorities] are categorised into a broad ‘others’ category, making it nearly impossible to map effective policies,” he explained.

“They feel undervalued compared to other minority communities,” Çelaj added. 

During the same presentation, outgoing deputy Prime Minister, Emilija Rexhepi, admitted that even in cities with large minority populations like Prizren, employment remains a struggle.

“In the municipality of Prizren, we are unable to employ a member of the non-majority community.”

Minister for Return and Communities, Nenad Rasic, echoed this concern, noting differences in application rates with 50-60 Albanian candidates per job posting compared to only 3-5 from minority communities.

Ognjen Gogic, author of the ACDC report ‘Legal Framework for the Protection of Non-Majority Communities in Kosovo’  explained that “there’s a lack of both institutional will and community outreach. Quotas exist on paper, but real-life barriers—from bureaucracy to prejudice—keep these communities from accessing jobs.”

Crisis of early marriage

Children heading to schools in Plemetin. Photo: Vjosa Cerkini.

While economic exclusion limits the futures of citizens in these communities, it is the young women and girls who suffer a heavier, often invisible burden: early marriage.

A report published on June 23, by the NGO ‘Voice of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians,’ sheds light on the practice, which remains deeply instilled in family expectations and cultural norms. 

Based on interviews with nearly 400 individuals across 19 municipalities, the report reveals that over 85% of early marriages in these communities are informal and unregistered, leaving girls without legal protections.

The consequences are felt through the generations.

“Girls drop out of school, lose access to jobs, and become economically dependent at an early age,” the report states. “This is not just a cultural issue, it’s a human rights violation.”

Despite the Law on Child Protection in Kosovo, which bans marriage under the age of 18, many girls are unaware of their rights. The report found that 44% of surveyed youth didn’t know such a law existed, and 57% were unaware that early marriage is classified as a criminal offense.

Cultural dynamics and traditions only deepen the divide.

In 40% of cases, fathers arranged their daughters’ marriages, while, 88% of men said their marriages were their own choice.

“Gender differences are evident, with women reporting less autonomy in the decision to marry and more often facing external influences, especially from the father or extended family. Regarding the decision to enter early marriage, 49% of respondents say that the father bears the greatest influence on this decision,”  the report highlights.

Double discrimination also plays a role. Girls from these communities face exclusion not only because of their ethnicity but also their gender.

“They are doubly marginalized, by society and by their own communities,” the report highlights. 

“Girls are often forced to marry teenage boys or even adult men under the pretense of protecting family honor.”

While 64% of respondents viewed early marriage as negative, acceptance varies between communities: 55% of Roma respondents said it was endorsed in their surroundings, compared to 31% of Egyptians.

The report stated that, “media reports on early pregnancies of girls from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, as well as the births [resulting from these pregnancies], should mobilise central and local institutions and civil society organisations to organise a series of meetings with the aim of identifying concrete and immediate measures to counter the increasing phenomenon of child marriages in general.”

 The Kosovo Police report only one case of early marriage in these communities in 2024, while no such cases handled by the Police are reported for 2022 and 2023.

The report by the NGO ‘Voice of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians’ calls for urgent government and civil society action through strengthening the laws in line with international conventions to explicitly ban early and underage marriage and guarantee access to quality education for all children from Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities.

It also recommends targeted social support that empowers girls and prevents dependency and urges for awareness campaigns in cooperation with community leaders to challenge harmful traditions.

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