In 2008 there were about 500-700 Romani people in Mitrovica refugee camps. These three camps were created by the UN in Kosovo. The camps are based around disused heavy metals mines which have fallen out of use since the end of the Kosovo War of 1999. There have been complaints that the residents are suffering severe lead poisoning. According to a 2010 Human Rights Watch, Romani displaced from the Romani quarter in Mitrovica, due to its destruction in 2000, continued to be inmates of camps in north Mitrovica (Cesmin Lug, Osterode and Leposavic), where they were exposed to environmental lead poisoning.[1]
A number of people have been resettled to the local mahala and to the former French UN barracks.[2]
The current situation is that approximately 150 Romani, Ashkali and Egyptian families live in the camps of North Mitrovica. There are plans to resettle the majority of these families to the Romani Mahala neighbourhood in the main part of the city (across the Rivar Ibar), where 100 families already reside. The community is receiving assistance from a number of local and international NGOs.[3]
The former French barracks, Osterode camp, is managed by a local NGO Kosovo Agency for Advocacy and Development (KAAD) - funded by the Kosovo Ministry for Communities and Returns,[4] while the nearby Cesmin Lug camp, where living conditions are noticeably poorer, is officially under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in Mitrovicë/a.
Unemployment is extremely high in the community of relocation, Romani Mahala and Mitrovica more generally. There was a commitment to close the camps by the end of 2010 but this goal may be overambitious, especially as Western European countries continue to forcibly return RAE people to Kosovo despite the obvious lack of absorptive capacity in the receiving society.
BackgroundEdit
A BBC article [5] of June 2005 said that the European Roma Rights Centre was preparing legal action against the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the interim Kosovan Government over its failure to relocate the remaining residents.
ResponseEdit
An article was written by Paul Polansky in the New York Times regarding the state of the camp inmates, in April, 2005.[6] Subsequently, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, the Society for Threatened Peoples, Refugees International and many other humanitarian organizations have been demanding that the UN immediately evacuate these three camps. Legal actions have been taken by the European Roma Rights Centre. On 20 February 2006, ERRC filed a lawsuit [7] against UNMIK with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. On 24 March 2006, a meeting was held [8] by the United Nations Human Rights Committee to review the ERRC's report on the human rights situation in Mitrovica. In 2006, it was reported that new sites were being found for the Romani refugees, however the suitability of the sites, i.e. their location in Albanian areas, and the progress towards relocation of the inmates was not available to the report.[9][10][11] According to UNMIK, smelting of lead by camp inhabitants has contributed to their exposure to lead poisoning, Chachipe, a Romani rights advocacy organization, has debated this contention of UNMIK as a ploy to draw attention away from the real sources of lead contamination, the heaps of soil behind the Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps.[12]
DocumentariesEdit
A documentary about the issue, Gypsy Blood: The Roma, Ashali and Egyptian IDPs of Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo was completed in July 2005 by American film-maker Daniel Lanctot. This documentary was screened at numerous international venues. It won the award for Best Informative Film at the Golden Wheel Film Festival (2005) in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. Also in 2005, it screened at a European Parliament hearing on the "Situation of Roma women in the European Union" and at the International "One World Festival of Documentary Films on Human Rights" in Pristina. Dateline'sUN's Toxic Shame by Amos Roberts, a scathing review of the UN's inaction on this scandal, aired in Australia on 26 April 2009.[13]
Kosovo: Poisoned by Lead : a Health and Human Rights Crisis in Mitrovica's Roma Camps[12]
ReferencesEdit
^"Balkans: Human Rights Lagging". Human Rights Watch. 2010-01-21. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
^"UNHCR and the situation of internally displaced Romani in Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps in Kosovo". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
^. Danish Refugee Council. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
^"Ministry for Communities and Return Program". KAAD. 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.[dead link]
^"Toxic camp angers Kosovo Roma". BBC News. 2005-06-13. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
^Polansky, Paul (2005-04-26). "Kosovo: Poisoned camps for the Gypsies". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
^"Victims of Kosovo Poisoning Bring Lawsuit at European Court of Human Rights - European Roma Rights Centre". Errc.org. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
^"UN Human Rights Committee Reviews Kosovo - European Roma Rights Centre". Errc.org. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
^"Roma Media Film Productions". Celtichosting.com. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-24. Retrieved 2006-10-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"KOSOVAREPORT: UNMIK starts moving Kosovo Roma to safer Mitrovica locality". Kosovareport.blogspot.com. 9 January 2006. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
^ abWanda Troszczynska-van Genderen (2009). Kosovo: Poisoned by Lead : a Health and Human Rights Crisis in Mitrovica's Roma Camps. Human Rights Watch. pp. 32–33. ISBN978-1-56432-498-6. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
^"UN's Toxic Shame". Sbs.com.au. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
External linksEdit
European Court of Human Rights
United Nations Human Rights Committee
Gypsy Blood: The Roma, Ashali and Egyptian IDPs of Mitrovica, Kosovo Internet at IMDb
Dateline, an Australian documentary which first aired April 26, 2009.
KOSOVO MEDICAL EMERGENCY GROUP NGO highlighting this issue.
October 23, 2023
romani, people, mitrovica, refugee, camps, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Romani people in Mitrovica refugee camps news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 2008 there were about 500 700 Romani people in Mitrovica refugee camps These three camps were created by the UN in Kosovo The camps are based around disused heavy metals mines which have fallen out of use since the end of the Kosovo War of 1999 There have been complaints that the residents are suffering severe lead poisoning According to a 2010 Human Rights Watch Romani displaced from the Romani quarter in Mitrovica due to its destruction in 2000 continued to be inmates of camps in north Mitrovica Cesmin Lug Osterode and Leposavic where they were exposed to environmental lead poisoning 1 Contents 1 Current situation 2 Background 3 Response 4 Documentaries 5 See also 6 Further reading 7 References 8 External linksCurrent situation EditA number of people have been resettled to the local mahala and to the former French UN barracks 2 The current situation is that approximately 150 Romani Ashkali and Egyptian families live in the camps of North Mitrovica There are plans to resettle the majority of these families to the Romani Mahala neighbourhood in the main part of the city across the Rivar Ibar where 100 families already reside The community is receiving assistance from a number of local and international NGOs 3 The former French barracks Osterode camp is managed by a local NGO Kosovo Agency for Advocacy and Development KAAD funded by the Kosovo Ministry for Communities and Returns 4 while the nearby Cesmin Lug camp where living conditions are noticeably poorer is officially under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo UNMIK in Mitrovice a Unemployment is extremely high in the community of relocation Romani Mahala and Mitrovica more generally There was a commitment to close the camps by the end of 2010 but this goal may be overambitious especially as Western European countries continue to forcibly return RAE people to Kosovo despite the obvious lack of absorptive capacity in the receiving society Background EditA BBC article 5 of June 2005 said that the European Roma Rights Centre was preparing legal action against the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo UNMIK the interim Kosovan Government over its failure to relocate the remaining residents Response EditAn article was written by Paul Polansky in the New York Times regarding the state of the camp inmates in April 2005 6 Subsequently the International Committee of the Red Cross Amnesty International the Society for Threatened Peoples Refugees International and many other humanitarian organizations have been demanding that the UN immediately evacuate these three camps Legal actions have been taken by the European Roma Rights Centre On 20 February 2006 ERRC filed a lawsuit 7 against UNMIK with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg On 24 March 2006 a meeting was held 8 by the United Nations Human Rights Committee to review the ERRC s report on the human rights situation in Mitrovica In 2006 it was reported that new sites were being found for the Romani refugees however the suitability of the sites i e their location in Albanian areas and the progress towards relocation of the inmates was not available to the report 9 10 11 According to UNMIK smelting of lead by camp inhabitants has contributed to their exposure to lead poisoning Chachipe a Romani rights advocacy organization has debated this contention of UNMIK as a ploy to draw attention away from the real sources of lead contamination the heaps of soil behind the Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps 12 Documentaries EditA documentary about the issue Gypsy Blood The Roma Ashali and Egyptian IDPs of Kosovska Mitrovica Kosovo was completed in July 2005 by American film maker Daniel Lanctot This documentary was screened at numerous international venues It won the award for Best Informative Film at the Golden Wheel Film Festival 2005 in Skopje Republic of Macedonia Also in 2005 it screened at a European Parliament hearing on the Situation of Roma women in the European Union and at the International One World Festival of Documentary Films on Human Rights in Pristina Dateline s UN s Toxic Shame by Amos Roberts a scathing review of the UN s inaction on this scandal aired in Australia on 26 April 2009 13 See also EditRomani people in Kosovo Environmental racism in EuropeFurther reading EditKosovo Poisoned by Lead a Health and Human Rights Crisis in Mitrovica s Roma Camps 12 References Edit Balkans Human Rights Lagging Human Rights Watch 2010 01 21 Retrieved 14 April 2013 UNHCR and the situation of internally displaced Romani in Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps in Kosovo UNHCR Archived from the original on 23 February 2013 Retrieved 28 May 2010 History of Roma Mahala Danish Refugee Council Archived from the original on 22 April 2009 Retrieved 28 May 2010 Ministry for Communities and Return Program KAAD 2010 Retrieved 28 May 2010 dead link Toxic camp angers Kosovo Roma BBC News 2005 06 13 Retrieved 2010 05 22 Polansky Paul 2005 04 26 Kosovo Poisoned camps for the Gypsies The New York Times Retrieved 14 April 2013 Victims of Kosovo Poisoning Bring Lawsuit at European Court of Human Rights European Roma Rights Centre Errc org Retrieved 11 April 2018 UN Human Rights Committee Reviews Kosovo European Roma Rights Centre Errc org Retrieved 11 April 2018 Roma Media Film Productions Celtichosting com Retrieved 11 April 2018 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2006 09 24 Retrieved 2006 10 25 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link KOSOVAREPORT UNMIK starts moving Kosovo Roma to safer Mitrovica locality Kosovareport blogspot com 9 January 2006 Retrieved 11 April 2018 a b Wanda Troszczynska van Genderen 2009 Kosovo Poisoned by Lead a Health and Human Rights Crisis in Mitrovica s Roma Camps Human Rights Watch pp 32 33 ISBN 978 1 56432 498 6 Retrieved 15 April 2013 UN s Toxic Shame Sbs com au Retrieved 11 April 2018 External links EditEuropean Court of Human Rights United Nations Human Rights Committee Gypsy Blood The Roma Ashali and Egyptian IDPs of Mitrovica Kosovo Internet at IMDb Dateline an Australian documentary which first aired April 26 2009 KOSOVO MEDICAL EMERGENCY GROUP NGO highlighting this issue UNMIK Moving Roma Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Romani people in Mitrovica refugee camps amp oldid 1160415416, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
