"Everything we do, we work at great risk. We have neither gloves nor masks. We must not even touch, and for years we have been collecting secondary raw materials and in that way we earn to feed the family ", says Misho Uzeirovic from Banja Luka.
According to him, the Roma population in BiH has been forgotten, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Of course we are afraid and we are afraid, but nobody cares about that," said Misho. Many Roma lost their jobs during the pandemic.
According to Roma government officials, most Roma families live in poverty, and are mainly engaged in collecting secondary raw materials.
"It was impossible during the pandemic and the restrictive measures taken. At the same time, Roma who were employed in the public sector, about 30% of them during the crisis, ended up on the streets. "It is a huge handicap and discrimination," they said.
"Perhaps the biggest problem is that many Roma do not even have health insurance and many of them are left alone. "Roma neighborhoods where they live are mostly isolated from the rest of the population, living on the outskirts of cities and have no greater contact with the rest of the population," said the sources.
At the end of March this year, the Union of Roma in BiH sent a request to the Ministry of Initiative in the Government of BiH to allocate funds in the amount of funds and grants for Roma health care in the amount of 150,000 euros and to carry out the most urgent intervention in procurement of disinfectants and hygiene products. . But even after five months, help has not yet arrived.

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