Country: Bosnia
Group: Roma
Date Finalized: 3/29/2020
Group: Kimberly Prete (lead), Sophia Agne, Rayna Castillo
Content Warning: genocide, homicide, concentration camp
Approximate Time Period: 1940-1945, 1992-1995
The Roma are a minority group in Bosnia that have had a long history of being discriminated against and stigmatized. The United Nations deemed the Roma as the “most neglected and most vulnerable minority in Bosnia” (UNICEF, n.d.). During World War II, many Roma were deported to concentration camps, where they experienced targeted acts of violence and discrimination (Human Rights Watch, 2018). In 1992, it was reported by Human Rights Watch that former Bosnian Serb army soldiers were accused of the murder and persecution of Romani civilians (Human Rights Watch, 2018). Although there are many news reports of targeted lethal violence, there are not may peer-reviewed sources documenting it (data quality = 1.5).
Sources
- Mustajbegovic, S (2007). The forgotten Roma victims of the Bosnian War. Justice Report https://www.justice-report.com/en/articles/the-forgotten-roma-victims-of-the-bosnian-war
- UNICEF (n.d.). Roma Children. UNICEF. Retrieved February 22, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/bih/en/roma-children
- Weiss-Wendt, A. (Ed.). (2013). The Nazi genocide of the Roma: reassessment and commemoration (Vol. 17). Berghahn Books.
- Human Rights Watch (2018). World Report 2018: Rights Trends in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (2018, January 18). Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/bosnia-and-herzegovina
- Yee, H. M. (2017, June 14). Bosnia’s Roma Try to Break Out of Isolation. Balkan Insight. https://balkaninsight.com/2017/06/14/bosnia-s-roma-try-to-break-out-of-isolation-06-13-2017-2