As many as 90% of Roma women in Serbia have experienced partner violence, according to the latest research by the Association "Romani cikna" from Krusevac.
These women are often victims of violence in their own family and often do not even recognize it as violence.
- 300 Roma women over 18 years old were interviewed and no one has ever told them what is happening to them.
Campaigners in the field testify that women from the Roma community often faced physical and psychological violence. They are taught to remain silent and endure it for future generations.
"They often have no one to complain about, nor where to go back to, and insufficient education and illiteracy are affecting economic dependency and are thus forced to suffer violence," said the association.
In one of the previous surveys, in Krusevac, dire results were achieved: as many as 85% were married before adulthood, and 70% before the age of 18 gave birth to their first child.
