Perception: When Roma travel throughout Europe, their behavior reflects poorly on their countries of origin. Roma populations are often additionally responsible for major political setbacks in their host countries.

Reality: It is not a result of Roma behavior, but of countries’ actions towards their Roma populations, a state’s international reputation is tarnished. High-profile attacks and deportations of Roma populations raise questions about states’ commitment to human and minority rights. In Romania, Roma were blamed for harming the country’s prospects for integration into the Europe Union and the Schengen Zone due to fears related to the Roma’s freedom of movement.

Bajro (Ramiz) Fafulović (58),
Carpenter

“I am the father of 10 amazing children. My wife Fadila and I have raised them to be honest and educated people. Before the war, I finished high school in carpentry and was employed by a company called “Impregnacija” where I worked for 19 years. My wife was a housewife and raised our children. She was the pillar of our family. During the war, I left Bosnia and went to France. There, I had to go to school to learn the French language and was fortunate enough to get a job within my own trade: the woodworking industry. Every day I would work two shifts. I also sought seasonal work and accepted any extra jobs the immigration service offered me. I did everything from parcel and food delivery to trash collection to guarding buildings. I always did my best to be an honest worker, do my job correctly, and respect the French laws. This paid off for me. From the money I earned in France, my wife and I were able to send all of our 10 children to school, buy land, and build a big house. My children are beautiful, honest, and respectable people. They all have jobs and work hard and I can freely say that we are well off. I’m now retired and the grandfather of 25 grandchildren, but even though I’m retired, I still work from home and my wife and I sell used goods I bring back from France. I still work with wood as a hobby. I also have five brothers and three sisters and we are all well situated throughout Bosnia. We all have houses and land. If I could say something about myself, I would say that I am a human rights activist. I hate injustice and I protested against the construction of mini hydro plants in Central Bosnia for the sake of the environment. As a carpenter, I know what wood and clean rivers mean to us and I believe it is our duty to protect the environment.”