Perception: Roma often steal non-Roma children and babies to either raise them as their own or exploit them for financial gain.

Reality: Throughout history, Roma have been used as scapegoats when a child goes missing. In the last 20 years, however, a number of studies have shown that it is, in fact, the Roma population that is most vulnerable to having their children taken from them by the state, Church, and/or charities. Roma children are routinely removed from their families for discriminatory reasons ranging from not “looking Roma” to Roma families possessing “too many children”. Due to poverty and marginalization, Roma children are also at a higher risk of being trafficked.

Hitka Ahmetović (38),
Mother of a Missing Child

“I was the mother of four children, but now I have only three. Neither my husband nor I are employed and must survive off of the money I get by collecting waste that I find in garbage containers. I search the containers together with my children. I didn’t go to school. I was never given that chance and my father never even considered that I should be educated. My husband, children and I live a very hard life. The life of a Roma is difficult. Nobody can help us or understand our problems. Things have gotten even harder since my baby disappeared. My girl Jasminka. She was 12 years old. She disappeared five years ago and we have never been able to find her. I went and reported it to the police and they searched for her, but we have never found a trace of what happened to her. The last time she was seen, she was near the school in Vitez. She had stayed there to look at the garbage containers and never returned home. No one has seen her and no one knows anything. It has been really difficult for me. We put the news on Facebook and asked people to share. We begged people to tell us if they knew anything or had seen her somewhere. I don’t know why this has happened to us. People always say that we, the Roma people, steal children away, but look at my fate. A Roma mother, whose child was stolen and has been missing for so many years. I would give everything I have to know what happened to her. I would walk barefooted to another country just to find her. My fate is sad. She was such a great daughter and great help to me. She used to watch her brothers and sisters and would stay at home while I went to look for waste in the containers. I hope she will reappear again one day or that we will hear something about her. Only then will my soul be calm again.”