Roma Youth in Bulgaria Unprepared to Enter Labor Market

A quarter of all young people in Bulgaria entering the labor market come from the Roma community, according to Dr. Elena Kabakchieva of Health and Social Development Foundation.

Some 25% of all 16-year-olds are inexperienced and unprepared, Kabachieva told the participants in the National Conference dedicated to the integration of Roma held in the National Assembly, Monday.

In order to have desegregation, steps must be taken for the involvement of the local institutions governed by the municipalities, which proved to be a successful model in Sofia. Kabakchieva noted that 15-17-year-old Roma youngsters can no longer get professional training after having left school early which is a vicious cycle, Bulgarian agency Vesti reported.

A number of measures must be introduced, such as the development of social skills of adolescents through social services aimed at pregnant women and parents of young children, through alternative service for an early development (4-6 years) for children who do not attend kindergartens, Kabakchieva insisted.

A total of 69 Bulgarian municipalities have centers which focus on early childhood development, said Bogdan Mirchev, a representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation. These centers receive funding by the World Bank under a social inclusion project.

The National Conference is held in the eve of the International Romani Day on 8 April.

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