Network
Roma Women's Rights Network
The Roma Women’s Rights Network is an informal coalition that unites the voice of women organizations, experts, activists, national institutions, against the inequitable treatment of Roma women in our society, in order to improve their socio-economic status.
In 2018, RWYA “LULUDI” initiated the establishment of an informal network for monitoring, reporting and advocacy of Roma women, calling on members of organizations working in the field of women’s rights, Roma women rights, human rights, and domestic and gender-based violence to join and participate in the establishment and subsequent operation of the network. Although the network was initiated within the regional project “Unifying the Voices for Ending Violence against Women”, supported by the UN Women and funded by the European Union through the regional programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds: Ending Violence Against Women in the Western Balkans and Turkey”, the informal Network continued to operate after the project was completed. From July 2020 to June 2022, RWYA “LULUDI” as a grantee of institutional support from the program of Civica Mobilitas led to strengthening the organizational capacities of the organization and its operations.
The Roma Women’s Rights Network includes a total of 11 women Roma and pro-Roma organizations from different regions of Republic of North Macedonia, who since of the beginning works together to monitor, report and advocate for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and CEDAW, with main focus on Roma women.
Members the Roma Women’s Rights Network:
RWYA “Luludi”, Skopje |  |
Organization of women of municipality of Sveti Nikole |  |
Association “Initiative of Women from Shuto Orizari” |  |
Association of Journalists for Human Rights |  |
Crisis Center “Hope“, Skopje |  |
Association “Terno vas“, Berovo |  |
Women’s civic initiative “KLEA“, Bitola |
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Roma Equal Rights Organization “Rota“, Stip |  |
Association “MOTIVO“, Kumanovo |  |
Sibela Mamudoska – activist, Prilep | |
Gjulfer Toci – activist, Gostivar |
The Roma Women’s Rights Network is funded through projects and donations.
The strategic commitment of the established informal network of several women civil society organizations and women-activists on the territory of Macedonia, cooperated in advocating and monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and CEDAW in Macedonia. Strengthening the network, mainly of associations working on women’s rights and freedoms, will provide a strong incentive to further empower women in the RNM, as well as the development of the civil society sector at the local and national level.
As a network that fights against inequality and discrimination, by strengthening the voice of Roma women for monitoring, reporting and advocacy, capacity building of the network will provide expertise and readiness for effective advocacy before government institutions, while enabling the network to act as a watchdog. In order to achieve results in terms of improved legislative environment and implementation of laws and signed international documents and conventions. We believe that all this is possible only with joint cooperation between citizens, women, national and local NGOs, experts, civil society, national institutions working on Roma rights and gender issues.
