Romani Cikna exists since 2010 at the initiative of veteran Roma women activists in Kruševac (Serbia). Problems that Roma women face needed to be shown and visible to everyone.

Girls and women in Roma communities occupy a very low position in social hierarchy, due to tradition and common belief that they do not have the right to be equal. This is why our goals cover improvement of social, economic, health, education and cultural position of Roma women.

We have accomplished 15 projects in 12 Roma communities in Kruševac and the surrounding area. Over 3000 participants went through these programs.

We are for development and implementation of functional and inclusive education program, promotion and defense of human, minority and women’s rights. We are for elimination of all levels of discrimination. We are for encouragement of active roles for Roma women in activism and development of civil sector. We are for promotion and conservation of Roma identity, community integration and multiculturalism.

We are connected to both local and Roma community as well as other women’s organizations through the universal need for support. Through our networked organizations we learn from each other, exchange experience and help with organization. We have been members of Roma Women Network since the beginning and we get the most support from them.

We participate in development of public policies at the local and national level, as well as development of textbooks about Roma tradition and culture.

As the first and the only Roma women’s society in Kruševac, we succeeded in achieving numerous changes in Roma communities  through our work. Neighborhood Roma women regularly attend our workshops. We make public appearances together and we empower each other to publicly talk about the problems in our environment. We recognized issues in the early development of Roma children and we were the first ones to address it and first to work on improvements.

One of the conversations we started is on the topic of human trafficking. We also participate in alternative reporting on Roma women’s status in Serbia that follows CEDAW (Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) document.

We establish relationships with institutions and Roma leaders. We are also members of Network of Women Human Right Defenders of the Rasina district, and Networking Against Poverty in Serbia.

Romani Cikna – Kruševac (Serbia)

Phone:  +381 37 455 062

Mobile:  +381 64 197 41 99

E-mail: