On 6-7 June, in Skopje and Bitola -Thirty-five labour inspectors enhance their knowledge on protection from discrimination at work place with focus on public sector and vulnerable groups, particularly Roma persons. They also learnt about differences between human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, forced labour and discrimination at the workplace. For the majority of the participants, this training represented the first opportunity to learn about the anti-discrimination legislation and institutional framework protecting from discrimination at the workplace. Interactive training methods coupled with practical exercises encouraged discussions and in-depth learning of the participants.

The trainings were delivered jointly by the actions “Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia” and “Promotion of Diversity and Equality in North Macedonia” in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, in cooperation with the ROMACTED Programme Phase 2.

ROMACTED 2 facilitators Dzengis Berisa, Fatma Bajram Azemovska, Almira Kaguri and Firdeza Zekirova presented the Antigypsyism as a specific form of racism and discrimination against Roma people. Antigypsyism is a historically constructed, persistent complex of customary racism against social groups identified under the stigma “gypsy” or other related terms. ROMACTED facilitators noted the access of Roma to employment and barriers that face during and at their workplace. Also the affirmative measures adopted by the state were presented as well that there is a lack of control mechanism measures to prevent the abuse of the affirmative measures and to provide their full enjoyment. The session was completed by video presentation with personal stories of Roma people who shared their barriers accessing employment.

This training will be followed with additional training sessions from September 2022 in order to provide capacity building to all labor inspectors in North Macedonia.