THEY RAPED ME WHEN I WAS A GIRL, THAT GAVE ME STRENGHT TO FIGHT AGAINST EVIL: Shocking confession of Nada Djurickovic

Romani activist Nada Djurickovic (54), is one of many women that experienced rape, but one of the rare ones that managed to make something good out of it, which will be useful to many others. She and few more from the Romani community founded a Romani center for women and children DAJE (mothers), which provides support to women who suffered violence also via SOS telephone.

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- In youth, even if i was Romani, i wasn't living in Romani community. That caused rebellion and revolt of others so when i was little, i suffered rape in Zemun polje, where i used to live. In that area, raping was like epidemics, a mass phenomenon and no one could do anything about it. Then, when we grew up, we gathered and founded Romani center for woman and children DAJE, which is included in "Women against violence" network - tells Nada for Telegraf.

The reason of joining was the fight to stop the raping that was happening so often on the road between this and urban part of the suburb with school, ambulance, transportation... This path is 4 kilometers long and part of it goes through woods. Now there is city transport from romani to urban part and the forest has been cut, which is considered to be first great success by these women. 

Foto: Telegraf

Many women who grew up that way, are now their associates. To some of them, violence left much more difficult consequences, on some less, but each of them suffers trauma on their own way. Nada managed to "pull through" without psychiatrists or professional help, she works as a pedagogue in an elementary school. 

- To me, personally, great help was my study, reading, dreaming and writing. I game myself a goal to be educated and to have some role in society. I understood that early because my mom thought me it's the only way to get out of the community and to be unreachable. As soon as i am not equal i am not interesting anymore, because women in those communities are uneducated and therefore financially dependent on men, and it puts them even more in unenviable position, slaves to their husbands. I say slave, because women are like slaves there, if the man doesn't need her, he can give her to someone else... - discoveres Djurickovic.

Foto: Profimedia/Alamy

Women in Romani communities are not aware that they are in danger, because that is something that is passed on generation to generation and it is believed its the way it was supposed to be.

- It's a strong influence of the patriarchate, male rule in the community. Even in Romani community there are some rights that are not by law, or civil, but they are in an environment like that, and that is the male is the ruler and owner of everything, starting form women, children, property and the wife serves only to him. Unfortunately, patriarchate is preserved only by female line, because mother teach their children that they should endure it and keep quiet. - explains our interviewee.

Foto: A. Nalbantjan

The most common way of violence in Romani communities is among partners, because 97% of them are not married, so that kind of unity can be formed and unformed as they wish.

- With newly weds, woman is being striped off of every rights, even the most fundamental ones, and it is happiness that marriage is happening, to prescribe something to women that gives them safety and joy, even on that day. Romani woman does not have that, she is simply taken from a family and moved to another and she becomes a slave, someone who will give birth and educate. Because of that, in every Romani community around Belgrade, we have an associate who we can hire occasionally to introduce us to the case of the women there - says this activist.

Nada is divorced and she has 26 year old son that will be married soon and she is very proud of him because, she raised him well.

- He grew up next to me and you can see that by the way he things and gives advice to his friends. Mostly those are good advice and you can tell they work really hard around girls, they write them songs, sing under the window, buy them flowers and boxes of candy - says mother Nada proudly.

And when he gets married she will say to him: 

- I will tell him to respect his darling and to tell her all the time he loves her.

(Telegraf.co.uk)