Vulnerable Peoples in the Light of Sustainable Development – the Status of the Roma in the Republic of Croatia

The position of the Romany community in the Republic of Croatia greatly correlates to its usual perception and status in other European countries. The prevalent characteristic of this status is the marginalisation of the Roma (of economic, cultural, political, social and spatial nature), based on poor education, non-inclusion in formal forms of work, specific way of living, and prejudices and discriminatory attitudes of the majority population. The additional disadvantage specific for the Republic of Croatia is its status of a transitional country, because economic and social problems in such countries significantly contribute to the complexity and difficult position of the Roma. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the marginalised position of the Romany national community as the poorest segment of the Croatian society as well as to shed light on the purpose and success of implementing provisions of the national legislation on human rights protection and the level its harmonisation with international standards.