Daria: A Roma Woman's Journey

"Institutions debate whether it is appropriate to meddle with traditions which cannot or should not be prevented. Roma activists, with a few exceptions, ponder if disclosure of these practices will result in backlash from the Roma community or deeper stigmatisation from the majority. In the end, women like Daria are left to cope with their destinies on their own." - Jasmina Papa, Social Inclusion Advisor at UNDP Regional Hub for Europe and CIS

Noting that Roma women face many overlapping levels of exclusion  -  in education, access to jobs, and ability to make choices in life - the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) worked with Positive Negatives to create a short graphic novel (comic) depicting the impact of early marriage on the lives of Roma women in the Western Balkans. Coinciding with International Roma Day, Daria: A Roma Woman's Journey tells the story of a woman in her 30s and her family living in Serbia as they struggle with poverty and discrimination. "Although early marriage affects many communities worldwide, it can magnify gender inequality for communities like the Roma that face many forms of discrimination. Lower levels of education, higher rates of unemployment and poverty, higher probability of violence, inadequate housing are all interlinked and play a major role in the lives of women like Daria," explains Bharati Sadasivam, Gender Team Leader for UNDP in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Luckier than most of her peers, Daria completed at least 8 years of primary education but had her dream to continue cut short by her parents' deep poverty. When she was only 14, her father arranged her marriage to a young man from a wealthier Roma family to pay off some debt. Her mother couldn't stop it. At the age of 15, she gave birth to the first of her three children. Years later, when her husband Darco lost his job after being falsely accused of stealing money from work, Daria witnessed history repeating itself. When Darco made plans to marry off their 15-year-old daughter, she decided she would do better than her mother at stopping this. She summoned all the strength she could find, and she and her children sought shelter at her parents'.