Unit 9 - Case study The Roma

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Unit 9 - Case study The Roma

• 20 April 2005
• laubeova_at_fsv.cuni.cz

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(No Transcript)
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Unit structure

• Terminology
• Language, identity and culture
• Ethnic group? Society. Multidisciplinary approach
• International Romani movement
• Resources and links
• Czech Republic
• Historical background
• ECRI report 2004
• Education

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Terminology Basics

• The Roma/The Romani people/The Romanies (12 m
  Worldwide)
• Rom (sg. masc.) (husband) Dom, Domari
• Romni (fem.),
• Roma (pl.) or
• Romani (sg.), Romanies (pl.) accepted by Sinti
  (Hancock)
• She is a Roma (sic.), Romani, a Romni
• Romipen, Rromanipen
• Gentiles Gadje, gadjo, gorgio (gaujo, gawjo,
  gawja Hancock)
• Adjective
• Romani (international documents), Romany
  (literature)
• Eg. Roma (sic.) movement, Romani Rights Centre

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Language

• The Romani language, Romani, Romanes (in a Romani
  way, Romanily - Hancock)
• Vakares Romanes? Do you speak in the Romani way?
• Kiravel Romanes. She is cooking in the Romani way
• Sanskrit origins - end of 18 cent.
• 1760 Valyi Stefan, University of Leiden, NL
• Vienna Gazette 1776,
• Rudiger 1782, Grellman 1783, Marsden 1785

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Identity, culture, politics

• Identity reflects attitudes of majority -
• Withdrawal and separation (protect values and
  culture)
• Internalisation of stereotypes
• Romani ethnicity descent, ancestry, kinship and
  marriage patterns, language, social organisation,
  taboos, political organisation, employments and
  economic organisation, nomadism, codes of
  morality anda particular state of mind (Mayall
  2004 220)
• Culture values - code of cleanlines, eating,
  washing up, treatment of animals, funerals,
  sexual behaviour etc
• extended family
• Romani organisations IRU Roma National
  Congress
• European level ERRC, ERIO, ERF (vide links
  bellow).

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Roma as an ethnic group

• National minority (CEE), ethnic minority group
  (UK - RRA). Community / communities.
  Heterogeniety.
• Roma (Rumungro, Vlach, Romanichal, Kalderash,
  Kale, Kalo, Lovari), Sinti, Travellers,
  playground and circus people, bargee people, new
  age travellers etc
• Gypsy is not a lifestyle but race/ ethnic group
  (Hancock)
• Minorities autochtonous, immigrant
• Roma as European minority vs Roma as European
  nation
• Europe's largest transnational minority
• Declaration on "non-territorial" nation (2001)

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• Romani identities- include international
  strategies
• ethnogenesis- conscious attempt toward achieving
  for the Roma the accepted status of a politically
  organized, non-territorial (transnational),
  ethnic-national group (Gheorghe 1991 831),
• Romani political nationalism, i.e. the
  political organization, representation and
  participation in political life.
• culture moves to politics (Gheorghe 1991 842),
  
• common space in which people of different
  ethnicity co-operate without allowing the
  differences to become the predominant issue which
  would exclude communication.
• political homogenization protects cultural
  heterogeneity vs
• the process of politicization of ethnogenesis
  leads to the abandonment of ethnic identity as a
  part of Romani agenda.

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Roma in society

• Discrimination, racism, anti-Gypsyism, denial of
  racism, reversed racism
• Majority relations twds the Roma
  (annihilation/extermination, persecution,
  segregation. Assimilation, integration,
  accommodation, inclusion)
•  Major point of departures for Romani studies
• a) history migration from India, early
  persecution in  15- 18 cent., assimilation under
  Habsburgs and in Portugal Porrajmos Romani
  holocaust (0,5 m)
• b) family and values
• c) Romani language, identity and
  self-determination of Romani nation But

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Multi-disciplinary approach

• Romani Studies / Romology
• Linguistics (Indology)
• History (of repression)
• Cultural and social antropology / ethnology
• Culturology, Musicology
• International Relations (UN, EU)
• International law (HR, minority rights law)
• Public and social policy
• Political economy (WB, UNDP)
• Sociology (power issues)
• Social psychology (in-group, out-group dynamics)
• Psychology (of prejudice, stereotyping) etc.

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Key Romani movements IRU RNC

• 1971 First World Romani Congress gt IRU
• Intellectual interest (in lingustics, culture),
  Gypsy Lore Society1888
• France CMG Communaute Mondiale Gitane 1959 (Ionel
  Rotaru), CIT Comite Intl Tzigane (Vanko Rouda) gt
  71 congress
• Irish Traveller Community mid 60s
• Finish Gypsy Association, Spanish Secretariado
  Gitano, Slovak and Czech Assciations for
  Gypsies/Roma (68 73) Facuna, Dr. Cibula
• Gypsy Council in England 1966 Johnny Brazil
• National Gypsy Education Council (1970 Lady
  Plowden) organised next three IRU congresses
• renamed to GCECWCR (for education, welfare and
  civil rights)

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World Romani Congresses (IRU)

• The first World Romani Congress, London, 1971
• 16-spoked wheel as their international symbol,
• flag (green and blue),
• anthem (Roma arise),
• proclaimed April 8 international Romani day
• 2nd 1979 Geneva
• 3rd 1981 Gottingen Germany
• 4th 1990 Warsaw
• 5th 2000 Prague
• 6th 2004 Lanciano Italy

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RNC

• Rom Cinti Union in Hamburg (80s) -gt RNC, Rudko
  Kawczynski
• Grassroot, militant, Romani refugees from Eastern
  Europe basic human rights approach
• Pan-European Romani Identity
• vs
• nationalist Zentralrat of German Sinti and
  Roma (81)
• Matras, 199849-63, Puxon, 200094-113

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Useful links and resources

• European Roma Rights Centre http//www.errc.org
• European Roma Information Office
  http//www.erionet.org/Home.html
• European Roma Forum http//www.europeanromaforum.
  org/
• WB (2003) www.worldbank.org/eca/roma
• UNDP (2003) http//roma.undp.sk

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Roma in the Czech Republic

• Links
• History
• Readings
• Charter 77 and Will Guy

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Useful links and resources - CZ

• Romea http//www.romea.cz/
• Czech Radio http//www.romove.cz
• Bratinka Report (1997) http//www.vlada.cz
• Concept of Roma integration (2002) dtto
• Compliance with Principles set forth in the FCNM
  according to Article 25, Paragraph 1 of this
  Convention, http//www.vlada.cz
• Gabal, Ivan (2000) www.gac.cz
• IOM report on Slovak Roma migration to CZ (Nov.
  2003) http//www.iom.cz

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History

• Maria Theresa and Joseph II. (1760-1784)
• assimilation, sedentarisation
• 1927 Act on Nomadic Gypsies (identity cards)
• Nazi holocaust (200 000 1.5 m. died)
• Ctibor Necas
• Paul Polanski

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Communism

• Enforced voluntary relocation to Sudetenlands
  from Slovak shanty-town settlements (after
  removal of Germans 1945)
• Large scale employment (low status jobs), decayed
  urban areas
• 1958 policy of integration (USSR model),
  population dispersal,
• 1958 Act on settlement of nomadic persons
  (repealed in CZ in 97)
• 1965 policy on transfer (from Sk) dispersal
• 68 federalisation Association of Gypsies-Roma
  (73)
• 1978 Charter 77 document Information on situation
  of Gypsies-Roma (Guy,2001, p. 292 prophecy p.
  293)

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Charter 77 Document 23 about the situation of
Gypsies-Roma in CS

• Denial of national minority status to R. was
  dictated by the desire of the ruling powers to
  reduce the size of the minority problem
• Criticism of sterilisation, housing educational
  segregation, use of 58 law branded as racist
  repression
• Challenged the government claim to have
  integrated Roma into labour force (perpetuating
  disadvantaged position)
• Warning about vulnerability of Romani workers
  when economy modernises p.293

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1989-97

• ROI (Romani Civic Initiative) a part of OF (Civic
  Forum)
• Roma gained status as a national minority, Romani
  MPs
• Bogardus scale of social distance high
  hostility
• Beauty Queen racist utterance
• Racist attacks (1995 longer sentences, racism in
  police force)
• Unemployment (70 vs. national 5- Bratinka 97)
  stereotype of self-chosen unemployment
• Criminality (20 vs. national 3)
  criminalisation, abused by Republicans (Sládek)
• Citizenship law 93 (de facto discrimination),
  put most Roma in position of aliens, 96, 2000
  led to 97 exodus
• Housing ghettoisation (barren flats), educational
  segregation

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1997 - present

• 97 Emigration to Canada, UK ? Bratinka report on
  situation of R. community in CZ Resolution 686
  (Romani district advisors, RTA) www.vlada.cz
• Inter-departmental commission for Romani affairs
• 98 Social Democrats in government
• Framework Convention
• 98 UN CERD Concluding observations on CR, "de
  facto segregation in edu (article 5 ICERD)
• April 99 Draft Concept of Romani integration,
  approved in June 2000
• Conflict-free co-existence of the R. community
  with the remainder of society
• Safety, non-discrimination, improving social sit
  (employment, housing, health)
• Equalising measures, no quota

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After 1997 cont.

• 2001 UK Immigration officers in Prague Airport
• (CHC Statement 29 Aug. 01), House of Lords Dec
  2004
• 2002 "Conception on Romani Integration",
• (2004 reformulation/revision)
• 2003 Denial by pres. Klaus, BBC Hardtalk

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Future visions

• Fulfilling the grim Charter 77 prophecy?
• EU entry impact
• Double standards cf. Canada vs. UK asylum
  claimants success rate
• IRU stabilisation policies
• Prevent mass unemployment dependency on social
  support
• Prejudice, racism, hostility, discrimination,
  social situation (edu., empl., housing, health)

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Exodus to Canada

• 1996 150 Czech Romani claimants
• 6 Aug. 1997 TV documentary
• 6 Aug. 8 Oct. 97 1500 claimants/ Invasion ,
  i.e. 6 of all refugee claimants in 97
• Re-introduction of visa requirement
• Migration to UK and other EU countries
• Bratinka report and Concept of Romani Integration

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ECRI 3rd Report on the Czech Republic8 June 2004

• Part II Specific IssuesSituation of Roma at the
  local level
• ECRI expresses deep concern at the deplorable
  situation of Roma at the local level. Roma
  communities continue to suffer from accumulation
  of social and economic disadvantage, aggravated
  by changing economic conditions, discrimination
  and a lack of willingness by local officials and
  communities to adopt the necessary measures to
  improve the situation.

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ECRI Report on CZ cont.

• ECRI deeply regrets that the majority of local
  authorities seem not to be motivated to take
  actions to improve the situation of Roma as such
  actions are reportedly not popular with local
  communities and can be politically costly
• ECRI expresses its concern over a new trend to
  maintain the system of segregated education in a
  new form this involves special classes in
  mainstream schools.
• http//www.coe.int/T/E/human_rights/Ecri/1-ECRI/2-
  Country-by-country_approach/Czech_Republic/Czech_R
  epublic_CBC_3.aspTopOfPage

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READINGS Roma in CZ/CEE

• Will Guy (ed), Between Past and Future the Roma
  of Central and Eastern Europe (2001)
• Zoltan Barany, The East European Gypsies. Regime
  Change, Marginality, and Ethnopolitics (2002)
• Will Kymlicka, Can Liberal Pluralism be Exported?
  (2001), mainly article by Pavel Barsa
  Ethnocultural Justice in East European States
  and the Case of the Czech Roma, pp. 243-258

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Education and Roma in CZ

• Push factors for systemic change
• 97 Canada visa imposition
• EU accession
• Obsolete education legislation

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Bratinka Report on situation of Romani
Community, October 97 (out of 44 tasks 11 were
for Ministry of Education) Over two thirds of
Roma children are in special schools (ss) 75 of
children in ss are Roma   Concept of Romani
integration (7 April 99), adopted in 2000,
reformulated "Conception on Romani Integration"
adopted on 23 January 2002 - no quota but
equalising measures   New Education Act (White
Book) entered in force in Jan 2005 Now its
impact being researched by the League of HR
ERRC, see Romano Hangos Vol.7, No 4, 10 March05,
page 1-2
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Criticism by UN, EC, US government reports,
international NG0, etc

• UN CERD (Committee on Elimination of Racial
  Discrimination) Concluding observations on CR,
  1998, "de facto segregation (article 5 ICERD not
  fully implemented)
• UN CERD 2000 Report on CR
• UN CRC (Rights of Children)
• UN HRC (Human Rights Committee) Concluding
  observations, July 01, "to eradicate segregation
  of R.ch. in its edu...
• EC Opinion and Progress Reports on CR

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Role of NGOs
ERRC Ostrava region, 27 times more in Special
Schools, 5 population, 50 in special schools
Save the Children Fund Denied a Future?,
2001 http//www.savethechildren.org.uk/scuk/jsp/r
esources/details.jsp?id366groupresourcessectio
npublicationsubsectiondetails
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Achievements

• ð   230 - 250 Romani teacher assistants in 2003
  (introduced in 1998) communication barrier,
  partnership teaching, small group work, contact
  with families, etc not systemic, inferior status,
  no educated R. teachers, if not successful-
  blaming the victim
• ð 110 preparatory classes in 2001 (since 1994)
• ð   multicultural/ intercultural edu. programmes
  -NG0s, community schools
• ð  New School, ops www.novaskola.org

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Threats

• ð     re-standardisation of psychological testing
  in the age of 6 - doubts about the concepts
  itself
• ð     subtractive versus additive bilingualism,
  irreversible cognitive damage (abstract thinking
  concepts - Piaget)
• ð     institutional, unwitting, indirect racism
  denial of racism

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D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic

• first challenge to systematic racial segregation
  in education in Europe
• brought by 18 Roma children from Ostrava placed
  in special remedial special schools (ss)
• complaint filed in 2000 by ERRC - intensive
  qualitative and quantitative research that
  revealed racial disparities

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D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic ERRC research
results

• Over half of the Romani child population is
  schooled in ss
• Over half of the population of ss is Romani
• Any randomly chosen Romani child is more than 27
  times more likely to be placed in ss for the
  mentally disabled than a similarly situated
  non-Romani child.
• Even where Romani children manage to avoid the
  trap of placement in special schooling, they are
  most often schooled in substandard and
  predominantly Romani urban ghetto schools.

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D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic ERRC
research results cont.

• standardized testing used for placement in ss.
• The expert "test" seen as a stamped seal on the
  decisions of school directors who will not accept
  Romani children into mainstream schools.
• second class citizenship.
• markedly inferior education
• vocational secondary schools limited to training
  in basic manual skills
• unemployment rates

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D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic cont

• Current educational arrangements in the Czech
  Republic also fail entirely to prepare ethnic
  Czech children for life in multi-cultural
  societies. In Ostrava, the Czech Republic's third
  city, despite the fact that Roma comprise
  approximately 10 of the local population, more
  than 15,000 Czech children of primary school age
  attend school every day without meeting a single
  Romani classmate.

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D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic cont

• The 18 applicants claim that they were subjected
  to degrading treatment in breach of Article 3 of
  the Convention, and to denial of their rights to
  and racial discrimination in access to
  education, in breach of Article 14 taken together
  with Article 2 of Protocol 1.

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What next?

• Decade of Romani Inclusion in CZ- pessimism
• WB UNDP Reports chapters on CZ
• Revision of the Conception of Romani Integration
  in CZ 2004
• Public policy vs public opinion
• International Romani Day 8th April, Intl Day
  against Racisms 21 March