The Roma in Slovakia.

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The Roma in Slovakia.
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Introduction

• Regularly in the newspapers altercations between
  skin-heads and Roma lots of tensions in
  Slovakia, even if the Roma are living there since
  many centuries
• The Roma left India between the 9th and the 10th
  Centuries. Dispersion across the European
  continent.
• ? 1rst mentioning of the Roma on the territory of
  the actual Slovakia in 1322 in Spisska Nova Ves.
• ? Tolerated at the beginning BUT from the 16th,
  attempts to make them becoming sedentary them
  growing discriminations.

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• ? 18th Century The using of the Romani language
  is forbidden. Most of the Roma go living in the
  periphery of the villages, become workers. Low
  social positions.
• ? 1921 The Romani get the status of minority in
  Czechoslovakia.
• ? WWII persecutions, but most of the Slovakias
  Roma survive.
• ? Today about 500 000 Romani in Slovakia.
• ¾ are living in the areas of Presov, Banska
  Bystrica and Kosice.
• BUT we dont know the exact number since they
  dont want to tell their Rom nationality fear
  of being more excluded.
• Do the Roma have a chance to be integrated in the
  Slovakian society?

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I- The numerous discriminations towards the Roma.

• A/ A multi-secular hostility of the population.
• - Lots of prejudices, anchored in the collective
  imaginary.
• ? They dont want to work, they are lazy and just
  take advantage of the States allowances.
• ? They have strange customs, backward culture.
• ? They steal, they are violent but isnt there
  a link between criminality and exclusion?

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• Few examples of direct discrimination towards the
  Roma.
• ? Physical aggressions murders often committed
  by skin-heads and neo-Nazi groups.
• ? Forced sterilization in 2003, Amnesty
  International denounced some cases of forced
  sterilizations in Slovakian hospitals.
• ? Credits, but with a rate of 200 they cant
  pay back.

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B/ The exclusion from the rest of the society
apathy of the State.

• Education and language low level of education,
  50 of the children leave school during the
  primary cycle because they have to work
  aggravation of marginalisation.
• Over-representation of Romani children in
  specialized schools.
• The Roma leave in isolated areas no school, no
  teachers, no books.
• No possibility to learn in Romani. Only Slovak
  language more difficult for children.
• Employment no law to prevent discriminations
  concerning the access to employment low level
  of education and formation in some areas, 80
  of unemployment (// 18 of unemployment in
  Slovakia).

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Consequences of these discriminations

• 2004 after the decision of the State to reduce
  the allowances, riots in the Southern and the
  Eastern parts of Slovakia to try to show their
  living conditions
• Pillage of shops
• Intervention of the police, repression.

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II- The recent attempts to integrate the Roma
within the Slovakian society.
Will the next decade really be those of the
Romani integration?

• A/ The governmental initiatives
• 1991 The Romani acquire the status of minority
  according to the Slovakian Constitution.
• - 1999 Creation of a governmental representative
  for the Romani question Adoption of a two
  times strategy.
• 2004 seven eastern European countries decided
  that the following decade would be those of the
  Romani integration.
• Is it enough?

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B/ The role of the European Union a light for
the Roma?

• Financial support PHARE funds financing of
  buildings, of educative projects for youth,
  womenetc.
• Legal framework
• 1995 Frame Convention on the Protection of
  National Minorities, ratified by Slovakia
  supposes the respect of the Roma rights
  adoption of laws to punish direct discriminations
  and prevent indirect discriminations.
• 1999 ratification of the European Charter for
  Regional or Minority Languages has to be
  applied to the Roma since they are more than 20
  in 57 areas.
• Example since 2004, some schools are teaching
  the Romani language.
• - Creation of the European Centre for the Roma
  rights surveillance and juridical assistance in
  case of violation of human rights.

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CONCLUSION

• The discriminations towards the Roma are the
  result of a long historical process accumulation
  of prejudices. Poverty, unemployment are probably
  making it worst.
• These discriminations lead to a marginalisation
  of the Roma population but unemployment and
  poverty lead to violence people have more and
  more bad prejudices on the Roma.
• There are some attempts to make the situation
  evolving, but for the moment, not efficient
  enough the State would have to change peoples
  minds!
• gt Pessimism law cant change everything.
• If they leave Slovakia, the Romani will
  probably go to the Western part of the European
  continent, where there are also a lot of
  prejudices and discriminations. Example in
  France.