The Roma in Slovakia.

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.

→ 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 Slovakia’s Roma survive.

→ Today: about 500 000 Romani in Slovakia. ¾ are living in the areas of Presov, Banska Bystrica and Kosice. BUT we don’t know the exact number since they don’t want to tell their Rom nationality = fear of being more excluded.

Do the Roma have a chance to be integrated in the Slovakian society?

I- The numerous discriminations towards the Roma.

A/ A multi-secular hostility of the population.

- Lots of prejudices, anchored in the collective imaginary.

→ They don’t want to work, they are lazy and just take advantage of the State’s allowances.

→ They have strange customs, backward culture.

→ They steal, they are violent = but isn’t there a link between criminality and exclusion?

- 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 can’t pay back.

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).

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.

II- The recent attempts to integrate the Roma within the Slovakian society.

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?

Will the next decade really be those of the Romani integration?

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

- Financial support: PHARE funds = financing of buildings, of educative projects for youth, women…etc.

- 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.

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 people’s minds!

==> Pessimism: law can’t 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.