Perspectives on the Roma people in the Czech Republic

Please note that the copyright belongs to the author, Pamela MClayton, who hereby asserts her moral rights in this work

REPORT

27th April 1998

From:

Dr Pamela M Clayton

Department of Adult and Continuing Education

University of Glasgow

59 Oakfield Avenue

Glasgow G12 8LW

To:

Steven O’Connor

British Embassy

Thunovskà 14

118 00 Prague

Czech Republic

Concerning:

Visit to the Czech Republic, 1st to 8th April 1998

By invitation of

Deputy Vavrinec Fójcik

Parliament of the Czech Republic Chamber of Deputies

Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Petitions

Chairman of the Sub-Committee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups

Snemovní 4, 118 26 Praha - Malá Strana

Funded by:

British-Czech Partnership Scheme

Purpose:

• to meet the Sub-Committee for Nationalities of the Chamber of Deputies

• to meet the Commission for the Roma

• to gather information about policies on disability in the Czech Republic

Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

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Completed programme* Member of the Czech Committee for Scientific Management who are on the project teamco-operating with the University of Glasgow’s Survey and Analysis, funded under theLEONARDO da VINCI programme of the European Communities, ‘Strategies for access toguidance for people at risk of social exclusion (Accessible Vocational Guidance)’.

Wednesday, 1st AprilArrival 1905

Thursday, 2nd April

0930 Meeting at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Department of VocationalTraining and Guidance:

• *PhDr Miroslav Kostka, Head of Department• PhDr Milena Blatníkova, Chief of Counselling, Employment Service Department• Ludmila Marková, assistant to Dr Blatníkova• *Ing Robert Troška, Deputy Chairman, Czech Committee for Scientific Management

1330 Visit to the Prague Vocational Guidance Centre (Úrad Práce hl. m. Prahy: Informacní aPoradenské Stredisko Pro Volbu Povolání), Stejskalova 7, 180 00 Praha 8, meeting with theDirector and staff

1600 Visit to the Czech Parliament Chamber of Deputies and meeting with members of theCouncil for National Minorities and the Subcommittee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups ofthe Government of the Czech Republic:

• *Ing Robert Troška, Deputy Chairman, Czech Committee for Scientific Management• Ms Jitka Bendlová, Parliament of the Czech Republic• *Ing Vavrinec Fójcik, Chairman of the Subcommittee and Representative for the Polish

Community• PhDr Andrej Sulitka, CSc, Director of the Secretariat of the Council for National

Minorities• RNDr Milan Pospíšil, Secretary of the Council for National Minorities• Ladislav Goral, secretariat of the Council for National Minorities• Jiri Hofman - MP, member of the Sub-Committee, Czech Social Democratic Party

specialist for disabled people• Radim Turek - MP, member of the Sub-Committee

Friday 3rd April0930 Meeting with the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community

• *Ing Robert Troška, Deputy Chairman, Czech Committee for Scientific Management• *Ing Vavrinec Fójcik, Chairman of the Subcommittee and Representative for the Polish

Community• PhDr Andrej Sulitka, CSc, Director of the Secretariat of the Council for National

Minorities• RNDr Milan Pospíšil, Secretary of the Council for National Minorities• Mgr Monika Horáková, Vice-Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma

Community• Zdenek Duna, Secretariat, Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community• Mgr Viktor Sekyt, Secretariat, Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community


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Monday 6th April

0845-1615

Meeting at the Special School, Strašnice, Praha 10 with

• Marie Nováková, Director• Tomáš Hampejs, Deputy Director• Mgr Radka Neknèsová, Pedagogical and Careers Adviser• Milan Šamko, Roma social worker• *Dr Lenka Siñorová (formerly Director of a school and now part-time teacher and adviser)

Visit to Special Centre for Mentally Disabled Children (within the same building)

Visit to Special Centre for children with problems, the Obvodní Pedagogicko-PsychologickaPoradna, Zábehlice, Praha 10:

• PhDr Blanka Merlínová• PhDr Dagmar Vitinová• PhDr Vaclava Nováková

Tuesday 7th April

0945 Meeting at the Government Board for People with Disabilities:

Dipl Ing Jaroslav Hrubý, PhD, Executive Director of the Board

1400 Meeting with

• *Ing D Machácková• Helen K Pekárek, Czech Blind United

and visit to the Dédina Rehabilitation and Re-Qualification Centre for Blind Adults

Wednesday 8th AprilPlanned visit to one of the smallest basic schools, in a village just outside Prague, to meet thepupils including some Roma, unfortunately did not come about

1300 Meeting at the Czech Committee for Scientific Management with the project team,representatives from the British Embassy and from the LEONARDO National Co-ordinatingUnit

• *Ing Robert Troška• *Ing Vavrinec Fójcik• *Ing D Machácková• *Dr Lenka Siñorová• *PhDr Miroslav Kostka• Steven O’Connor• one other from the Embassy• Dr Miroslava Kopicová, Czech National Co-ordination Unit, LEONARDO

1800 To the airport for departure


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Perspectives on the Roma people in the Czech RepublicPamela M Clayton, BA(Econ), PhD

Demographic profileAt the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the emerging Czech state was extremelyheterogeneous. About one-third of the population was ethnic German, but the democraticbalance was maintained until 1938. On the coming of the communist state, civic life wasalmost obliterated and only four ethnic minorities were recognised in law: Polish, German,Hungarian and Ukrainian. These were not and are not immigrants, but they wish to maintaintheir ancestral language and culture, while also speaking Czech and taking part fully in civicand political life.

In the 1950s the Roma were forced to settle, principally on housing estates, and dispersedsuch that - though they were not recognised as an ethnic minority - no district should have asmany as 5% of Romany inhabitants. Like the rest of the population, they were forbidden toform their own associations. Although the motive was forced assimilation (which applied toall minorities to a lesser extent), the effect of this policy was to force the Roma into ghettos.

Once democracy was restored in 1989 the Roma were granted their wish to be recognised as anational minority, and the legislation forbidding them to travel has been repealed (althoughaccording to one Roma I spoke too they no longer have the wish nor the reason to travel). It isvery difficult to obtain coherent statistics on the Roma (this is also the case with the disabled,so it is probably a question of inefficient collection of data rather than discrimination).

According to the last census there were 32,000 Roma. Ethnic statistics are not collected on anongoing basis, but from contacts with the Roma communities it is estimated by the Councilfor National Minorities (see below) that there are between 200,000 and 220,000 Romanies outof a population of 10 million1. The Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community onthe other hand places the range between 170,000 and 250,000. Between 50 and 70,000 arethought to have moved in from Slovakia, but if this figure is correct, even taking the lowestestimated figure, Roma must have entered from other parts of Eastern Europe too. Since theseparation from Slovakia, all the minorities together constitute perhaps 6 per cent of thepopulation, but only the Polish minority is geographically concentrated (in Silesia). Averagelife expectancy for the Roma is around 10 years below the average for the Czech Republic,but unusually life expectancy for women is lower than that for men2, no doubt because oftheir having a higher than average number of children. This is the same gap as is foundbetween wealthy and poor areas in Glasgow, for example, and compares favourably with the30 year gap between the Romanies in the United Kingdom and the average. If unemploymentin the Czech Republic rises, however, and continues to fall disproportionately upon the Roma,the gap is likely to increase there also.

Unlike the United Kingdom Romanies, who are largely illiterate, there is a high literacy rateamong the Czech Roma adults. There are said3 to be two kinds of Roma, those of Indianorigin who are more like ‘white’ people, respect the law and go to school, and those ofEgyptian origin, who used to be more educated and had their own king but have now reversedtheir position (unlike in Hungary).

1 Other minorities include Slovak (around 300,000), Polish (around 60,000), German (around 50,000)and Hungarian/Ukrainian (around 10,000) but these are long settled, and the numbers of Polish andGerman people who can be regarded as ‘minorities’ are decreasing. There are also refugees (source:Ing Vavrinec Fójcik, Deputy).2 Source: Mr Milan Šamko, Roma social worker3 Source: Mr Milan Šamko


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Economic situationUntil late 1989 there was no unemployment in the Czech Republic - although under-employment existed, it was illegal to be unemployed. There has been, therefore, noexperience on which to draw in dealing with the current situation, in which 5% overall areunemployed. This is low by EU standards, but reaches 10% in the North and East of thecountry. It is also uneven in its distribution. Probably 25% overall of all unemployed areRoma, and the rate is higher in areas of high unemployment, where many Romanies live. Themajority of Roma are, therefore, unemployed. Other issues (highlighted by the Romarepresentative to the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community) are educationand housing. Again, no precise figures appear to be available or even known.

There are several reasons for the high unemployment among the Roma. They are particularlyliable to be excluded from the changing labour market with the decrease in the number ofmanual jobs, because they generally have low educational qualifications and skills. Despitehaving equal access to education, Romany cultural attitudes differ from those of most Czechson the value of formal education. They are also demotivated from finding paid employmentby the system of social help: as in other European states, the lowest wage is almost the sameas social benefits. The biggest problem for the Roma, however, is skin colour: they suffergreatly from prejudice and stereotyping. Despite some examples of good practice, there arepeople in the Czech Republic who discriminate against Roma seeking employment.

Although it is clear that the problem of unemployment generally is too large for state agenciesto conduct all the vocational guidance and counselling, there are currently almost no non-profit organisations in existence, apart from a few church and charity organisations, whichcan supplement state provision. So the large network of state employment agencies, set up in1991 on a model based on the British Employment Service, with input from StevensonCollege, Edinburgh on the counselling aspect, still bears the major responsibility. The targetgroups for the vocational counselling service for clients with difficulties include the Roma,along with the long-term unemployed, women returners and people with low qualifications.There are, however, no special facilities or group sessions for Roma people; and since theservice is not yet statutory, service directors can choose to allocate the minimum amount ofresources to the counselling service. Only one-third of all services have made substantialprogress in this area but the quality and the practices are very variable.

As in many other countries, however, they are not highly regarded. Many do not bother toregister with them since they are ineffective; they lack good relationships with social partners,including employers; they are too centralised and react slowly to regional problems. ThePrague Employment Service has only one office for a total population of 1.5 million and candeal with only a very small percentage of the unemployed (January 1998, 96 clients against6,544 registered unemployed; February, 79 clients against 7041 registered unemployed).There was until recently no regional government in the Czech Republic, but the problems arerecognised by government and laws have been prepared which should ameliorate thesituation.

From 1st January 1998 there have been 14 regions. There is an emphasis on the use of socialworkers to assist ex-offenders and young people with problems; social assistance for theRoma; and careers officers for schools. It is also recognised that vocational guidance andcounselling is inadequate without job creation, and this is under discussion. It has beensuggested that employers must recruit a proportion of their workforce from the Roma and thedisabled, or that tax concessions be given as incentive to do so, or that special programmessuch as sheltered workshops be set up out of state funding.


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Political statusIn the multitude of changes since 1989 the problems faced by the Roma were not initiallyprioritised. An additional problem arose on the break-up of Czechoslovakia. People alreadyliving in the territory of the new Czech Republic automatically became Czech citizens, butthere were problems for the Roma already in the Czech Republic who did not have up-to-dateidentity papers showing their current address. The main problem was those born in theSlovakian part of the region or who migrated from Slovakia. Many of these neither knew howto apply for citizenship nor could afford to pay for registration, though in one region a charityhelped them to apply and set up a fund. Problems over citizenship were among thosehighlighted by the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community.

In February 1994, an appendix to a Government Edict, Concept: governmental approach tothe questions of national minorities in the Czech Republic, guaranteed members of nationalminorities ‘the right to express, preserve and develop their national identity on the basis oftheir free individual choice’. This was followed in May by the establishment of the Councilfor Nationalities, an ‘advisory, initiating and co-ordinating body of the Government formatters of Government policy toward members of the national minorities in the CzechRepublic’ (Appendix to the Government edict dated May 11, 1994, no. 259). Its mainfunction is to co-ordinate solutions to problems that lie within the remit of several differentministries and to act as a ‘watchdog’.

The Chair is a member of the government, and appoints the Vice-Chair and other Councilmembers. The latter are drawn from members of the various national minorities4;representatives of Ministries; a representative from the Parliamentary Chamber of Deputies;and one from the Office of the President of the Republic. There is a paid secretariat.

The definition of ‘national minority’, however, immediately poses a problem for thosecoming from Slovakia, whose exodus began in August 1997 (after the legislation was drawnup). A national minority is a community of persons who hold all of the followingcharacteristics:

1 live permanently in and be citizens of the Czech Republic2 share ethnic, cultural and language characteristics different from the majority of the state’s

population3 express a mutual wish to be considered as a national minority in the interests of preserving

and developing their own identity, cultural traditions and mother tongue4 have a long-term, solid and permanent relationship with the society living on the territory

of the Czech Republic

Clearly numbers 1 and 4 present difficulties for many of the Roma, including those previouslysettled in what is now the Czech Republic who could not present current identity papers.Those who qualify on all counts - who do include many if not all the Roma - have theguaranteed right to:

1 develop their own culture, helped by contributions from the state budget2 distribute and use information in their mother tongue, again with state financial aid3 associate in their own national associations and political parties, with state co-financing4 be educated in their mother tongue both within the state and private education systems,

with state funding in the public system5 use their mother tongue in public and in official relations, including during criminal

proceedings

4 Representation is based on the proportions recorded in the last census. There are 3 Roma, 3 Slovak, 2Polish, 2 German, 1 Hungarian and 1 Ukrainian representatives. These together outnumber the staterepresentatives, which members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community feltwould prevent discrimination against minorities.


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6 and take part in official discussions relating to national minorities, via the Council forNational Minorities or other bodies subsequently instituted.

The Council for Nationalities meets once in two months but there is continuousadministration by the secretariat. It also has links with international bodies. The Head of theCommission for Petitions (a senator) is a permanent guest.

Of a rather different nature is the Sub-Committee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups of theChamber of Deputies, chaired by Vavrinec Fójcik. Membership on all sub-committees isvoluntary. In this case there are 13 members, from all the political parties save theCommunists and the fascist far right. The absence of the far right is understandable but that ofthe Communists is apparently due simply to them not having been invited by the Chairman tojoin the Sub-Committee.

Meetings are regularly attended by representatives of minority nationalities, sometimesoutnumbering the deputies. The most important objective of the committee is to create aplatform for discussion between Deputies and members of minorities and enhance peacefulco-operation and coexistence, while respecting cultural and ethnic differences. The Sub-Committee drafts relevant laws, invites government representatives to comment on their ownactivities in this field and ensures that minority representatives receive all relevantparliamentary documentation.

One members of the Sub-Committee expressed anger and hurt at the bad reputation in theUnited Kingdom now being suffered by the Czech Republic because of the reports byRomany asylum-seekers of persecution and oppression. Others wished to point out that thereare examples of good co-existence between the Roma (and other ‘black’) people and ‘whites’.One city has a Roma mayor, another a ‘black’ mayor. Nor did they want to see voting centredaround nationality or ethnic quotas. On the other hand members freely acknowledged that theRoma are the only ethnic group to suffer discrimination and that their situation necessitatesgreat improvement.

Recently some other important actions have been taken. For example, in March 1997 theHuman Rights Committee of the Czech Chamber of Deputies held a seminar in Parliamenton the subject of protecting minority rights. Between March and August 1997, the Councilfor Nationalities prepared material on the Romany situation and made recommendations toimprove their lot. Between September and October this was considered three times inParliament and passed on the third reading. Concrete measures to be implemented include theinclusion in schools with a big Roma minority of a Roma assistant. It will be cities andregions that will have the biggest responsibility: for example, they can employ the Roma onpublic works. Consultation has taken place with Roma representatives and some actions arenow being initiated by the Roma themselves, such as meetings with mayors and members ofparliament. (The Ministry of the Interior records Civil Associations, political parties andpolitical movements established by state-recognised National Minorities. The current figuresinclude 74 Romany Civil Associations and 6 political parties/movements.)

The Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community was set up by statute inOctober 1997 and ‘advises, initiates and co-ordinates the policy of the Czech governmentregarding the status of Romas in Czech society’. The Commission is located within theGovernment Office of the Czech Republic. It is chaired by a Minister appointed by the Czechgovernment (currently the Minister without Portfolio5) and includes an Executive Vice-Chair(who is a salaried employee of the Czech Government Office), the Deputy Ministers ofFinance, Education, Youth and Sports, the Interior, Labour and Social Affairs, Culture,Foreign Affairs, Industry and Business, Defence, Justice and Regional Development, and atleast six representatives of the Roma community. It thus consists principally of Deputies andRoma representatives, working on an expenses-only basis. It is supported by a Commission

5 The Minister without Portfolio heads several advisory bodies on inter-ministerial issues.


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Office, staffed by employees of the Czech Government Office. The Executive Vice-Chair andat least three of the staff are currently Roma, but this is not a requirement laid down in theFounding Statute.

The tasks to be performed are to:

• review draft government measures which concern the Roma• evaluate the effectiveness of official measures• suggest allocation of special funds for the Roma in order to better their condition and once

granted control such funds and monitor the effectiveness of the resulting projects• collect data on an ongoing basis on conditions among the Roma and produce annual

reports• give information to the Roma concerning available state assistance• cooperate with Roma and pro-Roma organisations to generate projects to better their

community

Social statusAs noted above, the biggest problem for the Roma that they suffer greatly from prejudice andstereotyping. Both the Sub-Committee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups and the Romarepresentatives on the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community stated thatracism was the underlying problem in all economic areas of life and citizenship. All the post-communist countries are said to have xenophobic elements6. Racism manifests itself in avariety of ways: violence towards the Roma by criminals; the refusal of some officials to helpthem; discrimination against them by employers. The problem is not so much at central as atlocal level. Anti-racist legislation is hard to enforce, and at local level there is a tendency to‘blame the victim’7.

It is clear that the Roma have long constituted the ‘out-group’ in Czech society, and are nowblamed for rising crime. One rumour holds that many Roma - in particular, criminals - werepaid by the Slovak government to move to the Czech Republic. The Sub-Committee deniesthis.

Some ‘white’ views of the Roma8

The Roma are said to be antipathetic to work and employment, preferring to live in idlenesson welfare between short bursts of paid employment to generate income for a specific purposeand have over-large families; they have no wish to help themselves but simply want largeamounts of state money for doing nothing. Parents see no value in education since some caneasily get temporary jobs without it. The Roma ‘live only for the present’. They often havemore money than we do and where do they get it from? It is claimed that the Roma have noproper language but speak a mongrel dialect without words for modern technology, thusmaking it impossible for children to be taught in their own language. They are ‘naturally’good at music and dancing. Their mentality, which gives them special problems, derives fromtheir low-caste Indian origin.

The children are thought by some teachers unfit for education due to physical restlessness andlack of concentration, with a high truancy rate which is aided and abetted by their parents. Alot of absence from school is caused by the whole family going away for a month at a time toattend funerals or weddings. The Roma children are brought up differently from Czech

6 There was little appreciation that Western European countries have the same problem until reportscame back from Roma asylum seekers in the United Kingdom!7 Source: the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community8 Gathered from both formal and informal conversations with Czech nationals


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children in that they do not have to obey their parents and so cannot cope with the strictdiscipline at school. ‘White’ children are much better prepared for school by their parents.

The Pedagogical and Careers Adviser at the Special School, Mgr Radka Neknèsová, sees thefamily as the problem, rather than the wider society. In her experience, the naughty childrenare usually Romany, around half of them do not finish school, and none of them, unlike theother children, have any interest in getting a job on leaving school.

According to others, they have the ‘wrong’ values and require having their attitudes changed,perhaps through a quasi-guidance process; the few who are educated should be working in theRoma community trying to change attitudes, rather than drawing government salaries onbodies such as the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community. This last viewdoes at least recognise the possibility of change and is thus not racist, unlike the essentialistviews described before. It is, however, a profoundly ethno-centric view, postulating ahierarchy of values in which Roma values are below Czech ones - a view highly, andunderstandably, offensive to the members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission whenexpressed by a visitor to the meeting. They did not, however, disagree that they held differentvalues.

On the other hand, the Director of the Obvodní Pedagogicko-Psychologicka Poradna workswith Roma children in the same way as with the ‘white’ children. (There is also a specialcentre in Praha 3 for Roma children using special methods, and two special courses for Romawith a maximum of 8 children per class - parents can freely opt their children in or out ofthese.) A few Roma children go on to secondary school each year, but not many. The otherseither find work, go to vocational special schools or are unemployed. It is probably familybackground which influences whether children go to secondary school or not; but in additionthose who attend the special courses may find the motivation there to proceed. On the wholeRoma children ‘grow up faster than others and develop adult interests at the time when otherchildren are deciding on their futures’. She also felt that the complexity of the Czecheducation system was a barrier to the understanding of Roma parents, and that some teacherswere unable or unwilling to work with Roma children.

Some Roma views of the Roma and their position in Czech societyMr Milan Šamko, a Roma social worker, pointed out that some, perhaps many, Roma childrenare averse to school, partly because of parents who see no value in it (themselves beinguneducated - employed Roma are the most likely to send their children to school), partlybecause of the discrimination they suffer in many schools, from both teachers and fellow-pupils. Roma children are regarded as socially and cultural disabled even where they are notmentally disabled. Roma children are put into special schools and institutions becauseteachers in ‘normal’ schools do not want to work with them. Of course, some Roma childrenbear the double disadvantage of actually being disabled.

Roma children in villages have a better chance of going to school, including secondaryschool, than those in cities, where young people fall under the influence of drugs and gangculture. Village school classes tend to be smaller too and children can receive more individualattention. It is true that some parents see no value in education, because they have not evenbasic education themselves (and those who do cannot find good quality work in any case);and children in cities find it difficult to do homework because of their home conditions andsocial problems. In Prague the majority of schools attended by Roma children face racistattitudes and behaviour from both teachers and pupils. In some institutions for the Roma theteachers merely pretend to care about them. Nevertheless the Czech Republic is one of thefew countries trying to do something for the Roma - unfortunately there is more talk thanaction in the Ministry of Education, and few resources for those working at the grassrootslevel.

In reply to comments that the Roma must have the same education as others in the CzechRepublic in order to lead normal lives and live within the law, Mr Šamko, himself educated tosecondary level and living what he said was ‘a normal life’, claimed that Roma children


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should be exempted from the law on school attendance after primary school. Roma childrenshould have special treatment because of the discrimination suffered by the Roma and the factthat they do not have their own state. All should have basic education - literacy, numeracy andCzech language - but they should have the freedom to attend secondary school or not, as inFrance (and effectively in the United Kingdom). He sees families where it is the children whodo not want to go to school, rather than the parents keeping them away, because at schoolthey are losing their culture and language. He feels that Roma children have talents such asmusic, dancing, sport, woodworking, metalworking, which should be fostered. One of themembers of the Roma members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the RomaCommunity saw pedagogic methods adapted to Roma children as a form of manipulationrather than as a source of empowerment.

One initiative in Prague and other places is the Children’s Club, funded by the municipalities,where all children, including Roma, can play together. The aim is to get the children off thestreets, away from drugs, cigarettes etc. They can get help with homework in the Club, whichis open from 1400-1800 hours every day except Sunday. The Director in Prague is a Romawoman who knows the children and their parents. She employs teachers for the children and itappears to be working well. It is attended by children aged 7 to 14 (those of 15 and more haveno wish to go, unfortunately). The Club also runs children’s camps during the school year, tohelp Roma and other children from poor families to learn away from the pollution of Prague.The curriculum in these camps includes the history of the Roma people, drugs education andsex education. Each evening they must do a test on what they have learned and take a finalexam. The greatest problem is raising the money. The children pay a maximum of 300 kreach, but it is free for those who cannot afford it. This contribution covers stationery, books,visits to the cinema etc.. It costs about a basic 140,000 kr (c £2,800) for one camp with 35children and 7 adults for 12-13 days. This covers food, accommodation, salaries and travelbut games and swimming cost extra. The adults normally have to take holidays from theirwork to go to the camp9.

The language is Romany with the addition of words from various Central Europeanlanguages. There are four linguistic sub-groups. Romany is not spoken in large cities or by theyounger Roma, but rather a dialect form of Czech with Roma words included. It was writtendown by a priest in 1875, but very few Roma use the written form. Although a dictionary waspublished in 1992, there is as yet no official codification of the language. Text books arenecessary for Romany to be recognised officially as a language, and for teaching purposes,but there is difficulty deciding which of the several Central European versions is ‘correct’10.While there is a clear need for much more input from the Roma themselves in this matter,rather than from ‘white’ patrons, the problem is that there are few Roma professionals.Nevertheless, Romany is used on television and radio and in books and periodicals11.

The crucial role of women in the education and general well-being of children is well-attestedworld-wide, but the Czech Republic is far behind the United Kingdom (or even Spain) in itsrecognition of the problem of women’s status and, in particular, economic position. Mycomment in the vocational guidance centre that children would be adversely influenced byseeing men and women on video in ‘traditional’ occupations was simply not understood.Similarly my question to the Roma at the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the status of Romawomen was answered with the statement that Roma society is gender equal12. As for their

9 Source: Mr Milan Šamko, who invited me to attend the Club. Unfortunately time did not permit this.10 I pointed out that written Arabic, Hindi and even to a certain extent English are codifications whichare widely read if rarely spoken as written and that these might be useful models.11 Source: the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community12 This is apparently the case among the British Romany, where hierarchy is weak in the familystructure in general, according to a project in Leicestershire which sends tutors to a Romanyencampment. This is a potential strength: in that project, the women and children often start by learning


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chances in the wider society, Roma men suffer more violence than Roma women, and Romawomen are more successful at getting unskilled jobs. In this they are motivated by the need togain income. They jobs they get are no worse than the men’s - both men and women canexpect only low-paid employment. On the other hand, as noted above, the same question toMr Šamko, the Roma social worker, elicited the information that Roma women have a shorterlife expectancy than Roma men, almost certainly due to excessive child-bearing.

Efforts by the Roma to help themselves are not always immediately successful. For example,some of the Roma established an international foundation to establish a social work course forRoma adults. The course was submitted for approval to the Ministries of Education and ofLabour and Social Affairs, but it was refused accreditation. They then approached a non-governmental organisation but they too rejected the course on quality grounds. After revisionthe course became expensive so the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Communitywas asked to help. It has now been adopted by the state and will be state-funded from thisyear. It is expected to have a multiplier effect: it will help Roma adults to get secondary levelqualifications, thus increasing their employment prospects and thus making changes at thelocal level13.

Conclusion

There is a serious shortage of statistics available on social exclusion in general, and on thenumbers of ethnic minorities and of disabled people. Officials are aware of this and thesituation can be expected to change. By request of the British Embassy in Prague, I haveproduced this report only on the Roma. I also have information on policy on disability which Ican produce if requested.

I was struck by the lack of knowledge of Western societies among even some educatedCzechs. Those who had had the opportunity to travel or who have travelled since 1989 have amore realistic perception of our difficulties and weaknesses as well as of our strengths; andthose concerned with social exclusion are aware that the rapid privatisation of the economyhas in some cases jettisoned the good along with the bad. There is certainly a case forcontinuing interchange between the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic and theexchange of ‘really useful knowledge’ as well as of ‘useful knowledge’.

At government level there is evidence of good will towards the Roma, and the formation ofsuch a large number of Roma civic associations is surely a sign of activity which gainsays thestereotyped notion that the Roma ‘live for the moment’ and take no thought for the future.Goodwill, however, needs to be matched by adequate funding, the Czech economy is not ingood shape and there are projects for other disadvantaged groups, notably the disabled, whichrequire stable and increased funding. Cost-effective solutions will be needed, and it is to behoped that membership of the European Union and access to regional and social funds will behelpful.

As always there is some truth in the ‘white’ stereotype of the Roma, though what lies behindthe truth is rarely acknowledged or even realised. An attitude of ‘living for the present’, forexample, is not uncommon among groups who face a problematical future. Much of what issaid about Roma children and their parents has been said in the West about working-classchildren and their families.

There is a contradiction between the demand of some ‘whites’ that the Roma should want tointegrate and that they should adopt Czech values and attitudes, and the official wish torespect national minorities and retain the benefits of a plural society. together and then are joined by the men once a relationship of trust has been established (source:NIACE conference, Widening Participation for the Socially Excluded, Leicester, March 1998).13 Source: the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community


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It is disturbing to note that some Roma who have themselves benefited from education appearto be advocating policies that would keep the Roma dependent on the state and with onlybasic education, in the interests of maintaining a culture which, in modern industrialisedsocieties, is unlikely to support good-quality employment, a decent income, good livingconditions and parity of esteem. Investigation is required to find out if this attitude iswidespread and, if so, why. It is not at all unusual, however, for minoritised peoples to absorbsome majority essentialist attitudes into their way of thinking about themselves, such as thenotion that Roma children have by nature certain talents, although this could certainly be true‘by culture’. Furthermore, it may be indeed the case that many Roma have not absorbed thematerialistic, money-oriented values of Western cultures.

Nevertheless, I question whether the majority of Roma values are substantially different fromthose of the majority population. Firstly, norms and values are usually confused by lay people(that is, non-sociologists)14. Secondly, it is usually the case that differences between groupsare highlighted to the detriment of similarities15. This does, however, also requireinvestigation.

I am aware that in a week, only have of which was devoted to the Roma, it is unlikely that Ihave discovered anything not already well-known to British Embassy personnel in Prague. Ibelieve, however, that I have made valuable contacts which could be taken further.

SourcesNotes on a presentation by Vavrinec Fójcik, Cork, 31st October 1997 (meeting of theLEONARDO da VINCI survey and analysis team)

Various documents of the Government of the Czech Republic

Meetings attended

Informal talks with Czech nationals

14 For readers who are not sociologists: values are, to put it simply, desired goals; norms are ways ofreaching these goals.15 This is demonstrated by, for example, work on gender differences and on value differences betweenNorthern Ireland Protestants and Catholics. To the surprise of many, the only value difference foundbetween the latter two groups was their national allegiance.

Documents

Perspectives on the Roma people in the Czech Republic