Roma in CEERoma in CZ

Will Guy, Zoltan Barany,

Will Kymlicka, etc.

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)

The Czech lands and Slovakia: another false dawn?

• Pre- communist policy differences (nomadism vs. sedentarisation, WW2nd, etc)

• Communism

• 1989 – 1997

• 1997 – present

• Fulfilment of the Charter 77 prophecy

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, law on settlement of nomads

• 1965 policy on transfer (from Sk) + dispersal

• 68 federalisation; Association of Gypsies-Roma (73)

• 1978 Charter 77 Information on situation of Gypsies-Roma quotation p. 292 + „prophecy“ p. 293

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

• 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 Roma workers when economy modernises p.293

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 (Stewart 1997)• 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, 96, 2000; led to 97 exodus• Housing ghetoisation (bare flats), educational segregation,

1997 - present

• 97 Bratinka report on situation of R. community in Cz. Resolution # 686 (Roma district advisors, RTA)

• Inter-departmental commission for Romani affairs• 98 social democrats in government• Framework convention• April 99 Draft Concept of Roma 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

Future visions

• Fulfilling the grim Charter 77 prophecy?• EU entry impact• Double standards cf. Canada vs. UK asylum

claimers success rate• IRU stabilisation policies• Prevent mass unemployment + dependency on

social support• Prejudice, racism, hostility, discrimination, social

situation (edu., empl., housing, health…)