The US Envoy in Slovakia is writing about Rroma in Slovakia on the International Roma Day. He seems optimistic. Let’s hope.
– There are efforts for positive changes in Roma community. In: The Slovak Spectator. 08.04.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20503104/there-are-efforts-for-positive-changes-in-roma-community.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20503104/there-are-efforts-for-positive-changes-in-roma-community.html”]
A bit of background for Slovakia’s citizen who don’t necessarily know much about Rroma. Not fully accurate, but a start…
– V Európskej únii žije 6 miliónov Rómov, v celej Európe až 12 miliónov. In: Spravy Pozri. 07.04.2017. http://spravy.pozri.sk/clanok/V-Europskej-unii-zije-6-milionov-Romov,-v-celej-Europe-az-12-milionov/1143775 [link-preview url=”http://spravy.pozri.sk/clanok/V-Europskej-unii-zije-6-milionov-Romov,-v-celej-Europe-az-12-milionov/1143775″]
A project – DOM.ov – in Slovakia is trying to help Rroma get better housing and build houses rather than continue living in shacks in settlements. The issue is always land ownership and authorisations to built, which are often not given on the site of the settlements.
These two issues prevent many Rroma from building better houses, and leaves them in precatory. The project aims to break up this by legalising the land, and obtaining permits and grants via microcredit.
– Rómovia nedostanú všetko zadarmo, musia sporiť a dom si kúpiť z pôžičky. In: Dennik. 02.04.2017. https://dennikn.sk/720838/o-30-rokov-budu-dnesne-deti-z-chatrci-stavat-pekne-domy-aj-vo-vasom-susedstve/ [link-preview url=”https://dennikn.sk/720838/o-30-rokov-budu-dnesne-deti-z-chatrci-stavat-pekne-domy-aj-vo-vasom-susedstve/”]
Protests erupted when it became known that some Rroma children would be allocated to various elementary schools. Non Rroma parents strongly objected and theretened to take their children away.
It illustrates what still needs to be done in that country.
– VIDEO Rómov v našej škole nechceme! Sexu rozumejú lepšie ako my, kričali rodičia. In: Pluska. 01.04.2017. http://www.pluska.sk/regiony/stredne-slovensko/video-romov-nasej-skole-nechceme-rozumeju-sexe-lepsie-ako-my-dospeli-kricali-rodicia.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pluska.sk/regiony/stredne-slovensko/video-romov-nasej-skole-nechceme-rozumeju-sexe-lepsie-ako-my-dospeli-kricali-rodicia.html”]
The Trailer of the movie on the Rroma Holocaust “With a Hole my Head” is out.
– https://youtu.be/qp5ohTtidQs [link-preview url=”https://youtu.be/qp5ohTtidQs”]
Some pictures of the living conditions in the illegal Rroma settlements in and around the city of Kosice, in Eastern Slovakia.
– V Košiciach pribúdajú nelegálne osady. Podľa aktivistov sa Rómovia „sťahujú k plným kontajnerom“ In: Plus 7 Dni. 28.03.2017. http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/v-kosiciach-pribudaju-nelegalne-osady-podla-aktivistov-romovia-stahuju-k-plnym-kontajnerom.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/v-kosiciach-pribudaju-nelegalne-osady-podla-aktivistov-romovia-stahuju-k-plnym-kontajnerom.html”]
A long article by a researcher from Amnesty International on the constant discrimination and exclusion of Rroma children in Slovakia. The situation is just simply not improving fast enough.
– EN SLOVAQUIE, LES MAUVAISES NOTES DU PAYS SUR LE SUJET DES ENFANTS ROMS. In: Amnesty International. 24.03.2017. https://www.amnesty.fr/discriminations/actualites/slovaquie-mauvaises-notes-sur-le-sujet-des-enfants-roms [link-preview url=”https://www.amnesty.fr/discriminations/actualites/slovaquie-mauvaises-notes-sur-le-sujet-des-enfants-roms”]
One thorny subject in Slovakia is land ownership in the Rroma settlements. The Rroma there are mostly without any formal ownership, leaving them vulnerable to evictions and resettlement.
An amendment to the current law of land ownership is in review in the Slovak Parliament, and would allow for transfer of ownership and compensation for the owners. Let’s see how the law will work out in reality.
– Novela o vysporiadaní pozemkov pod obydliami Rómov je v 2. Čítaní. In: Teraz. 23.03.2017. http://www.teraz.sk/slovensko/nrsr-novela-o-vysporiadani-pozemkov-po/250657-clanok.html [link-preview url=”http://www.teraz.sk/slovensko/nrsr-novela-o-vysporiadani-pozemkov-po/250657-clanok.html”]
Moldava nad Bodvou – the National Criminal Investigator Agency (Naka) indicted one person for a misdemeanour for disorderly conduct committed with a racial motive. According to the Police: “On March 5, 2017 in the area of the football stadium in Moldava nad Bodvou the accused Paul P., drunk, did commit gross indecency against citizens of Roma ethnicity. The accused fired several shots in the air from a gas gun and shouted: you should be shot, you need only Hitler”…
At least he was arrested…
– Pavol strieľal na futbale a kričal na Rómov: Na vás treba len Hitlera! In: Topky. 17.03.2017. http://www.topky.sk/cl/100370/1616721/Pavol-strielal-na-futbale-a-krical-na-Romov–Na-vas-treba-len-Hitlera- [link-preview url=”http://www.topky.sk/cl/100370/1616721/Pavol-strielal-na-futbale-a-krical-na-Romov–Na-vas-treba-len-Hitlera-“]
A prominent right wing extremist and member of the Slovak Parliament is being prosecuted for racism following his statements in a right wing Radio “Radio Žilina”
We reported on the statements that took place in December…
Better late than never!
– NAKA prosecutes MP Mazurek for anti-Roma statements. In: The Slovak Spectator. 16.03.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20484906/naka-prosecutes-mp-mazurek-for-anti-roma-statements.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20484906/naka-prosecutes-mp-mazurek-for-anti-roma-statements.html”]
Very much in line with the same polemics as in Slovakia, dogs were retrieved from a Rroma settlement near Poznan and are said to have been maltreated and abused. Amongst the abuse cited here: “Among quadrupeds located within the encampments was a bitch of a few days to eight puppies. She was lying in the outdoors, in makeshift shack, which did not give any protection against the cold. Animals should absolutely not be in such conditions – says Agnieszka Wolska, a veterinarian.”
Well, she did barely worse than the Rroma with whom she was living.
– Poznań: Psy zabrane z koczowiska Romów przy Lechickiej. “Znęcano się nad nimi” [ZDJĘCIA]. In: Gazeta Buska. 12.03.2017. http://www.gazetalubuska.pl/polska-i-swiat/a/poznan-psy-zabrane-z-koczowiska-romow-przy-lechickiej-znecano-sie-nad-nimi-zdjecia,11874287/
– Skrajnie zaniedbane psy zabrane z koczowiska Romów. In: Poznan Onet. 13.03.2017. http://poznan.onet.pl/skrajnie-zaniedbane-psy-zabrane-z-koczowiska-romow/blmqf7y [link-preview url=”http://www.gazetalubuska.pl/polska-i-swiat/a/poznan-psy-zabrane-z-koczowiska-romow-przy-lechickiej-znecano-sie-nad-nimi-zdjecia,11874287/ “]
When one reads that “if Slovakia would help Roma enter the working force, then one would not need foreign workers”, one can only wonder. After all Rroma are better than migrants?
But the fact is, there is a real potential for Rroma in Slovakia.
– Roma to work in Slovakia. In: New Europe. 17.03.2017. https://www.neweurope.eu/article/roma-work-slovakia/ [link-preview url=”https://www.neweurope.eu/article/roma-work-slovakia/”]
When a Slovak newspaper (yes, in its English version) states that the country “looses” if it neglects its Rroma minority, something may be changing a bit after all. At least this is a change of tone.
– What Slovakia loses when it neglects the Roma. In: The Slovak Spectator. 15.03.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20470798/what-slovakia-loses-when-it-neglects-the-roma.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20470798/what-slovakia-loses-when-it-neglects-the-roma.html”]
Decidely, the press in Slovakia is full of news on the documentary by Kirchhoff on the Rroma holocaust. Not bad, especially since the country has not readily acknowledged its deeds.
– Kirchhoffov film otvára zabudnutú tému rómskeho holokaustu. In: Webmagazin. 12.03.2017. http://webmagazin.teraz.sk/hudba-a-film/kirchhoff-diera-v-hlave-holokaust-romsky/7431-clanok.html [link-preview url=”http://webmagazin.teraz.sk/hudba-a-film/kirchhoff-diera-v-hlave-holokaust-romsky/7431-clanok.html”]
Harsh critique of the government from the opposition on its Rroma Education. According to the critique, the government is “helpless” and has not done a thing in the last ten years.
Maybe this will start the ball rolling!
– KDH: Vláda je bezradná vo vzdelávaní Rómov, robí nezmyselné kroky. In: Teraz Slovensko. 10.03.2017. http://www.teraz.sk/slovensko/kdh-vlada-je-bezradna-vo-vzdelavani/247983-clanok.html [link-preview url=”http://www.teraz.sk/slovensko/kdh-vlada-je-bezradna-vo-vzdelavani/247983-clanok.html”]
A animal protection group in Slovakia is claiming that dogs are systematically abused in Rroma settlements. This assertion was taken up by several newspapers, fuelling yet another controversy on Rroma in that country.
Well, life is tough in the settlements, really so, and this reflects on all its inhabitants – including the ones on 4 legs.
– Are dogs being abused in Romani settlements in Slovakia? Romea.cz asks the authorities and experts. In: Romea.cz. 09.03.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/are-dogs-being-abused-in-romani-settlements-in-slovakia-romea-cz-asks-the-authorities-and-experts [link-preview url=”http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/are-dogs-being-abused-in-romani-settlements-in-slovakia-romea-cz-asks-the-authorities-and-experts”]
Robert Kirchhoff was born in 1968 in Nitra and studied documentary production and dramaturgy at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and cameraman, and has had a number of films that have won awards at domestic and foreign festivals. Amongst others, he made documentaries Hey, Slovaks !, Ghost in the Machine, The Case Cervanová, etc. and was a producer and co-producer of films like Blind Loves Disease of the Third Power, in Ash.
From 2003 to 2016, he has been preparing a documentary on the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti called A “Hole in the Head”, which will have its premier in March 2017. He has interviewed many survivors of the Holocaust and recorded their fate.
– Vyhľadal Rómov a Sintov, ktorí prežili holokaust, a natočil skutočné diery v hlave. Etno safari odmietol. In: Dennik. 01.03.2017. https://dennikn.sk/681418/vyhladal-romov-a-sintov-ktori-prezili-holokaust-a-natocil-skutocne-diery-v-hlave-etno-safari-odmietol/ [link-preview url=”https://dennikn.sk/681418/vyhladal-romov-a-sintov-ktori-prezili-holokaust-a-natocil-skutocne-diery-v-hlave-etno-safari-odmietol/”]
Yet another Daily Mail article, this time about the christening of a Rroma boy in Slovakia with lots of money splashed around.
We do not need this – really.
– It’s a Big Fat Gypsy… christening! Baby covered in £550 worth of banknotes and handed a dummy on a gold chain in Roma ceremony costing £25,000. In: Daily Mail. 04.03.2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4281492/Gypsy-baby-covered-550-worth-banknotes.html [link-preview url=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4281492/Gypsy-baby-covered-550-worth-banknotes.html”]
In Poprad, a petition against a Rroma Community Centre was signed by 1’300 people… And it is supported by the city hall. A lawyer of the Rroma says that such petitions should not encourage the violation of the constitution. He is right.
– V Poprade sú výhrady proti komunitnému centru pre Rómov. In: 24 Hodin. 27.02.2017. http://www.24hod.sk/v-poprade-su-vyhrady-proti-komunitnemu-centru-pre-romov-cl496463.html [link-preview url=”http://www.24hod.sk/v-poprade-su-vyhrady-proti-komunitnemu-centru-pre-romov-cl496463.html”]
There have been many articles recently that thematise the segregation of Rroma children in the Slovak education system and the consequences thereof. Also in Slovakia itself.
Good that this gains traction!
– Roma segregation – Slovakia’s evergreen problem. In: The Slovak Spectator. 01.03.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20471589/roma-segregation-slovakias-evergreen-problem.html
– Slovakia continues to allow discrimination against Roma children. In: EURAKTIV. 02.03.2017. http://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/slovakia-continues-to-allow-discrimination-against-roma-children/ http://www.euractiv.fr/section/justice-affaires-interieures/news/slovakia-continues-to-allow-discrimination-against-roma-children/
– Rights groups: Slovakia discriminates against Roma kids. In: Associated Press. 28.02.2017. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rights-groups-slovakia-discriminates-roma-kids-45812947
– Slovak Roma Students Still Segregated Says Report. In: TOL. 02.03.2017. http://www.tol.org/client/article/26739-slovakia-roma-segregation-schools-report.html
– AI: Slovensko nezabezpečuje rovný prístup rómskych detí k vzdelaniu. In: Spravy Pravda. 01.03.2017. http://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/421645-ai-slovensko-nezabezpecuje-rovny-pristup-romskych-deti-k-vzdelaniu/
– Amnesty International preháňa, tvrdí Kaliňák o kritike segregácie Rómov. In: TA3. 25.02.2017. http://www.ta3.com/clanok/1100609/amnesty-international-prehana-tvrdi-kalinak-o-kritike-segregacie-romov.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20471589/roma-segregation-slovakias-evergreen-problem.html “]
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