Hungary’s favourite Roma baker has been nominated for a prestigious award. Alex Galamb, a Roma baker from Borsod, has chosen a new direction: he will work as a vocational teacher at his former school, the Márton Agricultural and Geographical Vocational School in Debrecen.
Roma representatives are complaining that the Agency for Social Inclusion cannot effectively solve the problems of excluded localities. “Roma have a role on a theoretical level, but their real representation is weak,” according to Marian Dancso, deputy chairman of the Government Council for Roma Minorities. “Solving social exclusion is a self-governing competence of the municipality, we cannot do it for it,” s director Martin Šimáček defends the agency for social inclusion.
A much more differentiated article about the issues with Roma in Slovenia. It says that after thirty years of deliberate neglect of the minority, politics will now finally agree that something must be done. What the consensus now is, unfortunately is, is to limit and deprive the Roma of social rights, to make life even more difficult in general, and even to adopt stricter criminal legislation especially for them.
Two articles in the Slovene press with two different views. One is asking why in spite of all efforts, integration of the Roma minority failed, while the other questions whether funds earmarked for integration really were used for that …
We will have to introduce a Slovenian chronicle, akin to the French Chronicle we have been doing due to the high number of articles on the Roma “problem” in the Slovenian press. Thes articles are divided pretty much along party lines. One side says that the issues, and the recent attacks are the result of the current government inaction, while the other side is more differentiated.
Here the view on the government inaction…
Citizen members of the Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs and representatives of the organization RomanoNet today issued a statement calling on the government of the Czech Republic to immediately suspend all decisions regarding the future of the Agency for Social Inclusion (ASZ) and to start a broad public discussion about its future. They stated that the participation of Roma in the ASZ is only a formal one.
Roma from the village of Brekov in the Humen district in Eastern Slovakia became famous in the region for the production of fired bricks. They were the only ones, and the construction boom in the interwar period guaranteed them sales. They spoke little about the Holocaust.
Today, all these activities remain only in the memories of the oldest inhabitants of the village. Their conversation were captured by Elena Cinová, born Gunárová, whose parents come from Brekov.
A qualified teacher with a focus on Roma culture, she works at the Methodological and Pedagogical Centre in Prešov. She supplemented the audio recordings with photographs from the albums of the families of Martina Petrova, Etela Kirvejová, Magda Tokárová and the Gunár family and exhibited them in the hall of the cultural centre.
Another incendiary article about the Roma “Problem” in Slovenia. The article states that in recent months, the debate about the Slovenian government’s ineffective handling of the Roma issue has been rekindled, as the media reports on an increased number of crimes related to the Roma minority. Despite the disobedience, the mayors persist and strive for legal changes as soon as possible, because the minority must have exactly the same obligations as other citizens, emphasizes the mayor of Ribnica Samo Pogorelc.
The SDS (Slovenian Democratic Party) parliamentary group is proposing the establishment of a Subcommittee for monitoring Roma issues.
According to SDS deputy Anja Bah Žibert, the initiative is a call to all political parties in the National Assembly to come together and find appropriate solutions for the Roma issue. “Despite the large financial resources earmarked for the integration of the Roma population, the situation is getting worse. We are retreating and we already witness conflicts and violent behaviour practically every day, which is really worrying.”
She added that one doesn’t even know how many Roma there are in Slovenia.
Attitudes towards Roma in Latvian society are changing – and for the better, admitted the President of the International Association of Roma Normunds Rudevich on the air of the Open Conversation program of Latvian Radio 4. Roma, according to him, feel integrated, but there are problems that still lie ahead.
“For Roma, integration is an outdated word. We are integrated both culturally and nationally. We are looking for our place in this state, in employment – this is our main problem. It is important that people come to our events. Only with positivity can you change attitudes and kill stereotypes,” says Normunds Rudevich.
The Slovak Ministry of Health reacted to the comments of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’ Flaherty, who, after a recent visit to Slovakia, called on the Slovak authorities to urgently address the “terrible living conditions” of thousands of Roma, and improve their access to health.
The ministry said they would support programs for “socially excluded groups”.
Let’s see.
A Slovak journalist, Petra Strižková, went to two Slovak villages: Bystré and Hlinné. What they have in common is that they succeeded in what many only dream of or say is impossible! Roma-non-Roma coexistence is harmonious there – and has been for decades. The beginning of the successful story of integration was the demolition of a Roma settlement 50 years ago.
Well, that is clear: If you segregate people in a ghetto, you will definitively not integrate them.
The Office of the Government declared that, in addition to focusing on the field of civil protection, it will make maximum effective use of European funds aimed at the restoration of cultural monuments. “The restoration of cultural monuments, […], also has an important social element, in the form of social enterprises that employ a significant part of members of marginalized Roma communities during the restoration of cultural heritage,” according to the document approved by the government on Wednesday.
It means, like in Hungary, that they hire Roma (usually at low rates) for unskilled work…
The State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic, Katarína Roskoványi, met today with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Michael O’Flaherty. The subject of the meeting was the human rights of the Roma.
Commissioner O’Flaherty informed about his visit to Slovakia. During the initial days, he visited eastern Slovakia, where he met with representatives of the Roma community and held interviews about their situation, access to housing and other rights.
The Pilsen club Pixla mainly cares for underprivileged children from nearby hostels, having many Roma among its clients. Ukrainian refugees were added to this recently. For its work, the club won the second prize in a national competition for social services in May.
North Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani, in his role as co-chair of the Berlin Process, delivered the opening speech of the ministerial meeting dedicated to Roma integration hosted in Tirana, Albania. He said that “Roma are an integral part of our societies. Without any excuses, we must take concrete political and legal measures to increase their involvement in all social events. Integration with the EU is a common path and the Roma cannot be left aside. As countries aspiring to EU membership, we must demonstrate an effective regional concept of Roma integration, with visible progress in the areas of education, employment, health and housing for Roma.”
For a change a positive article about Roma. A employee of a supermarket about her colleagues who are all Roma. According to her, 90% of the team are Roma: They are hardworking and family-oriented. They also take the whole family to team building.
Branislav Ondruš, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, revealed more about a planned project to support the work integration of marginalized Roma communities and women from eastern Slovakia to the SITA agency.
“Let’s get to know each other” is another part of the campaign of the W Towards Dialogu Foundation about the presence Roma of in Polish society. 72% of Polish women and men do not know a single person from the Roma community as written on the billboards of the campaign, which spread from the Internet to the streets of 15 Polish cities. Posters with Romani women and Roma can be seen, among others, in Warsaw and Wrocław.
The President of the Slovenian Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, visited the Roma settlement Lepovče in Ribnica, where she discussed the common issues facing them with representatives of the Roma and the mayor Sam Pogorelce. She pointed out that Roma children attend schools as the key to solving Roma issues. “That’s why I call on all Roma parents to send their children to school,” she said.
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