Tag Archives: Poverty

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe News Switzerland

Bulgaria, Roma, Beggars, and Switzerland

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Due to the presence of s few Roma beggars from Bulgaria in Bern, members of the police in charge of foreigners went to Burgas, Bulgaria, together with journalists from the Tages-Anzeiger.

They do report on the poverty, precarity, and dreadful living conditions, but also speak (rather lest someone speak) about Roma chiefs, who, when owed money that is not repaid, “forces” people to work, “for example as a beggar” in Switzerland. They also say that begging is an important source of income.

Not when the average income of a beggar is less than 20 francs. There are other means that are way more lucrative.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Poverty

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An article on the improvements in terms of work and poverty in the town of Rimavská Sobota, in South Central Slovakia. There, the unemployment has been the highest in Slovakia for a long time, but it has fallen sharply over the last 10 years. In addition, a large investment is planned for the district, the German company Winkelmann will build a plant there, which will create 450 jobs.

At the exit meeting on Wednesday, the government distributed approximately two million euros to various projects in the districts of Rimavská Sobota and Poltár.

What benefit will come to Roma still needs to be seen.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Poverty and Hunger

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A blog article in Slovakia that reflects many stereotypes. Young Roma groomed for begging for food. They are dirty, badly dressed. And among them, one exemplary young Rom who doesn’t want to turn out like his parents.

What the blog is mentions is that the shop in the village is 30 to 50% more expensive than the supermarket. The blogger misses the fact that these Roma cannot go to the supermarket, as they have no car…

In brief, a very bad article.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

EU Report and the Czech Republic

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According to the EU Fundamental Right Agency (FRA) Report on Roma, Roma in the Czech Republic, poverty threatens 77 % of Romani people, a clear deterioration of the situation as compared to 2016, when poverty threatened 58 % of Roma.

Europe

Europe and Roma

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European countries with large Roma populations are making little progress towards equality for this minority. This is the result of a study published by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the European Union in Vienna today.

In ten eastern and southern countries surveyed, 80 percent of Roma are at risk of poverty, the same number as in a 2016 survey. In the total EU population, 17 percent are currently at risk of poverty.

Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe with an estimated population of ten to twelve million. For its study last year, the FRA surveyed almost 8,500 of them and collected data on around 20,000 people in Greece, Italy, Croatia, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The EU agency uses Roma as a collective term that also includes the Sinti group.

As usual, percentages about Roma are always suspect, as the true number of Roma is not known.

News Eastern Europe Romania

World Bank: Rroma in Romania 10 Times more Likely to be Poor

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According to the world bank, Rroma in Romania are 10 times more likely to be poor than the rest of the population. One always wonder how one arrives at these numbers, as one doesn’t really know how many Rroma there are in Romania (officially not that many), but clearly, those that are visible are discriminated, and as a result are poorer.

News Eastern Europe Romania

Teenage Pregnancy in Romania

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A reportage on teenage pregnancies in Romania, and its inevitable conclusion that it affects many Rroma. While it is true that many young Rroma have children early (very early), ethnicity may not be the root cause.

No sexual education, no contraception are available in the countryside, and in addition, several of the free churches that are active in those regions are adamantly against both, resulting in a new phenomenon of large families among traditionally small Rroma ones.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Rroma Organisations Concerned

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Several Rroma Organisations expressed concerns following a series of children death in Rroma ghettoes in that country. They are asking the government to take action and to improve the overall conditions.

France News Switzerland News Western Europe

Child Poverty in France …

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The French government is defending its policies on fighting children poverty at the UN in Geneva. Besides the high number of children living in poverty in that country, France was also criticised about access to schools and discrimination of migrants, especially of Rroma.

 

News Western Europe

Poverty in Sweden: Due to Rroma Migrants

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An article claims that poverty is returning to Sweden with the arrival or Rroma migrants. This overt poverty is forcing Sweden to re-think their welfare society, as obvioulsly, some people are not benefitting from it.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Poverty in Hungary …

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In spite of the picture, and in spite of the beliefs, not all poor people in Hungary are Rroma. Unicef claims 620 thousand children live below the poverty line. This is many more children as the Rroma minority, which all in all numbers ca. 800 thousands.

Note that three million Hungarian are now below the official poverty line.

  • UNICEF: Child poverty in Hungary highest in EU. In: Budapest Beacon. 19.03.2015. http://budapestbeacon.com/public-policy/unicef-child-poverty-in-hungary-highest-in-eu/
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