History of roma people in the czech republic ● Nomads originally from India ● Migrated in 9th century — Arrived in the Czech Republic during the early 15th century ● Catholic church encourages the persecution of Roma people ● Czech lands legalize killing of Roma people for period of time, beginning in 1697 ● Industrialization left Roma minority behind — most Romas were illiterate and out of work at the turn of the 19th century ● Persecution and extermination by the Nazis during WWII ● Treatment and discrimination in the 20th century lead to poor conditions: ● Low education ○ ⅔ men and ¾ women do not attend school past elementary level ○ Roma children were often sent to remedial and special needs school ● High reliance on state welfare ● High percentage of Roma children in orphanages or fostercare The Normalization period (1970s-1980s) ● Integration of the Roma into Czech society occured in the 1970s and 1980s ● The programme for the integration was implemented as a state policy after 1970 ● Union of Gypsies-Roma was founded in the late 1960s ○ First Roma civic organization ○ Strongly influenced policies targeting Roma minority for three years ● Roma population were not in official documents acknowledged as a distinct ethnic minority until 1990 ● Roma people became more dependent on social benefits and welfare social system ● Most of the Roma population did not trust social institutions/education ○ Problem of education and care for children became a widely discussed issue ● During this period, the social systems in all communist countries operated with a racist framework Transition period (1990s) ● Charter 77 and Dissidents advocated for human rights, including Romas ● 1991: Roma nationality added to the Czech census ○ Official data can now be collected ○ Only a fraction of the population actually declares themselves as Roma ● Studies released in 1990s highlighted problems faced by Roma minority ○ Ex. Involuntary sterilization of Roma women since the 1970s ● Czech Helsinki Committee Report on the State of Human Rights in the Czech Republic (1994) ○ Criticized the status of Roma in Czech society ● Transition from communism led to even higher unemployment ○ 26.6% unemployment rate in 2002 ○ Criminality problems rose due to unemployment ○ Increased dependence on social welfare, unable to afford adequate healthcare or childcare Impact of European union and discourse of multiculturalism ● Led to “three-dimensional approach” to the Roma issue ○ Re-establishing Roma cultural patterns/rediscover the Roma identity ● Council of the Government and the Czech Republic for Roma Community Affairs attempted to integrate Roma minorities into society on a systematic basis ○ Key document: “The Roma Integration Policy Concept” ● Report on the State of Roma Communities in the Czech Republic was created in 2004 to solve the issue on a lack of information on the Roma population (especially on involvement in society) ○ Focused on medium-term goals ● Main goal of 2004-2010: improve social status of Roma people (education, housing, health, and labour market areas) ● Key concept currently: social inclusion and discourse of multiculturalism ○ Not just a language barrier problem, but a cultural barrier problem ○ Highly discussed topic currently is about Roma women in the family, society, and discrimination they face Czech Roma Women ● What do they have in common with Czech women? ○ Discrimination in access to education and the labour market, housing segregation, risk of poverty, etc. ● General discrimination with patriarchal structure in Roma families ● Significant portion of Roma women are unemployed ○ Leading to an increase in prostitution as a last resort for Roma Women ● Often victims of domestic violence ● Current generation of young Roma women play a significant role in family decision-making and in having access to money in the household ● Several members of the young generation of Roma women in the Czech Republic have established civic groups to fight for more rights Disadvantages Towards Ethnic Minority Women ● Lack of access to Education ○ Due to household duties, language barrier, isolation ○ Girls leave school earlier than boys due to family responsibilities ○ Reluctance of schools to enroll Roma children due to parents not wanting their children in school with Roma children ● Housing Conditions ○ Segregated, Over-crowded ○ Isolated with little access to public transportation ○ High risk of eviction ○ Contributes to health problems ● Poor Health Conditions ○ Considerably lower life expectancy ○ Higher rate of pregnancy, abortion, disease, malnutrition ○ Difficult access to healthcare service ● Access to Social Benefits ○ Due to low income, temporary employment, and lack of paperwork ○ Often live isolated far away from these services ● Access to employment ○ Unemployment rate among Roma women higher than the rest of the population ○ Face prejudice in hiring, promotion, wages ○ Traditional domestic family roles ○ Many are self-employed, reducing eligibility for unemployment benefits ● Limited Access to Financial Services ○ Difficulty buying houses or opening a bank account ○ Because many don’t have secure employment they are uneligable for these services ● Social Prejudice ○ Roma women are seen for traditional role as caregivers ○ Rarely represented in parliament, even in countries where they make up large parts of the population ○ Many women are treated disrespectfully and followed/harassed on a day to day basis ○ Some restaurants and businesses do not permit Roma women to enter if they are in traditional dress Discrimination Towards Women Within Roma Culture ● Women seen as caretakers and responsible for only household duties ○ This is an obstacle to their education and opportunity for employment ● Men seen as dominant, women seen as submissive ● Young women are held back from participating in public life; must be chaperoned when they leave the community ● Divorce/separation is uncommon ○ If they do separate, the man is given all of the power and can decide what to do with the children ● Domestic violence is common ○ Often seen as a socially acceptable practice due to submissive role of women Roma Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JpWJc3HaAI Questions for the Class ● What is your solution to the issues talked about for the Roma population involving the discrimination, racism, and lack of societal integration? ● Do you think that the Czech Republic government is doing enough on the issue? ● Do you see this type of discrimination on any specific races or minority groups in the United States? ● Do you think that the Roma people can be integrated fully into the Czech Republic society eventually? Can they ever reach equality? ● How does Susan Okid’s Essay relate to this issue? What do you think she would say about the Roma Women?