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Czech and Slovak mayors and school directors present social inclusion successes

04 June 2014
4 minute read

On Monday, 2 June, mayors, school directors and people from the NNO sector in the Czech Republic and Slovakia who have experience with including socially excluded residents of their communities gathered in the Lichtenstein Palace in Prague for a conference under the auspices of Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier. Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová Tominová also addressed the conference; click here for full audio and video of the conference.

The event was convened by the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, the Embassy of the United States of America in the Czech Republic, and ROMEA, o.p.s. "This government wants to consistently address social exclusion and the options for aiding those who live inside and near such places. I have seen in the field the generational implications of shifting responsibility for these problems elsewhere. It is necessary to stop trafficking in poverty and to replace the overpriced residential hotels with social housing. Every exchange of examples of good practice is welcomed, which is why I very much support this seminar," Dienstbier said.

"All over the world, ethnic, religious and other minorities face daily discrimination, insults and persecution. Exclusion takes many forms and I am very glad the participants in this conference understand the challenges such exclusion creates. I also appreciate their efforts to collaborate on creating an environment that is socially inclusive," said Steven Kashkett, the chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America in the Czech Republic.  

"Exchanging experiences and presenting successful processes for the inclusion of socially excluded inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are Romani, is very important at this time of rising anti-Romani sentiment. There is a need to show those places where, thanks to collaboration between key entities, coexistence has been successfully improved and everyone, irrespective of their nationality or social position, has come to enjoy better living conditions. This will make it possible for others to apply successful projects to places where the situation is bad," said  Zdeněk Ryšavý, director of ROMEA, o. p. s.

Martin Šimáček, director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, familiarized those present with successful examples of the Agency’s work in specific towns. Local mayors then subsequently confirmed his claims.

Mayor of Obrnice Drahomíra Miklošová, one of the first to begin a very successfully transformation from the usual approach to Romani people taken by that northern Bohemian town to an approach that has led to integration and mutual understanding, praised the collaboration with the Agency. The first panel of the day was dedicated to the situation in the Czech Republic.

Mayor Miklošová, Tomáš Mědílek (the head of the social department in the town of Kadaň), Oto Váradi (vice-mayor of the town of Ralsko) and David Beňák (head of the Prague 14 municipality’s social department) shared their experiences and proven processes with the conference. The panel reviewed the problems faced by Czech mayors and provided information about their current situations, existing programs, and the steps that must be taken to help the situation progress further in their towns.   

The mayors also spoke about the processes that have proven successful for them, about their experiences with the integration of socially vulnerable people, and about how they have learned from their own mistakes. René Dočkal, director of the Municipal Directorate of the Ostrava Police (Moravian-Silesian Regional Police Headquarters) then spoke about whether to expect more anti-Romani unrest this summer and about acceptable forms of maintaining the peace and tools for keeping unrest from getting out of hand. 

Representatives of Slovak municipalities presented during the afternoon panel, which reviewed the situation in Slovakia, including its legislation and other options for aiding or attempting to aid inclusion and integration. Featured speakers were Mária Filipová (head of the Banská Bystrica social department), Jozef Gruchalák (head of the Dolný Kubín social department, a municipality that has long worked effectively with a permeable housing system), and Vladimír Lehecký (the mayor of Spišský Hrhov).    

The closing panel was dedicated to the field of inclusive education and featured Vladimír Foist (director of an elementary school in  Poběžovice on practical aspects of common education and the role of municipalities), Vlado Rafael (director of the eduRoma Slovensko organization, on desegregation of the Šarišské Michalany elementary school) and Karin Marques (Open Society Fund, on the involvement of regional authorities). Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová Tominová then presented at the end of the day.

That evening there was a cocktail reception at the residence of US Ambassador Noram Eisen to honor Mayor Miklošová’s nomination for the International Woman of Courage award. The reception also honored the local politicians implementing innovative strategies in the field of inclusion. 

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