The dismal housing situation, long-term unemployment, a high percentage of Romani children educated in the "practical primary schools" (special schools), and numerous incidents of anti-Romani sentiment, including demonstrations, in many towns throughout the Czech Republic: All of this shows that the process of integrating Romani people into society is markedly failing in practice. The living conditions and social situations of many Romani families continue to significantly intensify.
It is completely evident that non-governmental, nonprofit organizations and Romani activists are incapable of independently ensuring the basic, systemic changes needed with respect to this issue. Without adequate political support, in particular from the Government of the Czech Republic, but also from local and regional political authorities, a successful process of integrating Romani communities cannot take place.
The steps taken by the current governing coalition in this direction are no guarantee of positive changes for us. Their originally expressed intention to redistribute the human rights agenda from the Office of the Government among the various ministries as part of savings measures says it all.
Integration policy in practice
There is an evident clash of interests between central government and municipal policy in relation to the political resolution of Romani integration and social exclusion. So far, every new government to take power has declared in its governing materials and strategies a sincere effort to kick-start the process of social inclusion. Nevertheless, this very often comes to a halt at the level of mere statements.
The existence of socially excluded Romani localities at local level is considered by quite a few municipal politicians to be an acceptable way of putting up with the presence of socially excluded groups of inhabitants on their territories. In practice, this means some towns and villages have never addressed the essence of this situation. To speak colloquially, they only send in the firetrucks once everything has burned down.
Even though the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion is doing what it can, and even though it has recorded several positive examples in the field, we cannot say in general that it is an absolute victor in this area. Addressing the issue of socially excluded localities is important for all of us. The elimination of the rise of new localities and the "abolition" of existing ones is an essential step. Underestimating this situation may cost us significantly in the future and come back to haunt us in other ways as well.
The integration of Romanian Roma in France
Romani people are Europe’s largest ethnic group with its most serious socioeconomic problems. The question of migration, predominantly by impoverished Romani people from the new EU Member States in the Balkans, is becoming a serious problem.
However, a recent Czech television report from the French town of Aubervilliers unequivocally proves that the difficult process of integrating Romani people into society can be successfully realized as long as a political consensus exists, and as long as there is good will on both sides to change matters for the better. We all should take inspiration from the French challenge.
