Cyril Koky: Socially excluded Romani localities are a trap the state does not know how to close

On Monday, 15 December 2014, the Department of Social Affairs of the Central Bohemian Regional Authority held a conference for 50 representatives of municipalities with extended jurisdiction and social services providers working in Central Bohemia on the topic of "The Issue of Social Exclusion". Cyril Koky, Romani Affairs Coordinator for the Central Bohemian Regional Authority, informed news server Romea.cz of the event.

"The main purpose of the conference was a discussion of the options for financing social services in the region. We also dedicated time to the situation in the area of the housing issue. There was an interesting presentation by representatives of the New Economics public benefit corporation regarding the responsible issuing of public tenders with an emphasis on applying the condition of employing 10 % of the workforce involved in municipal and regional projects from the ranks of the long-term unemployed," said Vladislav Fryč, manager of the Department of Social Services and Humanitarian Activities of the Central Bohemian Regional Authority.

The second half of the conference was dedicated to the significance of local action groups in relation to persons at risk of social exclusion and the work of the Police of the Czech Republic in relation to national minorities in Central Bohemia. "Socially excluded Romani localities in various regions of the Czech Republic represent a trap that the state does not know how to close. The growth in socially excluded Romani localities is disrupting social cohesion in society in a fundamental way, sparking nationalist and social tensions and strengthening right-wing extremism. Long-term failure to address this situation may have unforeseen consequences," Koky emphasized.