It’s the custom at this time of year to take stock of the failures, possibilities, and successes of the year that has passed. I will, therefore, briefly reflect on the matters that drew my attention this year. There were rather a lot of them, but nothing much that was positive, and that’s why in closing I have to dig deep and look closer to hand so as not to succumb to skepticism during this holiday period. I will even talk a bit about my own work.
At the start of 2012, a new political party started up in the Czech Republic, the Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí – SRP). The membership base and in particular the Executive Committee of the party, including its chair and vice-chairs, gives one reason to believe that it is a so-called Romani party defending the interests of that specific national minority. We can criticize this delimitation, but the fact remains that this is the first such appearance in our country of a Romani political entity since the time of the Romani Civic Initiative (Romská občanská iniciativa – ROI).
I have to praise the very well-timed establishment of the SRP in an election year. I expected the massive establishment of municipal-level organizations throughout the entire republic and an attack on the regional elections, but I was disappointed. I know of only a single municipal-level organization for the party, and many Romani people looked in vain for the SRP voting list when their ballots arrived. Because of this, the resolution of many matters has been postponed, and that is a great shame. Press releases and dancing with the Human Rights Commissioner are not as effective as running a Romani candidate in the regional elections would have been.
I did spot a few Romani people on the candidate lists of other political parties and various regional-level movements, but they were all in unelectable positions – in 20th place or even lower. It was theoretically possible to circle the name of a Romani candidate during the regional elections, but once again outreach among Romani voters and our own voting morale failed us. Now we can look forward to a few years of tear-stained commentaries about how we are nowhere to be seen in decision-making positions, how we have no share in public affairs, how no one will let us in, and how, in that case, paternalism will continue to be the way Romani issues are resolved.
I also expected the massive application of the "Strategy for the Fight against Social Exclusion" this year, since the Government of the Czech Republic approved it in the fall of 2011. I was greatly mistaken when I predicted that the measures listed in that material would be introduced into practice. This is actually happening to a minimal, partial extent, but personally I view the taking up of this strategy as having been very insufficient. This is also a great shame, as many ways of resolving certain problems are well-described in the Strategy and I believe the application of some of them in practice would move many things forward for the better.
This year I also did not see the creation of a new law to specifically address the matter of the sterilization of Romani women and compensation to them for this harsh intervention, which evidently was often performed as a result of coercion. There have been rather a lot of these cases in the past, and many of the women whose health has been harmed in this way have still not been compensated to this day. I feel badly about this. I hope the ice will break and that this matter will be addressed through a specific law as soon as possible.
I don’t want to be too skeptical, so I would like to point out a few positive matters. First and foremost, I am very pleased that 2012 did not feature such a concentration of anti-Romani demonstrations as 2011 did. The work of the media toward the Romani community has also improved, with the exception of a few excesses, such as the Břeclav scandal. I don’t want to say any more about the media (I don’t want to jinx it) but let’s look around and try to find something positive to present as a success.
For example, in the town where I live, Romani people are contributing to the creation of a strategic plan for municipal development, and Romani people are going to be the vehicles for achieving some concrete goals as part of the community planning of social services. I would, therefore, claim that it is possible to participate in public affairs, at least to some extent. Yes, in the elections we Romani people once again excluded ourselves, but even so, we shouldn’t lose heart.
Let’s strive to change things for the better, let’s get involved in our neighborhoods, our towns, our regions and even at state level. Let’s stop constantly wringing our hands over old disputes among ourselves and maligning one another with accusations of fishy intentions. When we look back on this year, we can clearly see that we spent more time arguing with one another on Facebook and in discussion fora on Romea.cz than on resolving matters to benefit the poorest, the most vulnerable, and the needy.
In the organization where I am employed, there are many Romani employees, even in managerial positions. Our Děčín branch of the Counseling Center for Citizenship, Civil and Human Rights (Poradna pro občanství, občanská a lidská práva) completed a project in cooperation with the Labor Office this year in which we placed 50 residents of socially excluded Romani localities and longtime job seekers in subsidized jobs, despite lively prejudices against them. The employers have extended the contracts of 20 of them and are paying the costs of their labor without public assistance. That means 20 people made it out of the vicious circle of the welfare system this year, which means 20 Romani families were positively influenced.
I am glad of this and I am satisfied with my work. Understandably, I could also mention here our successes in testing activities regarding equal treatment, our strategic litigation, and other matters that are changing things for the better and are harmonized with our social services provision. I could talk forever about dozens of resolved problems with excessive debts, housing, etc. – but I won’t. Instead, I prefer to ask the readers of this article whether they too are glad of their own work, whether they did something this year to improve an adverse situation, and how their engagement influenced what goes on inside the community of which they are a part.
It’s nice to ask whether we are satisfied with the year that has just passed, but it’s a cliché. We would do better to ask whether we are satisfied with ourselves, with our approach, with our work for the good of those around us. We have a new year ahead of us once more, we’re at the start of something new, and we can draw a line under many things and start with a fresh sheet of paper now. Let’s not be afraid of change and progressive opinions – let’s lead our own frontal attack.
