The Roma

Most I've met in GPP are aware that I have a lot of interest in issues in Europe, as I will be doing my PE in Ukraine this summer. However, one issue of particular interest of mine is the issue of Roma communities in Europe. This is something I have not had the chance to talk to many people about. When I was initially looking into opportunities for my PE, I wanted to end up working with the Roma population in some way. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any organizations that were doing work in this field that interested me.

For those who aren't aware of Roma issues in Europe, here's some background. The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe. Roma communities exist in just about every country in Europe, to varying degrees. This population is also one of the most impoverished in Europe and widely discriminated against. Many people also view the Roma as a self-segregating group, living in their own cities and villages and not assimilating with other European communities. Many Roma individuals speak Romani (their own language) in addition to the language of the country where they reside (French, Slovakian, Ukrainian, etc.)

This article tells the story of a photographer who traveled to the Roma village of Jarovnice, Slovakia, in order to document the experiences of the people he met. He depicts the community in a very positive light. According to the article, many of the problems Roma communities face come from institutionalized discrimination, and government deprivation of education, employment opportunities, and basic amenities and infrastructure.

Around a year ago, when I was in the Czech Republic, I met a photographer doing a similar study. This person was working in the city of Košice, Slovakia (around 60km south of Jarovnice). His opinion on the topic was completely different. He described to me how Roma communities are one of the most heavily subsidized groups in Europe. The governments of many countries were more than happy to provide basic services and infrastructure, however, the use of these services by the Roma were the real problem. He showed me pictures of apartment complexes in Košice that had been recently built by the Slovakian government, but had been torn apart by their inhabitants. Members of the community would tear plumbing out of the walls of these buildings in order to sell the metal, and then move to another apartment complex to do the same. According to many likeminded people throughout Europe, the Roma people have dug themselves into poverty, both by behavior like that which I've described with the apartment buildings and by self-segregating and not assimilating with other communities. Many attempts have been made to raise the standards of living of the Roma, but none of these attempts have worked because of the lack of cooperation of the Roma people.

This is a very important issue throughout Europe and I think the contrast in opinions is extremely interesting. I have not decided for myself which viewpoint I find more convincing. I'd love to talk to anybody that's interested in the issue about this, and I hope by reading this, you've learned something about the subject.

http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/looking-past-poverty-life-roma-ghettos