Living beyond the Pale: Environmental Justice and the Roma Minority

Chapter Three: The Roma of Slovakia

CHAPTER THREE The Roma of Slovakia The Roma minority is probably the most distinctive ethnic group in Central and Eastern Europe. Different from their neighbors in culture, language , demographic structure, history, and education level, the Roma are a group facing racial discrimination, unemployment, and health problems (Guy 1975, 2001; Barany 1994, 2000; UNDP 2002; Džambarovič and Jurášková 2002; Schiffel 2005; Varmeersch 2010). There are various estimates of the size of the Roma population in Europe, varying between nine and twelve million (EC 2004; ERRC 1999; Grienig 2010). There are 107,210 people declaring Roma nationality in Slovakia according to the 2010 census,31 but these data are considered unreliable because many people do not declare their nationality or ethnic affiliation. The 2004 survey carried out for the Office of the Cabinet’s Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities is the most complex approach taken since the collapse of state socialism in the country. It indicates that 320,000 Roma live in Slovakia. This is approximately 6 percent of the total population, which makes Roma the second largest minority in the Slovak Republic after Hungarians.32 The different estimates and numbers may result from the hesitance of minority members to label themselves as “Roma” due to the fear of oppression , because of a feeling of endangered minority or because of a desire to be part of the majority.33 An assimilation policy has been for long time on the government agenda in Central and Eastern Europe—to various 31 The Slovak Statistical Bureau (Census 2010), http://px-web.statistics.sk/PXWebSlovak/. 32 The Slovak Statistical Bureau estimates the number of inhabitants in Slovakia to be 5,424,925 (Census 2010), http://px-web.statistics.sk/PXWebSlovak/. 33 E.g., many Roma declare Slovak or Hungarian nationality in censuses or public opinion polls in the Slovak Republic. 46 Living Beyond the Pale degrees in different countries. It has been recently replaced by policies of multiculturalism based on principles of endorsing cultural diversity and the right of different cultural and ethnic groups to retain distinctive cultural identities. The characteristic feature of the Roma is that, although they are seen from the outside as a homogeneous and compact group, in reality they consist of different subgroups and clans, often with different languages and culture. This, together with other social factors, has resulted in the inability of the Roma to unite or enter into political discourse and decision making at the state or local level (Šebesta 2003; Varmeersch 2010). Together with other factors, these conditions contribute to a situation in which Roma interests are often promoted by a “top-down” approach due to the influence of EU cohesion policies, human rights activists, and international organizations. The “bottom-up” pressure for recognition and promotion of their own interests seems so far marginal in the case of people from the Eastern Slovakian shantytowns. Some Roma have spread and assimilated with majority populations; a significant number live segregated lives. Patterns of the Roma settlements vary from the virtual urban ghetto type in Czech, Hungarian, or Western Slovak towns to separate villages or shantytowns in Eastern Slovakia, Romania, or Macedonia. In most countries both types of settlement are represented. There are many perspectives from which one can interpret the Roma situation. It can be addressed from the perspective of cultural and ethnic differences, racial discrimination, or poverty. I consider the Roma problem to be primarily a poverty problem, exacerbated by latent and open racism and discrimination. Poverty and inequalities relate to poor health conditions, low education levels, difficulties finding work, inequality of opportunities, and endangered environment. Discrimination in the school system and on the job market together with exclusion from decision making enhance further deepening segregation from society. Where are the sources of the poverty and discrimination is however extremely complicated economic and social question and the environment and access to natural resources is part of the whole (see Chapter 8). It is often difficult to trace the origins of settlements and evaluate environmental conditions in these places prior to the Roma arrival. It is often not clear when exactly the settlements were established. One of the Romarelated myths is that they were nomadic people forced to settle down by the socialist regime in the 1950s. Historical sources and census data challenge this claim. In Slovakia many Roma had already become settled by The Roma of Slovakia 47 the fourteenth and century (Guy 1975, 2001; Jurová 2002b...