Life in Roma settlements, as a basic determinant of the social exclusion of Roma

Introduction

According to research and strategic documents, Roma in Slovakia regularly appear among the groups most at risk of poverty, social exclusion and discrimination. Several disadvantages are combined for this population group. They experience poverty caused by unemployment, lack of education, access to information, disadvantageous housing, etc. One of the worst situations of the Roma minority is living in segregated Roma settlements. This population group in Slovakia is also explicitly mentioned in strategic documents and action plans to combat poverty or social exclusion.

Marginalized Roma groups

Marginalized population groups represent specific groups that are often disadvantaged. Such a disadvantage manifests itself in social, cultural and above all in economic isolation. For these groups, poverty tends to be an accompanying phenomenon. We consider the greatest discrimination to be social exclusion, which is characteristic of the Roma minority.

Roma differ from members of the majority in their ethnicity, perception of the surrounding world, their own experiences, etc. They belong to the Europoid race, even if the racial deviations of this minority from the majority in Europe are noticeable. In the past, until now, there were conflicts between Roma and members of the minority. Their "otherness" is often perceived as a greater threat to the majority, and it can often be a misconception. "We consider the problem to be a better or worse masked intolerance, which hides the inability to coexist with someone who is different and whom we reject because of their difference without stopping to get to know them." (Klein, 2008, p. 86). This is one of the reasons for the social exclusion of the Roma.

Other determinants are also associated with the social exclusion of Roma, such as unemployment, low level of education, low income and low standard of living. Roma marginalized groups are often without access to information.1 Individual determinants conditioned by social exclusion differ and determine each other. Within the political sphere, marginalized groups may be excluded from political and civil affairs. It is primarily conditioned by life in settlements, which represent the own rules of life and coexistence of Roma.

Historical determinants of the isolation of the Roma minority

At the beginning of the 20th century, when the 1st Czechoslovak Republic was established, Roma families were segregated further from the villages so as not to disturb the life of the original inhabitants. Integration into the majority population was not desirable. One of the factors in the rejection of the Roma was the intolerance of their nomadic lifestyle. "In 1958, nomadic Roma were prohibited from moving by the law "on the permanent settlement of nomadic and semi-nomadic persons". (Onderčová, 2003, p. 7). Act no. 74/1958 Coll. on the permanent settlement of nomads, nomads were banned. The nomadic origin of the Roma was ended by the liquidation of the nomadic settlements. The Roma population was moved to larger dwellings, where they were provided with housing provided with running water, electricity, sewage, near schools, factories, etc. It often involved the violent demolition of settlements and the violent relocation of Roma to new locations. All this happened without any preparation. They were moved to new houses and subsequently the internal structure of their community was broken. (Compare Štrbová, 2016, p. 64)

By banning roaming2 and moving into housing units, they caused their devastation, together with the surrounding environment. "In some cities, these today perfectly form destroyed ethnic ghettos, again with a reminder of the lifestyle of the Roma, the lack of law enforcement, or a high tolerance for the destruction of municipal or city property." (Chovanec, 2012, p. 439, In: Beňo et al., 2012). The modern imposed lifestyle of the Roma thus persists. This is due to the high tolerance for destruction of property by municipalities and cities. The opposition of the majority of the majority only causes the problem to worsen. Roma later return to the settlements due to the loss of civilized housing.

Life in Roma settlements – a determinant affecting the quality of life of Roma

The coexistence of the majority with the Roma presents quite a few problems, especially in areas where there are concentrated Roma settlements. In some concentrated Roma groups, if the situation persists, the total resignation of the Roma to the moral, value and normative framework of the majority society can be expected. Assumptions say that the increase in the number of Roma in some localities of our cities may also indicate an increase in conflicts, which are ultimately one of the reasons why Roma are not a generally accepted and included part of Slovak society. (Šuvada, 2015). That is why Roma are increasingly being rejected by the majority and thus their isolation is increasing. It represents the most common accompanying phenomenon for this group. Isolation and rejection by the majority is manifested in the life of the Roma by the maximization of staying in settlements and the minimization of movement in the majority society. "On the other hand, it must be admitted that settlements are clearly the biggest problem in the Roma issue today." (Hajko, 2015, p. 185). The isolation of Roma settlements from the majority continues to grow. Roma living in settlements follow their own unwritten rules, which are different in each settlement.

Life in the settlements is not the same, but they share the characteristics of closed communities and are characterized by deep poverty. "Another sign of settlements is the increase in the number of their inhabitants. It is related to the influx of new settlers who for some reason lost their original housing and to above-average population growth." (Hajko, 2015, p. 195). The increase in population is naturally associated with the creation of other illegal residential buildings made of makeshift material with significantly disturbed statics. The temporary housing units themselves have an excessive number of inhabitants, which represents even more hygienically unsuitable housing and thus a greater deterioration of the quality of life.

Settlements are often the only social environment for Roma to survive, be safe and protect themselves from the outside world. Fear of the unknown, negative experiences with discrimination, conflicts between the minority and the majority, different and often changing rules from the outside, mentality and differences in values ​​are frequent reasons for staying in one's own settlements, in a natural environment that represents a lower, even low level of socio-economic living conditions.

Living conditions are the worst in the settlements. The most obvious phenomenon is the lack of infrastructure, the amenities of dwellings located on the outskirts of villages or their remote parts. Housing equipment, infrastructure and lighting were introduced in some settlements from the financial resources of cities and municipalities. Over time, however, they were also damaged by members of the settlements.

Nevertheless, from the point of view of quite a few members of the Roma minority, the environment in which the majority lives is socially excluded. This creates two different worlds, the differences of which are further deepened by social determinants. Despite the vastly noticeable difference between the world of the majority and the Roma minority, the settlements represent a choice of life strategy for the Roma to survive in limited conditions. Among other things, the settlements lack a sample of the life of the majority society, which lives and perceives the world differently. The barriers in thinking on both sides are abysmal. This also applies to the family in the settlements. According to Hajk (2015), children come into a world from which they have little chance to escape after reaching adulthood.

Social exclusion3 expresses exclusion from meaningful participation in various spheres of society, systems and subsystems. Roma, who took advantage of the opportunity to live a different way of life than the conditions of the settlements, exclude themselves from their own minority. The settlements do not accept the "modern enlightened" majority. "An unfortunate consequence of the extremely high cohesion is also the frequent reluctance of the Roma family and the wider community to allow the individual to break away, to act differently from the group." (Štrbová, 2016, p. 64) The most difficult phenomenon is usually conflicts between original members who cannot understand the otherness of their member. This continues the abandonment of the natural environment and the breaking of emotional ties with the members of the settlements. Therefore, the Roma often have to leave their original social environment and start a new life in the world of the majority. There, the difficult task of social adaptation and social integration may await the Roma.

Solution options

Experience from the past has shown that moving Roma from their natural environment to the environment of the majority is very problematic. Gypsies in a foreign world do not know how to penetrate. Social adaptation and socialization with the majority is absent. Roma may try to escape back to their world, to Roma settlements. In order for a certain contact between the minority and the majority to occur, it is necessary to initially respect the natural environment of the Roma. A very effective means of Roma contact with the majority is support for the establishment of community centers to help Roma families. Community centers can be focused on the field of education of Roma, especially children, and on the gradual or partial social inclusion in society.

The emphasis should be on relationships between social workers and communities. This requires the openness of social workers when working with Roma, who will respect their uniqueness. It cannot be done without the participation of the Roma. The very open, confidential, special friendly relationship freed from formalities, prejudices4 and scrupulousness is necessary for the necessary change in the mindset of the Roma and a shift in working with this target group. Creating such a relationship between a social worker and a Roma is often complicated and lengthy. If such a relationship is established over time, it is one of the other successes of social work with the Roma. The created good relationship is a motivation for the social worker to continue performing social work with the Roma minority. For Roma, it can be a motivation to change their life for the better and get rid of prejudices against some members of the majority. "When students or workers who once lived in poverty but worked their way into the middle class were asked how they did it, nine out of ten said it was because of a relationship—with a teacher, counselor, priest, coach, supervisor, etc. who cared about them and gave them advice." (Cf. Neupauer, p. 17 In: From settlement to kingdom)

Among the powerful tools supporting the contact of the minority with the majority is the support for the creation of pastoral centers directly or in the vicinity of the settlements, which are operated by validly registered churches. There should also be expert and professional help for Roma families, assuming their own interest and participation. It is also important to take into account the cultural traditions of the Roma and look for opportunities to integrate into society through jobs that are natural for the Roma - crafts, theater, the artistic sphere. Work with Roma communities should be based on the cooperation of leading members of the settlements and social workers from the external environment. It is important that an initiation group of Roma is formed in the community, which consists of people with natural or acquired authority in the community, who are interested in the development of the community and are willing to actively participate in its development. (Cf. Neupauer, p. 21 In: From settlement to kingdom)

When working with the Roma minority living in settlements, it is necessary to connect the inner world of the settlements with the world of the majority. This is a difficult task for individual cities and municipalities. In order for there to be another clash between the Roma minority and the majority, it is necessary to create work activities that help the adaptation and socialization of the Roma with the majority. Municipalities should create meaningful work activities to improve the quality of the outdoor environment. It goes, for example repair of castles, cleaning of forests, destruction of illegal landfills. Employment opportunities should not be created only, which can often be demotivating. "The municipality should support and cooperate with organizations that successfully offer educational and educational activities on its territory." (Bešenyei, p. 38 In: From settlement to kingdom) The participation of Roma in improving the quality of the environment and space can be motivating for them. Their cooperation and the results of their work can make them start to think about how to protect and improve the environment in which they find themselves.

Conclusion

Working with the Roma minority requires continuous, regular and long-term activity. Successful cases where the Roma have adapted to a new environment thanks to the continuous activity of social work need to be promoted in a suitable way. This can be a motivation for other Roma who want to adapt to the majority. It should be pointed out that Roma who fully socialize into society will not be the only Roma, and therefore they will be able to be in contact with other Roma who have been able to do so. Thanks to this, they will be able to build mutual relationships and thus mutually support their identity. However, they must expect to experience social exclusion from the settlements to which they once belonged. Despite such rejection, they can be an example and a challenge for a few acquaintances who have not yet socialized into society and are considering such steps in the future.

Author: Mgr. JUDr. PhDr. Stanislav Bujda, PhD.

List of references

HAJKO, J.: Throw a stone at me. Český Těšín: FINIDR, 2015, 424 p. ISBN 978-80-556-1437-3.

CHOVANEC, J. 2012. Quality of life of marginalized groups. In: Cooperation of helping professions - determinant of the quality of life of the population. Bratislava: University of Health and Social Work St. Alžbety, 2012. ISBN 978-80-89464-10-4, p. 435-444.

KLEIN, V.: 2008. Multicultural education and the Roma. Nitra: UKF, 2008. 170 p. ISBN 978-80-8094-333-2.

MEKEL, M. – KOLESÁROVÁ, D.: From settlement to kingdom. Prešov: Petra. 2020. 129 p. ISBN 978-80-8099-149-4.

ONDERČOVÁ, V. 2003. Assistance program for low-income Roma pupils. Prešov: Methodological-pedagogical center in Prešov, 2003. 56 p. ISBN 80-8045-308-X.

ŠTRBOVÁ, M.: Crime and Roma. Nitra: UKF, 2016. 84 p. ISBN 978-80-558-0994-6.

ŠUVADA, M. 2015. Roma in Slovak cities. Bratislava: KASICO, 2015, 168 p. ISBN 978-80-8061-828-5.

Law no. 74/1958 Coll. on the permanent settlement of nomadic persons

1 The result of the lack of access to information is often the failure to acquire other necessary skills, which the majority have long been familiar with. 2 The natural lifestyle of the Roma, which was known to the majority in the past. 3 Social exclusion can be specifically understood by the Roma. For many of them, the majority is isolated from the world. More precisely, because non-Roma do not live in Roma settlements. 4 Tendencies still prevail, when parents of the majority scare their children into giving them to gypsies. Similarly, the members of the Roma minority do it too, scaring their children by giving them gags, i.e. from members of the majority, or white.