Related articles
Current AffairsSenate Human Rights Committee investigates Roma evictions in Vsetin
When the mayor of Vsetin Jiri Cunek evicted several hundred Romany
rent-defaulters from their homes and moved them to a complex of
portacabins on the outskirts of town several weeks ago he set off a storm
of controversy. Some called him a racist, others applauded his courage in
addressing a long-standing problem. On Thursday the Senate's Human Rights
Commission set out to investigate the matter - and concluded that the
mayor had made the right decision.
More
Current AffairsEuropean monitoring centre says more effort is needed to integrate Romany minority
It is a vicious circle: poor education -unemployment - bad housing. Despite
efforts to integrate the Roma community into Czech society, the Roma still
remain on the fringe of society, unable to break free of the constraints
which pre-determine their place in life. A report by the Vienna-based
European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia says more effort needs
to be undertaken across Europe to resolve this problem.
More
Current AffairsVsetin mayor at centre of race storm after evicting Romanies from centre
The town of Vsetin in eastern Moravia is at the centre of what is becoming
a nationwide debate over housing, local politics and race relations. Mayor
Jiri Cunek's decision to move several hundred Romany rent-defaulters out
of
a dilapidated block of flats in the town centre and relocate them, often
up
to 70 km away, helped him win him a seat in the Senate, but is also
causing
uproar. More
Current AffairsUN committee looks into enforced sterilization of Romany women
A United Nations committee on the elimination of discrimination against
women is looking into claims of enforced sterilization of Romany women in
a number of post communist states, the Czech Republic included. The
practice is said to have started in the communist days as a means of
"regulating" the Romany population, but human rights activists
fear that the practice did not end with the fall of communism.
More
Current AffairsEU says Czech Republic discriminates against Romany children
The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia has criticized the
Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary for allegedly discriminating against
Romanies from an early age by sending many of them to special schools for
people with learning difficulties. The EU report suggests that this
practice is at the root of the government's inability to deal with the
integration of Roma into society as such, because wrongful assignment to
special education has far reaching negative consequences for future
employment opportunities.
More
Current AffairsRomany women report cases of enforced sterilization
Some time ago Helena Ferencikova, a Romany woman, claimed she had been
forced to undergo sterilization. Her case set off many
more complaints from Romany mothers who said they'd received similar
treatment. Many of them wrote to the Ombudsman Otakar Motejl for help and
several have since taken their case to court. More
WitnessKumar Vishwanathan - an extraordinary decision to join homeless Roma
In July 1997 floods swept through the city of Ostrava in the east of the Czech Republic. The entire district of Hrusov was devastated, leaving dozens of Roma families homeless. At that time Kumar Vishwanathan, a young physics teacher from India, was working at a school about sixty kilometers away in Olomouc. In the wake of the floods he made an extraordinary decision that completely changed his life - to help the homeless Roma families by moving in with them into their emergency accommodation...
More
One on OneKumar Vishwanathan - Indian community worker
Rob Cameron's guest on One on One this week is Kumar Vishwanathan - an Indian community worker living in north Moravia. Kumar has spent much of the last decade looking for ways to bring the local Roma community closer to majority society, and advocates a number of controversial measures - including dialogue with far-right skinheads and a "Coexistence Village", where Roma and white families will live side by side. Tune in to this week's One on One to find out more.
More
