Integration of ethnic minorities in
the Czech Republic with the aim
at Romany minority
LAP´S RAP´S project
Lisbon, 15. – 18.11.2006
Main approaches to the support for
Romany integration in the Czech
Republic
• Human rights – equal conditions for all Czech
citizens are guaranteed in the Czech
constitution, in the Charter
of Basic
Fundamental Human Rights, in the EU
legislation, in international agreements
• At the national level – specific rights of
members of national minorities are specified in
the Charter of Basic Human Rights, chapter III.
• Sociocultural point of view – Government
Council for Romany Community Affairs
The Policy Concept of the Romany
Integration (2005-2015)
Main objectives
- to improve position of Romany
minority in the society
- to achieve the trouble-free coexistence of Romany nationals with the
society
Tangible activities of the MoLSA
• MoLSA announced the tender for developing of the Analysis of
social excluded Romany communities and detection of
absorbing capacity of subjects working in this area
• Target – to gain information about situation in social excluded
Romany communities by means of mapping the situation in
particular localities and simultaneously find out the extent of
absorbing capacity of subjects working in this area.
• Fact – lack of verified information and the need to get financial
resources from ESF for social inclusion.
• Fact – need of providing of specialised social services
• MoLSA announces in the framework of grant proceeding in the
field of providing social services also a sub-programme focused
on a support of providing special services in social excluded
Romany communities
Focus on integration of Romany community members and
support of social work in regions with Romany communities
• The Act No. 108/2006 Coll., on Social services, comes into
effect on January 1, 2007. In this act the work with Romany
communities is included in social service Terrain Programmes
(§69) realized by social workers (§ 109).
• Social work in terrain is one of the most effective
tools to solve social exclusion problems. The main
philosophy is to tackle and sort out all problems with
the user of this service.
• Terrain social work draws on such experience that
people living in social excluded localities, mainly
Romans, have more difficult access to both state and
non-state institutional help. It is one of the most
effective tool for solving social exclusion. The main
philosophy is to solve all problems together with the
user of the service.
• Further goal is to involve as many people as possible
from the locality in all activities, to make the
community active.
7 main priorities of the concept:
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a) elimination of all forms of discrimination (race, colour of skin,
nationality, language, ethnic group)
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b) elimination of gaps in education and qualification
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c) improvement of social level of Romany minorities – reducing of
unemployment, improvement of their housing conditions and
consequently health conditions, preceding of social exclusion in
Romany communities
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d) to stop creation of Romany localities – ghettos
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e) maintaining of Romany culture and language
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f) creation of a tolerant environment without prejudices
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g) security of Romany minorities members
Institutional support
• National level – advisory governmental bodies
• Government Council for Romany Community Affairs
(unifies activities of the ministries)
- Government Council for national minorities
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Central bodies - ministries
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Ministry of Education and
Ministry of Health
State grant policy
• Grant programme for support of terrain
work in social excluded Romany
communities
• Grant programmes of the branch
ministries (e.g. MoLSA – providing with
social services – target group: Romany
population, services typology: terrain work
etc.)
EU funds
• SROP - measure 3.2 - providing with direct services for
target groups in particular regions
• OPRLZ - measure 2.1- support of projects at national
level (projects exceeding region NUTS II. )
• JPD for target 3 – support for capital Prague
• Global grant - measure 2.3 – education and
enhancement of capacities of social services providers in
regions and providing with these services in projects that
do not fulfil the minimal financial limit for project in other
possibilities of support.
• Initiative EQUAL
ESF funds in the future
• Programming period 2007-2013
• Support of non-investment activities –
creation of independent measure for
project focused on Romany population
Integration support in regions and
localities
• Regions – regional Romany coordinator (methodological
help from the MoLSA)
• Community level – Romany advisory
- terrain Romany worker
• NGO – social workers
- Terrain Romany workers
- further experts (pedagogy, advisory
employment, etc.)
• Social health workers
• Pedagogical assistant (preparatory classes at schools,
kindergarten)
Current project
• ESF project
Analysis of social excluded Romany
communities
and
detection
of
absorbing capacity of subjects working
in this area
Information
• Contracting authority - MoLSA
• Partner – Government Council for Romany Community Affairs
• Realization: GAC l.l.c., New school non-profit organization
Targets:
• To gain key information on situation in social excluded Romany
localities for setting of a suitable system for acquiring of financial
funds in programming period 2007-2013 (summarization of
documents, mapping of excluded
localities, creation of an
overview…
• To find out the possibility and extent of absorbing capacity of subject
providing with services
Outputs
• Electronic interactive map with information
about the life in the examined localities
• Information about subjects working in
above mentioned localities
• Cumulative brochure (and CD) with
detailed information and analysis of the
current status
• Final report for the contracting authority
Methodology and data collection
(November 2005 – August 2006)
• Phase 1: construction of a list of potentially excluded
Romany localities in the Czech Republic, creation of a
list of indicators of social exclusion and their usage in
data collection
• Phase 2: Filling in of 330 sheets of records, list of NGO
working in this area, statistical data analysis – data about
the localities, living conditions in localities – typology of
localities.
• Phase 3: defining of typology of localities (20),
realization of several-day probes
• Phase 4: developing of an electronical map, analysis
and suggestion of changes, elaboration of final reports,
conferences.
Working typology of localities
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Small rural locality
Large rural locality
Small town locality
Large town locality
Small city locality
Large city locality
Social Exclusion Dimensions project
Following main dimension contribute to the
social exclusion of citizens living in the
examined localities:
Difficult access to the appropriate
housing
Difficult access to the labour market
Difficult access to the education
Classification of social integration
tools
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• Barriers
Housing - problems
• SV mechanisms – living in a leased flat for limited time,
living in non-standard conditions (lodging house, asylum
house), illegal practices of owners of the houses, not
paying for the rent and services, dealing the
municipalities with the dodgers, selling of a leased flat
• Low quality of living
- apartments of lower categories, insufficient equipment
of the apartments. The above mentioned flats are leased
for the inadequate price. Insufficient hygienic conditions,
overcrowded apartments, lodging houses – lodging
statutes.
- localities in excluded areas, ethnic and social
homogenous, worse accessibility of civic amenities, bad
transport services
• Small chances to improve the housing situation –
small chance of moving away, system of apartment
distribution
Housing – social integration
tools
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Payment schedule
Lease agreement for limited time
Special recipient institute
Prevention in a form of terrain social work
Installation of energy meters in the apartment
Exemption of penalty for delay
Reconstruction of the apartment, including in private property
Constitution of the function of a caretaker
Relocation of social excluded from the excluded locality into
apartments in other localities
Construction of social housing
Social housing at more levels
Non-discrimination system of distribution of apartments
Choosing families for moving into higher quality apartments
Access to the labour market problems
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Decrease of jobs for unqualified workers
High unemployment rate
Long term, recurrent unemployment
Seasonal and occasional work
Alternative living strategy (allowances, „black“ work,..)
Ineffective current employment policy
Current status
• Low education, bad health conditions, long term
unemployment, low social maturity, debts, low mobility,
discrimination from the side of the employers…
Labour market – integration tools
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Active employment policy
Education of adults
Retraining
Community support work
Supported jobs
Labour-law advisory
Protected workrooms
SMEs support
Short term contracts
Motivation of employers to employ social excluded
Education - problems
• Low motivation for education
• Bad preparation of Romany children for compulsory
school attendance
• Failure of Romany children at basic schools and their
placement to the special schools
• Oft absence from school of Romany pupils
• Low number of Romany students at secondary schools
• External factors – bad branch cooperation
• Bad awareness about social inclusion tools
• Insufficient competency for solving of the Romany
integration problem
Education – tools of integration
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Preparatory class at the elementary school
Preparation before the school attendance – preparatory school clubs
Tutoring at schools, in families
Experts at elementary schools
Project „School with all-day programme“
Further educational programmes
Education of pedagogical teams
Setting up the function of pedagogical assistant in kindergartens and at
elementary schools
Preparatory class in kindergarten
Scholarship at secondary schools
Project for parents and children
Transport to school
Mentoring
Etc…
Further forms of support
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Terrain social work
Prevention of criminality, drug abuse
Social civic advisory
Community centres
Street work
Social health worker
Etc.
Strategy of the change
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Analysis and familiarity with the environment
Differential treatment
Political support of activities
Public information
Ethnic homogenization of localities
Capacities of educational institutions (unused)
Importance of terrain social work
Activities towards suppression of creation of social excluded
localities
Enhancement of programmes of active employment policy with
taking into account the real conditions in the locality
Feedback concerning the above mentioned activities
Evaluation of effectiveness
Necessity of changes in the system
Project „KONTAKT BOHUMÍN –
methodology of community centre and
social advisory for Romany minority“
TARGET GROUP
• The project aims at citizens, mainly Romany
citizens but also at citizens of major society
with specification at:
• Persons in crisis (social, material poverty,
interpersonal relationships, unemployment
etc.)
• Person who do not have enough information
about their rights and interests
• Persons who do not know their duties
Main activities of the project
• The objective of the Kontakt Bohumín project
is to support users in solving their difficult
personal situations. We motivate people
towards development and strengthening of
their competencies to solve these situations.
• Our objective is also to get acquainted the
members of local community with the
situation , their way of living, thinking,
customs, traditions.
• Through terrain social work we want to gain
trust of the users of these services and to
make them to be active in improvement their
living situation.
Mini-courses
• The target of realization of mini-courses of
social integration is to increase
knowledge, skills and working habits of
users in various practical activities through
social advisory.
• Further important target is to offer
relaxation and rest in relation with
common, often difficult living problems of
users of this service.
Photo gallery
Photo gallery