Please note that the copyright belongs to the author, Pamela M

Clayton, who hereby asserts her moral rights in this work

REPORT

27th April 1998

From:
Dr Pamela M Clayton
Department of Adult and Continuing Education
University of Glasgow
59 Oakfield Avenue
Glasgow G12 8LW

To:
Steven O’Connor
British Embassy
Thunovskà 14
118 00 Prague
Czech Republic

Concerning:
Visit to the Czech Republic, 1st to 8th April 1998

By invitation of
Deputy Vavrinec Fójcik
Parliament of the Czech Republic Chamber of Deputies
Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Petitions
Chairman of the Sub-Committee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups
Snemovní 4, 118 26 Praha - Malá Strana

Funded by:
British-Czech Partnership Scheme
Purpose:
• to meet the Sub-Committee for Nationalities of the Chamber of Deputies
• to meet the Commission for the Roma
• to gather information about policies on disability in the Czech Republic
Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

Completed programme
* Member of the Czech Committee for Scientific Management who are on the project team
co-operating with the University of Glasgow’s Survey and Analysis, funded under the
LEONARDO da VINCI programme of the European Communities, ‘Strategies for access to
guidance for people at risk of social exclusion (Accessible Vocational Guidance)’.
Wednesday, 1st April
Arrival 1905
Thursday, 2nd April
0930 Meeting at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Department of Vocational
Training and Guidance:
• *PhDr Miroslav Kostka, Head of Department
• PhDr Milena Blatníkova, Chief of Counselling, Employment Service Department
• Ludmila Marková, assistant to Dr Blatníkova
• *Ing Robert Troška, Deputy Chairman, Czech Committee for Scientific Management
1330 Visit to the Prague Vocational Guidance Centre (Úrad Práce hl. m. Prahy: Informacní a
Poradenské Stredisko Pro Volbu Povolání), Stejskalova 7, 180 00 Praha 8, meeting with the
Director and staff
1600 Visit to the Czech Parliament Chamber of Deputies and meeting with members of the
Council for National Minorities and the Subcommittee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups of
the Government of the Czech Republic:
• *Ing Robert Troška, Deputy Chairman, Czech Committee for Scientific Management
• Ms Jitka Bendlová, Parliament of the Czech Republic
• *Ing Vavrinec Fójcik, Chairman of the Subcommittee and Representative for the Polish
Community
• PhDr Andrej Sulitka, CSc, Director of the Secretariat of the Council for National
Minorities
• RNDr Milan Pospíšil, Secretary of the Council for National Minorities
• Ladislav Goral, secretariat of the Council for National Minorities
• Jiri Hofman - MP, member of the Sub-Committee, Czech Social Democratic Party
specialist for disabled people
• Radim Turek - MP, member of the Sub-Committee

Friday 3rd April

0930 Meeting with the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community
• *Ing Robert Troška, Deputy Chairman, Czech Committee for Scientific Management
• *Ing Vavrinec Fójcik, Chairman of the Subcommittee and Representative for the Polish
Community
• PhDr Andrej Sulitka, CSc, Director of the Secretariat of the Council for National
Minorities
• RNDr Milan Pospíšil, Secretary of the Council for National Minorities
• Mgr Monika Horáková, Vice-Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma
Community
• Zdenek Duna, Secretariat, Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community
• Mgr Viktor Sekyt, Secretariat, Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community

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Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

Monday 6th April

0845-1615
Meeting at the Special School, Strašnice, Praha 10 with
• Marie Nováková, Director
• Tomáš Hampejs, Deputy Director
• Mgr Radka Neknèsová, Pedagogical and Careers Adviser
• Milan Šamko, Roma social worker
• *Dr Lenka Siñorová (formerly Director of a school and now part-time teacher and adviser)
Visit to Special Centre for Mentally Disabled Children (within the same building)
Visit to Special Centre for children with problems, the Obvodní Pedagogicko-Psychologicka
Poradna, Zábehlice, Praha 10:
• PhDr Blanka Merlínová
• PhDr Dagmar Vitinová
• PhDr Vaclava Nováková

Tuesday 7th April

0945 Meeting at the Government Board for People with Disabilities:
Dipl Ing Jaroslav Hrubý, PhD, Executive Director of the Board
1400 Meeting with
• *Ing D Machácková
• Helen K Pekárek, Czech Blind United
and visit to the Dédina Rehabilitation and Re-Qualification Centre for Blind Adults

Wednesday 8th April

Planned visit to one of the smallest basic schools, in a village just outside Prague, to meet the
pupils including some Roma, unfortunately did not come about
1300 Meeting at the Czech Committee for Scientific Management with the project team,
representatives from the British Embassy and from the LEONARDO National Co-ordinating
Unit
• *Ing Robert Troška
• *Ing Vavrinec Fójcik
• *Ing D Machácková
• *Dr Lenka Siñorová
• *PhDr Miroslav Kostka
• Steven O’Connor
• one other from the Embassy
• Dr Miroslava Kopicová, Czech National Co-ordination Unit, LEONARDO
1800 To the airport for departure

3
Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

Perspectives on the Roma people in the Czech Republic

Pamela M Clayton, BA(Econ), PhD
Demographic profile
At the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the emerging Czech state was extremely
heterogeneous. About one-third of the population was ethnic German, but the democratic
balance was maintained until 1938. On the coming of the communist state, civic life was
almost obliterated and only four ethnic minorities were recognised in law: Polish, German,
Hungarian and Ukrainian. These were not and are not immigrants, but they wish to maintain
their ancestral language and culture, while also speaking Czech and taking part fully in civic
and political life.
In the 1950s the Roma were forced to settle, principally on housing estates, and dispersed
such that - though they were not recognised as an ethnic minority - no district should have as
many as 5% of Romany inhabitants. Like the rest of the population, they were forbidden to
form their own associations. Although the motive was forced assimilation (which applied to
all minorities to a lesser extent), the effect of this policy was to force the Roma into ghettos.
Once democracy was restored in 1989 the Roma were granted their wish to be recognised as a
national minority, and the legislation forbidding them to travel has been repealed (although
according to one Roma I spoke too they no longer have the wish nor the reason to travel). It is
very difficult to obtain coherent statistics on the Roma (this is also the case with the disabled,
so it is probably a question of inefficient collection of data rather than discrimination).
According to the last census there were 32,000 Roma. Ethnic statistics are not collected on an
ongoing basis, but from contacts with the Roma communities it is estimated by the Council
for National Minorities (see below) that there are between 200,000 and 220,000 Romanies out
of a population of 10 million1. The Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community on
the other hand places the range between 170,000 and 250,000. Between 50 and 70,000 are
thought to have moved in from Slovakia, but if this figure is correct, even taking the lowest
estimated figure, Roma must have entered from other parts of Eastern Europe too. Since the
separation from Slovakia, all the minorities together constitute perhaps 6 per cent of the
population, but only the Polish minority is geographically concentrated (in Silesia). Average
life expectancy for the Roma is around 10 years below the average for the Czech Republic,
but unusually life expectancy for women is lower than that for men2, no doubt because of
their having a higher than average number of children. This is the same gap as is found
between wealthy and poor areas in Glasgow, for example, and compares favourably with the
30 year gap between the Romanies in the United Kingdom and the average. If unemployment
in the Czech Republic rises, however, and continues to fall disproportionately upon the Roma,
the gap is likely to increase there also.
Unlike the United Kingdom Romanies, who are largely illiterate, there is a high literacy rate
among the Czech Roma adults. There are said3 to be two kinds of Roma, those of Indian
origin who are more like ‘white’ people, respect the law and go to school, and those of
Egyptian origin, who used to be more educated and had their own king but have now reversed
their position (unlike in Hungary).

1
Other minorities include Slovak (around 300,000), Polish (around 60,000), German (around 50,000)
and Hungarian/Ukrainian (around 10,000) but these are long settled, and the numbers of Polish and
German people who can be regarded as ‘minorities’ are decreasing. There are also refugees (source:
Ing Vavrinec Fójcik, Deputy).
2
Source: Mr Milan Šamko, Roma social worker
3
Source: Mr Milan Šamko

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Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

Economic situation
Until late 1989 there was no unemployment in the Czech Republic - although under-
employment existed, it was illegal to be unemployed. There has been, therefore, no
experience on which to draw in dealing with the current situation, in which 5% overall are
unemployed. This is low by EU standards, but reaches 10% in the North and East of the
country. It is also uneven in its distribution. Probably 25% overall of all unemployed are
Roma, and the rate is higher in areas of high unemployment, where many Romanies live. The
majority of Roma are, therefore, unemployed. Other issues (highlighted by the Roma
representative to the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community) are education
and housing. Again, no precise figures appear to be available or even known.
There are several reasons for the high unemployment among the Roma. They are particularly
liable to be excluded from the changing labour market with the decrease in the number of
manual jobs, because they generally have low educational qualifications and skills. Despite
having equal access to education, Romany cultural attitudes differ from those of most Czechs
on the value of formal education. They are also demotivated from finding paid employment
by the system of social help: as in other European states, the lowest wage is almost the same
as social benefits. The biggest problem for the Roma, however, is skin colour: they suffer
greatly from prejudice and stereotyping. Despite some examples of good practice, there are
people in the Czech Republic who discriminate against Roma seeking employment.
Although it is clear that the problem of unemployment generally is too large for state agencies
to conduct all the vocational guidance and counselling, there are currently almost no non-
profit organisations in existence, apart from a few church and charity organisations, which
can supplement state provision. So the large network of state employment agencies, set up in
1991 on a model based on the British Employment Service, with input from Stevenson
College, Edinburgh on the counselling aspect, still bears the major responsibility. The target
groups for the vocational counselling service for clients with difficulties include the Roma,
along with the long-term unemployed, women returners and people with low qualifications.
There are, however, no special facilities or group sessions for Roma people; and since the
service is not yet statutory, service directors can choose to allocate the minimum amount of
resources to the counselling service. Only one-third of all services have made substantial
progress in this area but the quality and the practices are very variable.
As in many other countries, however, they are not highly regarded. Many do not bother to
register with them since they are ineffective; they lack good relationships with social partners,
including employers; they are too centralised and react slowly to regional problems. The
Prague Employment Service has only one office for a total population of 1.5 million and can
deal with only a very small percentage of the unemployed (January 1998, 96 clients against
6,544 registered unemployed; February, 79 clients against 7041 registered unemployed).
There was until recently no regional government in the Czech Republic, but the problems are
recognised by government and laws have been prepared which should ameliorate the
situation.
From 1st January 1998 there have been 14 regions. There is an emphasis on the use of social
workers to assist ex-offenders and young people with problems; social assistance for the
Roma; and careers officers for schools. It is also recognised that vocational guidance and
counselling is inadequate without job creation, and this is under discussion. It has been
suggested that employers must recruit a proportion of their workforce from the Roma and the
disabled, or that tax concessions be given as incentive to do so, or that special programmes
such as sheltered workshops be set up out of state funding.

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Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

Political status
In the multitude of changes since 1989 the problems faced by the Roma were not initially
prioritised. An additional problem arose on the break-up of Czechoslovakia. People already
living in the territory of the new Czech Republic automatically became Czech citizens, but
there were problems for the Roma already in the Czech Republic who did not have up-to-date
identity papers showing their current address. The main problem was those born in the
Slovakian part of the region or who migrated from Slovakia. Many of these neither knew how
to apply for citizenship nor could afford to pay for registration, though in one region a charity
helped them to apply and set up a fund. Problems over citizenship were among those
highlighted by the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community.
In February 1994, an appendix to a Government Edict, Concept: governmental approach to
the questions of national minorities in the Czech Republic, guaranteed members of national
minorities ‘the right to express, preserve and develop their national identity on the basis of
their free individual choice’. This was followed in May by the establishment of the Council
for Nationalities, an ‘advisory, initiating and co-ordinating body of the Government for
matters of Government policy toward members of the national minorities in the Czech
Republic’ (Appendix to the Government edict dated May 11, 1994, no. 259). Its main
function is to co-ordinate solutions to problems that lie within the remit of several different
ministries and to act as a ‘watchdog’.
The Chair is a member of the government, and appoints the Vice-Chair and other Council
members. The latter are drawn from members of the various national minorities4;
representatives of Ministries; a representative from the Parliamentary Chamber of Deputies;
and one from the Office of the President of the Republic. There is a paid secretariat.
The definition of ‘national minority’, however, immediately poses a problem for those
coming from Slovakia, whose exodus began in August 1997 (after the legislation was drawn
up). A national minority is a community of persons who hold all of the following
characteristics:
1 live permanently in and be citizens of the Czech Republic
2 share ethnic, cultural and language characteristics different from the majority of the state’s
population
3 express a mutual wish to be considered as a national minority in the interests of preserving
and developing their own identity, cultural traditions and mother tongue
4 have a long-term, solid and permanent relationship with the society living on the territory
of the Czech Republic
Clearly numbers 1 and 4 present difficulties for many of the Roma, including those previously
settled in what is now the Czech Republic who could not present current identity papers.
Those who qualify on all counts - who do include many if not all the Roma - have the
guaranteed right to:
1 develop their own culture, helped by contributions from the state budget
2 distribute and use information in their mother tongue, again with state financial aid
3 associate in their own national associations and political parties, with state co-financing
4 be educated in their mother tongue both within the state and private education systems,
with state funding in the public system
5 use their mother tongue in public and in official relations, including during criminal
proceedings

4
Representation is based on the proportions recorded in the last census. There are 3 Roma, 3 Slovak, 2
Polish, 2 German, 1 Hungarian and 1 Ukrainian representatives. These together outnumber the state
representatives, which members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community felt
would prevent discrimination against minorities.

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Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

6 and take part in official discussions relating to national minorities, via the Council for
National Minorities or other bodies subsequently instituted.
The Council for Nationalities meets once in two months but there is continuous
administration by the secretariat. It also has links with international bodies. The Head of the
Commission for Petitions (a senator) is a permanent guest.
Of a rather different nature is the Sub-Committee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups of the
Chamber of Deputies, chaired by Vavrinec Fójcik. Membership on all sub-committees is
voluntary. In this case there are 13 members, from all the political parties save the
Communists and the fascist far right. The absence of the far right is understandable but that of
the Communists is apparently due simply to them not having been invited by the Chairman to
join the Sub-Committee.
Meetings are regularly attended by representatives of minority nationalities, sometimes
outnumbering the deputies. The most important objective of the committee is to create a
platform for discussion between Deputies and members of minorities and enhance peaceful
co-operation and coexistence, while respecting cultural and ethnic differences. The Sub-
Committee drafts relevant laws, invites government representatives to comment on their own
activities in this field and ensures that minority representatives receive all relevant
parliamentary documentation.
One members of the Sub-Committee expressed anger and hurt at the bad reputation in the
United Kingdom now being suffered by the Czech Republic because of the reports by
Romany asylum-seekers of persecution and oppression. Others wished to point out that there
are examples of good co-existence between the Roma (and other ‘black’) people and ‘whites’.
One city has a Roma mayor, another a ‘black’ mayor. Nor did they want to see voting centred
around nationality or ethnic quotas. On the other hand members freely acknowledged that the
Roma are the only ethnic group to suffer discrimination and that their situation necessitates
great improvement.
Recently some other important actions have been taken. For example, in March 1997 the
Human Rights Committee of the Czech Chamber of Deputies held a seminar in Parliament
on the subject of protecting minority rights. Between March and August 1997, the Council
for Nationalities prepared material on the Romany situation and made recommendations to
improve their lot. Between September and October this was considered three times in
Parliament and passed on the third reading. Concrete measures to be implemented include the
inclusion in schools with a big Roma minority of a Roma assistant. It will be cities and
regions that will have the biggest responsibility: for example, they can employ the Roma on
public works. Consultation has taken place with Roma representatives and some actions are
now being initiated by the Roma themselves, such as meetings with mayors and members of
parliament. (The Ministry of the Interior records Civil Associations, political parties and
political movements established by state-recognised National Minorities. The current figures
include 74 Romany Civil Associations and 6 political parties/movements.)
The Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community was set up by statute in
October 1997 and ‘advises, initiates and co-ordinates the policy of the Czech government
regarding the status of Romas in Czech society’. The Commission is located within the
Government Office of the Czech Republic. It is chaired by a Minister appointed by the Czech
government (currently the Minister without Portfolio5) and includes an Executive Vice-Chair
(who is a salaried employee of the Czech Government Office), the Deputy Ministers of
Finance, Education, Youth and Sports, the Interior, Labour and Social Affairs, Culture,
Foreign Affairs, Industry and Business, Defence, Justice and Regional Development, and at
least six representatives of the Roma community. It thus consists principally of Deputies and
Roma representatives, working on an expenses-only basis. It is supported by a Commission

5
The Minister without Portfolio heads several advisory bodies on inter-ministerial issues.

7
Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

Office, staffed by employees of the Czech Government Office. The Executive Vice-Chair and
at least three of the staff are currently Roma, but this is not a requirement laid down in the
Founding Statute.
The tasks to be performed are to:
• review draft government measures which concern the Roma
• evaluate the effectiveness of official measures
• suggest allocation of special funds for the Roma in order to better their condition and once
granted control such funds and monitor the effectiveness of the resulting projects
• collect data on an ongoing basis on conditions among the Roma and produce annual
reports
• give information to the Roma concerning available state assistance
• cooperate with Roma and pro-Roma organisations to generate projects to better their
community

Social status
As noted above, the biggest problem for the Roma that they suffer greatly from prejudice and
stereotyping. Both the Sub-Committee for Nationalities and Ethnic Groups and the Roma
representatives on the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community stated that
racism was the underlying problem in all economic areas of life and citizenship. All the post-
communist countries are said to have xenophobic elements6. Racism manifests itself in a
variety of ways: violence towards the Roma by criminals; the refusal of some officials to help
them; discrimination against them by employers. The problem is not so much at central as at
local level. Anti-racist legislation is hard to enforce, and at local level there is a tendency to
‘blame the victim’7.
It is clear that the Roma have long constituted the ‘out-group’ in Czech society, and are now
blamed for rising crime. One rumour holds that many Roma - in particular, criminals - were
paid by the Slovak government to move to the Czech Republic. The Sub-Committee denies
this.
Some ‘white’ views of the Roma8
The Roma are said to be antipathetic to work and employment, preferring to live in idleness
on welfare between short bursts of paid employment to generate income for a specific purpose
and have over-large families; they have no wish to help themselves but simply want large
amounts of state money for doing nothing. Parents see no value in education since some can
easily get temporary jobs without it. The Roma ‘live only for the present’. They often have
more money than we do and where do they get it from? It is claimed that the Roma have no
proper language but speak a mongrel dialect without words for modern technology, thus
making it impossible for children to be taught in their own language. They are ‘naturally’
good at music and dancing. Their mentality, which gives them special problems, derives from
their low-caste Indian origin.
The children are thought by some teachers unfit for education due to physical restlessness and
lack of concentration, with a high truancy rate which is aided and abetted by their parents. A
lot of absence from school is caused by the whole family going away for a month at a time to
attend funerals or weddings. The Roma children are brought up differently from Czech

6
There was little appreciation that Western European countries have the same problem until reports
came back from Roma asylum seekers in the United Kingdom!
7
Source: the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community
8
Gathered from both formal and informal conversations with Czech nationals

8
Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

children in that they do not have to obey their parents and so cannot cope with the strict
discipline at school. ‘White’ children are much better prepared for school by their parents.
The Pedagogical and Careers Adviser at the Special School, Mgr Radka Neknèsová, sees the
family as the problem, rather than the wider society. In her experience, the naughty children
are usually Romany, around half of them do not finish school, and none of them, unlike the
other children, have any interest in getting a job on leaving school.
According to others, they have the ‘wrong’ values and require having their attitudes changed,
perhaps through a quasi-guidance process; the few who are educated should be working in the
Roma community trying to change attitudes, rather than drawing government salaries on
bodies such as the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community. This last view
does at least recognise the possibility of change and is thus not racist, unlike the essentialist
views described before. It is, however, a profoundly ethno-centric view, postulating a
hierarchy of values in which Roma values are below Czech ones - a view highly, and
understandably, offensive to the members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission when
expressed by a visitor to the meeting. They did not, however, disagree that they held different
values.
On the other hand, the Director of the Obvodní Pedagogicko-Psychologicka Poradna works
with Roma children in the same way as with the ‘white’ children. (There is also a special
centre in Praha 3 for Roma children using special methods, and two special courses for Roma
with a maximum of 8 children per class - parents can freely opt their children in or out of
these.) A few Roma children go on to secondary school each year, but not many. The others
either find work, go to vocational special schools or are unemployed. It is probably family
background which influences whether children go to secondary school or not; but in addition
those who attend the special courses may find the motivation there to proceed. On the whole
Roma children ‘grow up faster than others and develop adult interests at the time when other
children are deciding on their futures’. She also felt that the complexity of the Czech
education system was a barrier to the understanding of Roma parents, and that some teachers
were unable or unwilling to work with Roma children.
Some Roma views of the Roma and their position in Czech society
Mr Milan Šamko, a Roma social worker, pointed out that some, perhaps many, Roma children
are averse to school, partly because of parents who see no value in it (themselves being
uneducated - employed Roma are the most likely to send their children to school), partly
because of the discrimination they suffer in many schools, from both teachers and fellow-
pupils. Roma children are regarded as socially and cultural disabled even where they are not
mentally disabled. Roma children are put into special schools and institutions because
teachers in ‘normal’ schools do not want to work with them. Of course, some Roma children
bear the double disadvantage of actually being disabled.
Roma children in villages have a better chance of going to school, including secondary
school, than those in cities, where young people fall under the influence of drugs and gang
culture. Village school classes tend to be smaller too and children can receive more individual
attention. It is true that some parents see no value in education, because they have not even
basic education themselves (and those who do cannot find good quality work in any case);
and children in cities find it difficult to do homework because of their home conditions and
social problems. In Prague the majority of schools attended by Roma children face racist
attitudes and behaviour from both teachers and pupils. In some institutions for the Roma the
teachers merely pretend to care about them. Nevertheless the Czech Republic is one of the
few countries trying to do something for the Roma - unfortunately there is more talk than
action in the Ministry of Education, and few resources for those working at the grassroots
level.
In reply to comments that the Roma must have the same education as others in the Czech
Republic in order to lead normal lives and live within the law, Mr Šamko, himself educated to
secondary level and living what he said was ‘a normal life’, claimed that Roma children

9
Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

should be exempted from the law on school attendance after primary school. Roma children
should have special treatment because of the discrimination suffered by the Roma and the fact
that they do not have their own state. All should have basic education - literacy, numeracy and
Czech language - but they should have the freedom to attend secondary school or not, as in
France (and effectively in the United Kingdom). He sees families where it is the children who
do not want to go to school, rather than the parents keeping them away, because at school
they are losing their culture and language. He feels that Roma children have talents such as
music, dancing, sport, woodworking, metalworking, which should be fostered. One of the
members of the Roma members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma
Community saw pedagogic methods adapted to Roma children as a form of manipulation
rather than as a source of empowerment.
One initiative in Prague and other places is the Children’s Club, funded by the municipalities,
where all children, including Roma, can play together. The aim is to get the children off the
streets, away from drugs, cigarettes etc. They can get help with homework in the Club, which
is open from 1400-1800 hours every day except Sunday. The Director in Prague is a Roma
woman who knows the children and their parents. She employs teachers for the children and it
appears to be working well. It is attended by children aged 7 to 14 (those of 15 and more have
no wish to go, unfortunately). The Club also runs children’s camps during the school year, to
help Roma and other children from poor families to learn away from the pollution of Prague.
The curriculum in these camps includes the history of the Roma people, drugs education and
sex education. Each evening they must do a test on what they have learned and take a final
exam. The greatest problem is raising the money. The children pay a maximum of 300 kr
each, but it is free for those who cannot afford it. This contribution covers stationery, books,
visits to the cinema etc.. It costs about a basic 140,000 kr (c £2,800) for one camp with 35
children and 7 adults for 12-13 days. This covers food, accommodation, salaries and travel
but games and swimming cost extra. The adults normally have to take holidays from their
work to go to the camp9.
The language is Romany with the addition of words from various Central European
languages. There are four linguistic sub-groups. Romany is not spoken in large cities or by the
younger Roma, but rather a dialect form of Czech with Roma words included. It was written
down by a priest in 1875, but very few Roma use the written form. Although a dictionary was
published in 1992, there is as yet no official codification of the language. Text books are
necessary for Romany to be recognised officially as a language, and for teaching purposes,
but there is difficulty deciding which of the several Central European versions is ‘correct’10.
While there is a clear need for much more input from the Roma themselves in this matter,
rather than from ‘white’ patrons, the problem is that there are few Roma professionals.
Nevertheless, Romany is used on television and radio and in books and periodicals11.
The crucial role of women in the education and general well-being of children is well-attested
world-wide, but the Czech Republic is far behind the United Kingdom (or even Spain) in its
recognition of the problem of women’s status and, in particular, economic position. My
comment in the vocational guidance centre that children would be adversely influenced by
seeing men and women on video in ‘traditional’ occupations was simply not understood.
Similarly my question to the Roma at the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the status of Roma
women was answered with the statement that Roma society is gender equal12. As for their

9
Source: Mr Milan Šamko, who invited me to attend the Club. Unfortunately time did not permit this.
10
I pointed out that written Arabic, Hindi and even to a certain extent English are codifications which
are widely read if rarely spoken as written and that these might be useful models.
11
Source: the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community
12
This is apparently the case among the British Romany, where hierarchy is weak in the family
structure in general, according to a project in Leicestershire which sends tutors to a Romany
encampment. This is a potential strength: in that project, the women and children often start by learning

10
Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

chances in the wider society, Roma men suffer more violence than Roma women, and Roma
women are more successful at getting unskilled jobs. In this they are motivated by the need to
gain income. They jobs they get are no worse than the men’s - both men and women can
expect only low-paid employment. On the other hand, as noted above, the same question to
Mr Šamko, the Roma social worker, elicited the information that Roma women have a shorter
life expectancy than Roma men, almost certainly due to excessive child-bearing.
Efforts by the Roma to help themselves are not always immediately successful. For example,
some of the Roma established an international foundation to establish a social work course for
Roma adults. The course was submitted for approval to the Ministries of Education and of
Labour and Social Affairs, but it was refused accreditation. They then approached a non-
governmental organisation but they too rejected the course on quality grounds. After revision
the course became expensive so the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community
was asked to help. It has now been adopted by the state and will be state-funded from this
year. It is expected to have a multiplier effect: it will help Roma adults to get secondary level
qualifications, thus increasing their employment prospects and thus making changes at the
local level13.

Conclusion
There is a serious shortage of statistics available on social exclusion in general, and on the
numbers of ethnic minorities and of disabled people. Officials are aware of this and the
situation can be expected to change. By request of the British Embassy in Prague, I have
produced this report only on the Roma. I also have information on policy on disability which I
can produce if requested.
I was struck by the lack of knowledge of Western societies among even some educated
Czechs. Those who had had the opportunity to travel or who have travelled since 1989 have a
more realistic perception of our difficulties and weaknesses as well as of our strengths; and
those concerned with social exclusion are aware that the rapid privatisation of the economy
has in some cases jettisoned the good along with the bad. There is certainly a case for
continuing interchange between the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic and the
exchange of ‘really useful knowledge’ as well as of ‘useful knowledge’.
At government level there is evidence of good will towards the Roma, and the formation of
such a large number of Roma civic associations is surely a sign of activity which gainsays the
stereotyped notion that the Roma ‘live for the moment’ and take no thought for the future.
Goodwill, however, needs to be matched by adequate funding, the Czech economy is not in
good shape and there are projects for other disadvantaged groups, notably the disabled, which
require stable and increased funding. Cost-effective solutions will be needed, and it is to be
hoped that membership of the European Union and access to regional and social funds will be
helpful.
As always there is some truth in the ‘white’ stereotype of the Roma, though what lies behind
the truth is rarely acknowledged or even realised. An attitude of ‘living for the present’, for
example, is not uncommon among groups who face a problematical future. Much of what is
said about Roma children and their parents has been said in the West about working-class
children and their families.
There is a contradiction between the demand of some ‘whites’ that the Roma should want to
integrate and that they should adopt Czech values and attitudes, and the official wish to
respect national minorities and retain the benefits of a plural society.

together and then are joined by the men once a relationship of trust has been established (source:
NIACE conference, Widening Participation for the Socially Excluded, Leicester, March 1998).
13
Source: the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Roma Community

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Report by Pamela M Clayton, University of Glasgow

It is disturbing to note that some Roma who have themselves benefited from education appear
to be advocating policies that would keep the Roma dependent on the state and with only
basic education, in the interests of maintaining a culture which, in modern industrialised
societies, is unlikely to support good-quality employment, a decent income, good living
conditions and parity of esteem. Investigation is required to find out if this attitude is
widespread and, if so, why. It is not at all unusual, however, for minoritised peoples to absorb
some majority essentialist attitudes into their way of thinking about themselves, such as the
notion that Roma children have by nature certain talents, although this could certainly be true
‘by culture’. Furthermore, it may be indeed the case that many Roma have not absorbed the
materialistic, money-oriented values of Western cultures.
Nevertheless, I question whether the majority of Roma values are substantially different from
those of the majority population. Firstly, norms and values are usually confused by lay people
(that is, non-sociologists)14. Secondly, it is usually the case that differences between groups
are highlighted to the detriment of similarities15. This does, however, also require
investigation.
I am aware that in a week, only have of which was devoted to the Roma, it is unlikely that I
have discovered anything not already well-known to British Embassy personnel in Prague. I
believe, however, that I have made valuable contacts which could be taken further.
Sources
Notes on a presentation by Vavrinec Fójcik, Cork, 31st October 1997 (meeting of the
LEONARDO da VINCI survey and analysis team)
Various documents of the Government of the Czech Republic
Meetings attended
Informal talks with Czech nationals

14
For readers who are not sociologists: values are, to put it simply, desired goals; norms are ways of
reaching these goals.
15
This is demonstrated by, for example, work on gender differences and on value differences between
Northern Ireland Protestants and Catholics. To the surprise of many, the only value difference found
between the latter two groups was their national allegiance.

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