Minority Rights for Hungarian Roma aka gypsies: Help or Hindrance

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Minority Rights for Hungarian Roma (aka gypsies)
Help or Hindrance?

• Robert Koulish, Ph.D.
• Public Lecture
• Delivered UW-Madison CREECA,
• September 28, 2006

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January 2001                                    
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  
         The gypsies are a litmus test not of
democracy but of civil society. Vaclav Havel
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Who are the Roma?

• 12-15 million Roma worldwide (approx. 8 mil. in
  Europe).
• Most in the Balkans (especially in Romania 2mil),
  Central Europe (Hungary), and Spain
  (650-700,000).
• Terminology Csigan/Gypsy//Roma
• Origins Egypt/Northern India/Greece?
• How to Identify Rass types, language, culture

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Hungarian Roma

• About 500,000-800,000 in Hungary (3-8 total
  pop.), and 50 non-magyar citizen population
• Roma nations include Vlach, Beash, and Romany.
• Language Magyar 70 Romani 20 (Vlach/
  Lovara) Beash 7 (archaic form of Romanian)
• Arrived in 1241 (david crowe)
• History Magyarization Genocide, Forced
  Assimilation Minority Rights

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Roma Pre/Post Transition

• Roma not recognized as an ethnic minority
• Ethnic discrimination not recognized
• Roma forcibly assimilated
• full employment
• housing
• In sum material needs covered, and identity
  denied

• Roma recognized as ethnic minority
• Ethnic discrimination recognized and addressed
• Dissolution of social safety net (education,
  housing, benefits)
• Freedom of expression (hate speech)
• Hate crimes
• Heavy industry closed
• Roma unemployment skyrocketed
• In sum, ethnic identity recognized, material
  needs not covered

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Post 1989 Roma face severe human rights problems

• Economic, Social Political Deprivation
• Poverty and chronic unemployment (70-100)
• Segregated Schools Housing
• Health crises
• Hate crimes
• Police brutality

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Minorities Act LXXVII of 1993 Right to

• (recognized 13 minority populations (12 national
  minorities Roma)
• maintain links with the state and communal
  institutions of the mother country
• Use mother tongue in parliament
• Bilingual street signs
• Set up and manage own educational facilities
• Cultural autonomy
• Minority self governments to vote in an run the
  mechanisms that implement above practices
• advisory role to local governments

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Minority Rights Help or Hindrance To whom?

• Hungarian national government? Yes
• Hungarian minority outside Hungary? Yes
• O-T-Rs inside Hungary (German, Romanian,
  Slovakian) ? Yes
• Roma? (see below)

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Hungarian Jews?

• Initially to be included
• Like 12 national minorities, were well
  assimilated
• Like Roma had no mother country and no mother
  tongue.
• Declined offer.
• Didnt Need it.

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Question for Research what about the Roma?
applicability MR to Roma

• Right to maintain links with the state and
  communal institutions of the mother country? N/A
• Use minority languages (N/A for most)
• Educational activity? Yes, but
• Cultural autonomy? Want respect and inclusion
• Minority self governments Yes, but

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Help or Hindrance?

• Study
• Part I. Five Cities (Budapest 8 Tiszavasvari
  Szeged Batonyterenye Nagykanisza.
• Findings Support had to do with social capital

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Tiszavasvari 21st century Jim Crowe near
Romanian Border

• Location Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg County in
  northeastern Hungary
• Near Romania
• Population 14,313
• Roma pop 2,500
• Unemployment 19
• Roma unemployment 90
• Local Government Socialist mayor and 18 Member
  council
• MSG since 1998
• Roma split Olah and Romungro

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Olah Roma and Romungro Roma

• Living Conditions
• Graduation Ceremony 1997
• Chronic Poverty
• Rampant Discrimination
• MSG Politics

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Szeged Tale of Two Cities

• Population 170,000
• Roma Pop 3,000
• border with Serbia
• Unemployment 9
• Roma Unemployment over 50
• City Govt Fidesz mayor 43 member council
• MSG since 1994

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Forced Evictions in Szeged

• 120 families
• Forced eviction
• Skin head meeting
• City resolution
• MSG in jail and invisible

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Batonyterenye Economic Despair

• Population 15,914
• Roma about 3,000
• Unemployment 25
• Roma unemployment 95
• City Govt socialist 16 member council
• MSG since 1994

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Economic Infrastructure Closed Coal Mines

• Economic Foundation 9 coal mines.
• Closed 1990 within several months.
• Smoking cigarettes and passing the time

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Nagykanisza A Success Story

• Population 56,000
• Roma Population 5,000
• Border near Croatia
• Unemployment 9
• Roma Unemployment 40
• City Government Socialist and 27 member council
• MSG since 1994Taleki

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The What Roma Want Survey

• significant differences from city to city,
  reflecting, in part, the civic health of the
  specific communities.
• Overall, the survey finds that Roma have civic
  knowledge, civic interest and want to be involved
  in civic life.
• The Roma know about their MSG, they do not want
  to see it abolished.
• Beyond that, however, the Roma want substantial
  changes in MSGs to reflect dire social conditions
  in these communities.

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Survey I What Roma Want

• Roma have knowledge about local issues, minority
  self government functions and responsibilities.
• Roma want to be involved and have input on civic
  issues.
• Roma lack the civic tools and skills for
  effective involvement.
• A strong plurality (44.6) of Roma give their
  local MSGs a failing grade of Poor.
• A solid plurality (40) have no trust in their
  MSGs to deliver on its promises.

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What RomWant (Continued)

• Roma want MSGs working on job training, welfare
  payments, housing, and investigating
  discrimination complaints more than they want
  MSGs do be organizing classes on Roma culture,
  language, history.
• The Roma feel a great deal stronger about having
  their MSG control for social rights than for
  minority rights.
• Roma do not want self-determination.

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Study II (Szonda Ipsos)

• How Roma and non-Roma viewed MR MSG
• MSG matters more to Roma than to non-Roma
• Non-Roma more likely than Roma to favor MR MSG

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Study III National Survey (4th wave Ladanyi
survey)

• Focus MR ethnicity
• Ethnicity Self-identification
• Self identified Roma versus non self identified
  Roma
• Self-Identified 48
• Non self-identified 37.3
• Refused to identify 14.7
• SI less schooling and less income
• NSI more schooling and more income

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Roma and MSG

• NSI Roma more likely than SI Roma to favor MR
  MSG
• SI Higher the income the less likely to support
  MSG MR
• NSI higher income, the more likely to support
  MSG MR

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Discussion

• Summarize Findings
• 1) MR MSG support depends upon social capital
  exists in Nagykanisza, not in other Roma
  settlements
• 2) MR MSG Support Higher among non Roma than
  Roma
• 3) MR MSG support higher among assimilated Roma
  than non assimilated Roma.

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Discussion

• 1) Status SI Roma, NSI Roma, Non Roma
• HR Factors education, housing, employment,
  systemic violence
• For whom HR is an everyday issue, MR will be less
  salient
• As status in Hungarian society increases, HR
  violations less freq and directly experiences, HR
  less salient, and MR more salient.

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Discussion

• 2) Doxa Symbolic Violence
• Gusztav Kosztolanyi ethnicity is part of the
  Hungarian Doxa
• Non-Roma and Doxa
• NSI Roma and symbolic violence
• SI Roma liminal status at margins as
  experientially knowing critics of power