Scholarly record

STATUS OF THE ROMA COMMUNITY IN SLOVAKIA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1950S

K. Janas

Abstract

The status of the Roma population in Slovakia remained very difficult in the 2nd half of the 20th century. They lacked job opportunities and high proportion of the Roma was still living in very poor conditions in shacks in the Roma settlements. They lived without basic hygienic conditions and without access to education, often illiterate. For this reason, in the 1950s, the social integration of the Roma population and raising their cultural level became the most important tasks. It had to be decided whether the Roma should have been given a status of independent nationality. But the solution was negative again. In 1955, Education Commissioner, after consultation with experts from the ethnographic cabinet of the Slovak Academy of Sciences came to the conclusion that the Roma are neither a nation nor a national minority. According to this conclusion, Roma formed an ethnic group not consisting of a homogenous entity. This conclusion had a negative long-term impact on the Roma community and its self-awareness. These conclusions influenced further steps to work with the Roma community. The Board of Commissioners –fulfilling the role of Slovak Government, adopted a special resolution on the Roma issue on 18 September 1956. Responsibility for co-ordination in resolving Roma issues was subsequently taken over by the Commissariat of Interior. The main objectives were to involve all Roma available to work in the work process, increase their educational and cultural level and also qualification of Roma employees. However, the situation didn’t improve and the initiative had to be taken by the highest party body. In 1958, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia adopted the document named "Principal Guidelines for Work among Gypsy Citizens". The material stated that despite the positive results of the previous work, the general living standards of Roma were very low. Many of them still did not work or worked irregularly. Their educational and health level were very low. The law of 1958 prohibiting nomadism built on the mentioned party document. It was very strict and imposed punishments up to three years' imprisonment. Measures should have been taken to substantially reduce the moving of Roma families. The law was adopted despite the fact that the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Justice warned of possible unconstitutionality of the law for apparent ethnicity and restriction of the freedom to reside.

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