Supported by: NPOA (Foundation for the Support of Civic Activities), Slovakia; Open Society Institute, Hungary

Project span: February 2002 – March 2003

Project team: Michal Vašečka – editor; Martina Jurásková, Peter Puliš – first draft editors

Objective: To make information about the Roma minority in Slovakia available to the broader public, as well as propose adequate solutions for addressing the group specific social problems. The Institute’s ambition is to fill the information vacuum that exists about the Roma, and to provide information for the decision-making process of elites in formulating and implementing social policies leading to improvements in the Roma standard of living.

Outputs:  

One of the outputs of the project is the publication Čačipen pal o Roma. A Global Report on Roma in Slovakia – a collective work of 48 experts. In 43 chapters the publication covers eight thematic areas focusing on the historic context, culture, and identity of the Roma. The publication further looks at current legislation and government policies on Roma in Slovakia, their relations with the majority population, demographics of Roma communities, their poverty ridden social situation, education, and the effects of EU integration.

Another output is an electronic version of the above publication which, in addition to the information contained in the printed version, includes legislative norms that apply to the Roma. It also includes photography addenda by renowned Slovak photographer Andrej Bán. The publication is available in the Slovak and English languages (English edition is published in an abridged version).