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Gallery|Roma

Slovakia’s Roma: Living on the margins

There are around a half-million Roma in Slovakia, most of whom live in impoverished slums.

Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
Many of the homes in Jarovnice and slums like it have no running water and no electricity. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
By Patrick Strickland and Sorin Furcoi
Published On 24 May 201724 May 2017
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Jarovnice, Slovakia – Smoke plumes drag across the ashen sky above the Roma slum in the eastern Slovak village of Jarovnice.

More than 5,600 Roma live in densely packed makeshift homes and shacks inside the roughly one square kilometre slum, according to the local municipality’s estimates. 

Florian Gina, mayor of Jarovnice since 2010, says that Roma face institutional barriers to obtaining a fair share of state resources, making it harder to combat the community’s poverty. 

“Even if politicians say there is no discrimination against Roma, the reality is that the discrimination is huge,” he tells Al Jazeera from his office. 

With little work in the east and pervasive discrimination in the job market, the community has a more than 97 percent unemployment rate and most residents are dependent on welfare. 

Numbering around a half-million across the country, Roma make up around 10 percent of Slovakia’s total population.

READ MORE: In Slovakia’s Roma slums, a life of poverty and segregation

In Jarovnice and many Roma communities in Slovakia, there is little to no access to potable and running water, despite the fact that water is enshrined in law as a human right by the United Nations, the European Union and the Council of Europe. 

“They face segregation, large scale unemployment and discrimination by police [in Slovakia],” says Jonathan Lee, the European Roma Rights Centre communications officer, explaining that there has also been a rise in anti-Roma hate crimes as far-right groups spread in the country. 

Words by Patrick Strickland: @P_Strickland_ 

Photos by Sorin Furcoi: @furcoisorin

Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
Jan Carny, 58, and his wife Darina say they would starve if it weren't for the welfare cheques they receive. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
Mayor Florian Gina says the Slovak government has neglected Roma communities. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
A recent report by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) found that Roma communities' water sources 'are frequently not tested to ensure their safety and are exposed to a wide range of contaminants, including dry toilets [pit latrines], insects and wild animals'. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
In 1998, the small river in Jarovnice overflowed during floods and swept away makeshift homes, killing 52 people. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
According to a recent report by the ERRC and Amnesty International, Roma students endure segregation and racism in public schools, trapping them in a 'cycle of poverty and marginalisation'. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
With little to no state funding for Jarovnice's development, there is nowhere for children to play but the streets. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
Martin Kaleja Januv, a 33-year-old teaching assistant, is one of the few people in Jarovnice with a job. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
An hour's drive from Jarovnice is Lunik IX, a Roma slum consisting of a cluster of housing blocks. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
Located on the outside of Kosice, Lunik IX is home to 4,500 to 6,000 people, more than half of them children. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
Ondrej Fercack, 43, participates in a programme where he sweeps the neighbourhood as a prerequisite for receiving his welfare cheques. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
In recent years, many of Lunik IX's residents were evicted from their homes due to safety code violations. Most ended up in a ad hoc camp next to the slum. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Slovakia''s Roma: Living on the margins
During the winter, social workers came and took many of the children into state custody. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]


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