Roma Slovakia Poverty Education
52 images Created 30 Oct 2013
In Slovakia, Roma have a hard time. Lunik IX housing estate is notorious. An army barracks during the soviet era, this luxurious housing estate was given to Gypsies with the fall of the iron curtain. The City Council refuses to collect rubbish as the 'Gypsies do not pay their taxes', but they are too poor to do so. They are forced to live in their own filth and rubbish. Roma children have been systematically denied opportunties in Slovakia. it starts off with the education system where Roma learn in segregated schools. Often they are treated as mentaly handicapped rather than helped with their learning difficulties. This segregated education system is akin to Apartheid.
Hermanovice village is built on an island on a river delta and is sometimes literally washed away when there are heavy rains and flooding. The Roma residents rebuild their makeshift homes. Slovak Roma living in all sorts of makeshift homes from old railway carriages to squats made from materials found in the rubbish dumps next to the cities. Roma collect wood every day to warm their homes.
Hermanovice village is built on an island on a river delta and is sometimes literally washed away when there are heavy rains and flooding. The Roma residents rebuild their makeshift homes. Slovak Roma living in all sorts of makeshift homes from old railway carriages to squats made from materials found in the rubbish dumps next to the cities. Roma collect wood every day to warm their homes.