Throughout the Czech Republic, the disproportionately high levels of poverty and unemployment that characterize the Roma community have fueled public disdain toward them. This prejudice has been compounded and legitimized by government sanctions such as the Discriminating Citizen Law, in place from 1993 to 1996, which denied citizenship to most Roma, making it even harder for them to legally obtain jobs or social benefits. Clannish tendencies and a resistance to assimilation have made the Roma victims of regular racial violence. Similarly, Roma suspicion of Czech establishments has sometimes resulted in aggressive behavior.

The town of Most, an industrial center for the production of steel, chemicals and ceramics, is a prime example of the escalation of conflict between the Roma and ethnic Czech populations. Despite the region’s economic vitality, majority-minority tensions have isolated Roma residents in economically depressed pockets without equal access to social services or educational and employment opportunities. In addition, the lack of trust and cooperation between Roma and other town residents has made these issues nearly impossible to resolve.

In 1997, Partners-Czech organized a series of round tables in Most aimed at improving the social and economic status of Roma living in the impoverished Chánov neighborhood of Most. Center staff initiated the project by bringing together Roma citizens with social workers, city officials, teachers, police officers, and school district administrators from throughout Most, to identify major areas of concern and commit to building a peaceful coexistence. The ethnic Czech participants named public security as a chief concern, while the Roma participants thought the lack of housing and unemployment were the most serious issues.

Partners-Czech then trained the group in effective communication and conflict management skills. Through trust and relationship building activities, Czechs and Romas began to understand the cultural differences between them that have long perpetuated and aggravated tensions. For instance, ethnic Czechs learned that within the Roma community, codes of behavior dictate that the head of an extended family must be approached in order to negotiate an agreement or resolve a dispute with any member of that family. The Czechs also learned that the Roma had not taken advantage of job training programs and other resources because they didn’t know those services existed.

Once the group began to develop mutual understanding and constructive ways of communicating, Partners-Czech held several round tables to discuss concrete ways to mitigate ethnic clashes and improve living standards for the Roma. The sessions were very productive and generated several programs. Roma residents organized a neighborhood system in Chánov to remove large volumes of trash and beautify the area by planting trees. In addition, tenants who had defaulted on rent agreed to timely payments that matched the distribution of welfare checks. In turn, local authorities promised to prevent interruption in water and electricity services. Moreover, the Most municipality employed Roma to repair and maintain a number of old, abandoned buildings in Chánov, providing the basis for a sustainable employment program. Lastly, the Chánov community founded a Roma civic association to monitor the implementation of these resolutions.

The program was so successful that Partners-Czech arranged for Roma residents of Chánov to meet with Roma from Pisek and Pardubice to relate their experiences and encourage these communities to undertake similar efforts. The Chánov Roma explained that once they assumed responsibility for basic things like the neighborhood’s appearance and payment of rents, the local government, police officers and school officials were much more likely to treat them with respect and assist them in other areas. Now, coping with larger problems such as poor education standards and police prejudice is not nearly as difficult and out of reach as it once was.

Additional Resources
Press Release Announcing Launch of Partners & USAID Roma Initiative
(Microsoft Word Document)