2024-09-07 09:53:37
Gourbet in the EU taught the minority languages, hygiene habits, respect for education and a normal life. Unlike those who continue to live here in illegal houses, do not go to school and have nothing to do
Nice houses, cars, streets, more and more children going to school – this is how a large part of Roma neighborhoods have changed in recent years. But at the bottom of this change is not the state integration policy, but the people from these communities who work abroad.
The state already openly admits that it failed, but Europe has successfully integrated the Bulgarian Roma. And he taught them what Bulgaria still fails to do – personal hygiene, love for education, hard work, attention to the environment in which they live.
“A considerable part of the Roma population lives and works in European Union countries.
On their return, the Roma improve and beautify their homes,
paying attention to the sanitary and hygienic conditions in their homes”, states the report on Roma integration for 2023, which was recently adopted by the government. And “24 Chasa” checked how emigrants actually change neighborhoods.
The great migration of the Roma began shortly after the accession of Bulgaria to the EU. To date, several hundred thousand people work seasonally or permanently in Europe. And it’s their money that drives change in neighborhoods here.
“The French”, “the Germans”, “the Spaniards” – this is already the division in the neighborhoods. The children of Roma working in Europe regularly go to school, but abroad. And they know several languages, but not Bulgarian.
But it turns out that many of the Roma children who live and study in Bulgaria and should be educated in the official language do not speak Bulgarian either. These children do not know foreign languages either, because they speak Romani at home. And not knowing Bulgarian is one of the main reasons why they don’t do well in school. Only for the period from May 2019 to June 2023, the state provided Bulgarian lessons to 48,354 children from the Roma community – even while they were in kindergarten through the “Active inclusion in the preschool education system” initiative. BGN 81.6 million were given for it, it is clear from the report.
Language is not the only problem.
In Ruse, for example, they indicate that often because of their employment, the parents
leave children in the care of grandparents,
showing no interest in their achievements in school. In addition, conflict situations constantly arose between parents and teachers regarding education, children’s hygiene and the procedure for excusing absences. In Plovdiv, the problem is that most of the schools are segregated. In many municipalities, knowledge deficits have also been created by the transition to online learning during the pandemic. Early birthrates also hinder education.
“The long-standing traditions and customs of the Roma population are deeply rooted and stop the emancipation of Roma (especially girls), condemn them to life in closed communities, early marriage and many children, but without educational or professional qualifications that give an advantage in the labor market” , say the municipality of Plovdiv.
The local authority in Momchilgrad was able to find a solution on how to attract the children. “Children of Roma origin, who are educated in the initial stage of primary education, attend regular school and do not allow unexcused absences. This is because they are offered free services such as transport,
free food, free textbooks, full day education”
they say.
Low literacy and lack of qualifications lead to the next reason for the misery of the minority – the Roma find it difficult to find work. In 2023, the average monthly number of unemployed among them was 27,141 people, according to the Employment Agency. Compared to 2022, it has grown by 2,463 persons on average per month, or by 10%. The agency explains this with the reduced demand for labor in the low-productivity sectors, in which Roma employment prevails.
The average number of unemployed in 2023 for Bulgaria is 151,496 people. Compared to 2022, it increased by 3,692 persons, according to the data of the Employment Agency. Thus, the average annual level of registered unemployment for the country as a whole was 5.3%.
“The prevention and reduction of this phenomenon can be done first of all by providing the necessary general education and professional knowledge and skills to achieve equal access to the labor market and real employment. Employers and employment programs do not include transportation costs and/or organized transportation at the companies’ expense. Such would increase the interest in jobs outside the territory of the municipalities”, recommends the report.
Last year, 2,534 people participated in literacy programs and educational courses. And in the Job Search Workshop – a total of 6,914 Roma, of which 4,010 were women. 775 Roma have gone through training for professional qualification and/or key competences. And again, the majority were women – 476.
The lack of money is the reason for insufficient nutrition, and hence for
malnutrition, and hence health problems
among the Roma population. This is understood from the reports of doctors who examine in mobile offices in the neighborhoods of Blagoevgrad, Targovishte, Sliven and Pazardzhik.
“From the preventive examinations carried out, it was established that the leading cause of the main diagnoses is overweight and reduced physical activity of the patients. This is causally related to their socio-economic status,” they say.
Along with the doctors, mediators distributed hygiene materials and condoms. They have also helped more than 2,000 people to restore their health insurance rights, get to a hospital, fill out documents, etc.
The biggest problem in the slums remains the multitude of illegal dwellings and poor hygienic living conditions. The report also states that there is a lack of commitment on the part of the local authorities to legalize and regulate the plots and buildings. “On the one hand, the difficulties faced by the municipalities are mainly related to the non-rhythmic financing of projects. On the other hand, the presence of a large number of illegal dwellings and the lack of an alternative in their removal is a challenge for local authorities. As a result, social tension is possible and
making them homeless
There is a lack of cooperation and misunderstanding regarding the need for legalization or for possible new constructions in accordance with the regulations”, is the explanation given by the municipality of Plovdiv for the problem.
An increase in illegal Roma housing is reported in Belica. About 1,200 people live in the “Rusovitsa” quarter there. 20 percent of families are without electricity in their homes, and 25% – without water. About 1/3 are without sewerage, and use water from outside taps. However, the construction of family houses prevails and it can be argued that about 80% of Roma keep their homes in good condition, says the municipality.
There are 1,828 Roma in Garmen. A part of them live in the villages of Ognyanovo, Dabnitsa, Khvostyan, Debren and Dolno Dryanovo. They are socialized, live in their own homes, find work more easily, their children regularly attend schools and kindergartens, the local authority says.
The second group of local Roma are in “Kremikovtsi” quarter – outside the regulation of the village of Garmen. About 948 people live there and
over 90% of the houses have no documents
Only 15 homes are tolerable, and so far 37 plots have been purchased by the owners. However, the municipality notes that there is an increasing interest on the part of the Roma for the legalization of residential buildings.
As a positive example in the report, the city of Bansko is given, which “continually improves the infrastructure in all neighborhoods, including and the Roma”. The Roma dwellings in the municipalities of Simitli and Satovcha are also domestically arranged, with houses in regulation with built-in plumbing systems and electricity.