In Romani, the title Andre Miri Cipa means “in my own skin.” It is a reference to the main principle of the game: to allow players to experience everyday situations from the perspective of Roma characters and better understand their experiences with prejudice, discrimination and social exclusion. The title also emphasises that the aim of the game is not only to transfer information, but to support empathy, reflection and the ability to view other people's situations in their specific social context.
The motivation to create the game came from the need to design an accessible tool to be utilised in pedagogical settings to address the issues of racism and discrimination towards the Roma minority in an appealing and understandable way. The project team from Brno University of Technology and Masaryk University drew on their long-standing expertise concerning the position of the Roma in society.
The game is primarily intended for pupils in Grades 8 and 9 and is designed for use with the lower-secondary school curriculum, especially civics, history, and Czech language lessons. At the same time, it has not been designed solely for educational use in schools. The game is also accessible to the general public on the App Store, Google Play and Steam. It can be played not only in schools, but also by parents, educators, students in educational fields and anyone else interested in becoming more familiar with the topics of discrimination, prejudice and the position of the Roma in Czech society in a comprehensible and interactive way.
The game is available for free. You can download it for free on the App Store, Google Play and Steam in versions for PC, tablet and mobile devices.
It's not necessary to play through all the chapters in one sitting. Each chapter stands alone, but together they give a broader picture of the topic as a whole.
The game deals with serious issues, such as prejudice, discrimination and racism, but it has not been created to cause distress. It should aid in understanding how people in similar situations might feel.
Further information is available via a certified methodology (Czech only) that is published along with the game. The Encyclopedia on this website features short, accessible explanations of key themes, along with other resources (texts, videos, websites), to deepen reflection and assist in processing the topics.
The game's content was created from real experiences of Roma people gathered by the project team through participatory research. These experiences were subsequently transferred to game situations and the stories of three characters: Vanessa, Robin and Marie. The game avoids arbitrary or stereotypical representations and is based on specific experiences of the prejudice, racism and discrimination that the Roma encounter in Czech society.
The game was created by an expert team from several institutions. From the Faculty of Fine Arts and Brno University of Technology: Lucie Formánková, Filip Hauer, Zuzana Kantorová, Denis Kozerawski, Ondřej Mohyla, Veronika Petrova and Martina Růžičková. From the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University: Kateřina Čanigová and Irena Kašparová. From the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University: Lenka Gajzlerová, Vladimír Holík, Jozef Miškolci and Barbora Vacková.
Yes. Artists from the Roma community took part in the art direction, scripting and sound elements of the game. The project does not attempt to speak “about Roma without involving Roma,” but directly involves Roma creatives in developing key aspects of the game and the ongoing testing of game prototypes. Additionally, the content is based on participatory research activities and real experience and is never derived solely from an external academic understanding of the issue.
The Romani minority is part of Czech society, even though the community's experience, history and current position are often insufficiently represented or oversimplified in educational contexts. Learning about the Romani minority helps pupils better understand how prejudice, social inequality and discrimination function in daily life. This is not simply a matter of “another extra topic,” but an important part of civics education that contributes to the development of empathy, media and social literacy and the ability to live in a democratic, diverse society.
The game is primarily intended for lessons in civics, history and the Czech language. In civics lessons, it can aid in addressing the topics of discrimination, prejudice, human rights and social coexistence. In history, it can enrich teaching concerning modern history, minorities and social inequality. In Czech language classes, it can serve as a resource for work with narrative, interpretation, character reflections and formulating one's own position. The game's individual chapters, each with a closing reflection, have been designed to fit into a single lesson.
The stories in the game come from real experiences collected through participatory research activities. The game does not attempt the documentary-style retelling of a single, specific life story, but adapts situations that reflect the Roma people's encounters with prejudice, racism and discrimination. This allows pupils to work with the stories in a safe format, and even as they encounter topics with a genuine social foundation.
The game was developed as part of the project Vzdělávací počítačová hra o postavení Romů ve společnosti (Educational Computer Game About the Position of Roma in Society), which was co-financed with state support from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic as part of the SIGMA Project in collaboration with the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Brno University of Technology, the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University and the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University.
Authors: Kateřina Čanigová, Irena Kašparová, Masaryk University Faculty of Social Studies
The entries contain direct quotes from Roma youth who participated in collecting and providing the data on which the digital game Andre Miri Cipa / In My Own Skin is based. The Research Report (in Czech only) details the data collection methodology.
The entries cover key themes addressed in individual chapters of the game and represent a selection of topics from the Czech language, history, people and society, civics, and social studies framework educational programmes. Educators may use them as complementary teaching materials and as a source of additional information; some texts can also be used as materials for students.
Link opens in a new tab.Chapter 1 - Robin
Bullying is the repeated mistreatment of someone weaker, who cannot defend themselves. Statistics show that Czechia has one of the highest incidences of middle- and high-school bullying in Europe.
Aneta says: “In psychology we discussed personality disorders, and there was a section about how we assign to individuals attributes that we expect to find in most members of a given group, e.g. a typical Russian, a typical g**sy. One student responded: “Well, but g**sies don’t know how to behave.” Supposedly she was out one night, and they were shouting and so on. That really got on my nerves, but at the same time, I found it sad that someone could say that, that they could be so insensitive – and if so, why study medicine?”
Someone discriminates when they treat someone unfairly just because they belong to a different group. It’s forbidden by law. In reality, it’s ignored.
Roma identity means feeling that you are part of the Roma community, share a specific culture, history, and experience with it, and, at the same time, are aware of how Roma are sometimes perceived in the surrounding society. Each Roma person may experience it differently based on their environment, family or personal experiences.
“To be Roma means to have the whole world in your heart, but still be searching for where you belong.”
“Being Roma isn’t easy at all. My mother always said, “the moment you open your eyes, you’re labelled a g**sy, which isn’t a label non-Roma people like very much.”
Pavel: “There are three Roma kids at my school. At first, I felt - not fear, exactly; I was more interested in how they would respond to me. At first, they thought I was from abroad, and then when they realised, I kind of heard some jokes or snide remarks, but I think these kinds of snide remarks and jokes… well, in my opinion, that’s just a way of showing that you’re actually kind of an idiot, because making fun of someone without knowing them shows that you’re not as clever as you thought.”
Latent racism is hidden racism. We’re often unaware of it, and it still causes harm. It might begin with a phrase like: “I don’t have anything against Roma, but…”
Robin: “I’d say it like this: because I’m Roma, when I’m around the Czech majority I often find that they start judging me for my skin colour, they start making snide comments, they start telling jokes, they actually even start to distance themselves from me a bit. It’s probably their fear - that they’re judging me for how I look, not who I am.”
We display prejudice when we think poorly of someone in advance, without knowing them. Prejudice is most often rooted in fear of the unknown.
Adriana says: “When I’m at home, or with my grandmother, we always speak Romani, but it’s also no problem for me to speak Czech, though I don’t always write it correctly. In school, I try, but sometimes something just slips out, and I say it normally, in Romani, and nobody there is surprised anymore; they just accept it.”
Romani is a global language with origins in the Indian language Sanskrit. About 15 million people speak dialects of Romani today.
Romani Christmas (Karačoňa) is a holiday for family, forgiveness and remembrance. Two important customs are associated with it: reconciliation, during which people forgive wrongs, and remembrance of the dead, for whom empty chairs and plates are left at the table, or food is placed by the window.
“Karačoňa isn’t just the holiday when Deloro brings presents; it’s a moment when the family becomes whole again.”
“Once a year, the whole family comes together. Everyone smiles, chats and enjoys the atmosphere. The whole family sits around the table: parents, children, and grandparents. Then they unwrap the presents, chat, and wish each other a Merry Christmas.”
Traditional Roma cuisine was shaped by a nomadic lifestyle, which meant that simple, easy-to-prepare food made from readily available ingredients prevailed. At the same time, preparing food strengthens family ties and passes on values like loyalty and modesty. Today, many Roma combine traditional Roma recipes with Czech cuisine, while the younger generation more often opts for fast food, steak, or Vietnamese cuisine.
“The food we prepare together isn’t just food for the body; it’s the bond that keeps the family together.”
“My husband is a cook, so we have a kind of Czech-Roma cuisine at home. I cook more of the Roma food and my husband does the Czech; we enjoy experimenting.”
Ella had the following experience: “I’ve known since first grade when I wasn’t allowed to be friends with people and couldn’t go to their houses because I’m Roma. I was the only Roma in class. I only had one friend where I could, because her dad was Greek and he didn’t care. You’d think we’re already equipped to handle these people, but we’re really not, and it always hurts us, and I don’t know what else to say. It’s terribly sad that people are like that and judge others based on their ethnicity.”
Segregation is the intentional division of people based on their affiliation with a particular group - such as religion, or the colour of their skin. Do you think this topic is better suited to history books? 12,000 Roma children would disagree.
Eliška experienced the following situation: “…once, I was in the park, and I sat on a bench, and there was a man behind me. And I just knew that he was going to come up to me and ask me something. And I sat down, and he came up to me. He startled me, and ever since then I’ve been really scared. He was like, “I’m not going to do anything to you; I just wanted to ask if you had a cigarette.” But I was already thinking that he was going to do something to me. And now, when I’m outside, I start to walk faster if a guy is standing behind me. And it also happened that a man told me I mustn’t be afraid, that he’s not going to do anything to me. But I was still afraid.”
Stalking is long-term, intentional and unpleasant following and harassment. In Czechia it is a punishable crime - the perpetrator can receive up to three years in prison.
Stereotypes reduce people to the group to which they belong - and Roma have been experiencing such reduction for centuries: they are depicted as not wanting to belong, even though Europe itself denies them the right to belong, and they are labelled with a term they never chose.
“They tell us we don’t belong here with you, even though we’ve been here for centuries!”
“Everyone lumps us together, because when people hear the word “g**sy, everyone imagines that we steal, that we’re dirty. I experienced a situation where I wanted to help a woman with a bag, and she took it and ran away, like I was trying to kill her.”
Pavel: “I’d put it this way: they just lump us all together, because when people hear the word “g**sy, everyone imagines that we steal, that we’re dirty. I experienced a situation where I wanted to help a woman with a bag, and she took it and ran away, like I was trying to kill her; I guess that’s just how it is.”
We witness injustice when we see something bad happening and do nothing. Still, the aggressor often stops if they lose public support.
Chapter 2 - Vanessa
Romani activism takes many forms. At the political level, the EU supports the integration of Roma and, at the same time, an emerging group of educated Roma is combating prejudice at universities and in the arts; since 1989, they have increasingly networked with activists and organisations both at home and abroad. Still, Roma voices are rarely heard in direct action and demonstrations in Czechia - organisers face police intimidation. They are also held back by some Roma, who defend their ties with the city, as well as by the distrust felt by part of the majority population and the resignation of Roma themselves, who, based on past experience, do not believe that protests change anything.
As Pavel describes it: “If we could come to an agreement, we could do something, build something and all come together. I think we’d be able to achieve something and bring about change… but that’s only possible when something happens, not in everyday situations.”
Antigypsyism, i.e., discrimination against Roma, is a form of personal and institutional behaviour leading to the marginalisation, exclusion and devaluation of Romani culture and can result in physical violence or hate speech directed at Roma. A widely accepted socio-political phenomenon, it impedes Roma access to equal rights and opportunities. Tangible expressions of antigypsyism include denials of Romani genocide, violence against Roma communities, the reinforcing of prejudicial stereotypes, blaming Roma for societal problems, segregation in schools and disseminating hatred online.
As the personal experiences of the survey participants also show, many Roma view this hatred as a deeply embedded and almost unchangeable part of society - accordingly, they consider it essential that it is regulated by law and punished in a way that deters people from treating others with impunity. Jana summarises it with this sentence: “I think that the Czechs will always hate us, it’s just always how it was, is, and will be.”
Jana: “I suppose times are changing, but personally, I just prefer to dress very extravagantly, because I like to feel original and I don’t like classic style. I like to experiment, but of course, tracksuits - yeah, I’ll let myself wear them at home…”
Today, Roma dress just like everyone else. They shop in the same stores and choose their clothes based on where they’re going - to school, to play sports, to a party, or just out with friends.
Fear is a basic feeling, emotion, and experience triggered by signals of threat, such as the presence of danger, or a fear of feeling unsafe. Fear is regarded as a learned reaction. Fear is what we feel when we expect something bad or unpleasant to happen. It can be fear of pain, danger, or even of death. Sometimes fear is weaker - we call this worry. When fear is very strong, we talk about terror.
Daniela says: “What am I afraid is going to happen? I’m afraid that I’ll end up with nothing, that I’ll have nothing and be nothing. I never want to be cast out, like people without a home.”
Darina dreams about driving a car: “A driving license is another dream of mine. I’ve been dreaming about it since I was 13; I just love cars. I have my idol, a girl who loves cars; she’s a famous influencer in Russia. I share these dreams with my best friend Květa; we have the same goals and dreams.”
There are as many ways for young people around the age of 15 to spend their free time as there are people. Some like to go out with friends; others spend their afternoons at home, cooking or watching films, streams, or TV series. Many young people listen to music, record videos, experiment with make-up, go to the gym or study a foreign language. Each chooses for themselves.
Daniela thinks about the issue of gender like this: “I guess I always had the feeling that as women and girls we were expected to always be well-presented, and… I don’t know… Women sat a certain way and looked pretty. And I had a rebellious period, especially during puberty, where I did the exact opposite of everything, and I was sort of mad that they expected that of me.”
The word gender refers to how a person views themselves and presents in society - as a man, as a woman, or in another way.
Eva describes her relationship with the older generations: “Well, it’s as if completely different things make my grandmother happy - work, for example - and my mother and the older generations think more about the children; that makes them happy. And meanwhile, we younger people don’t think about our parents and the family, and we’re just more focused on our own stuff, things that are ours.”
Intergenerational relationships refer to how people of different ages, such as children, parents and grandparents, get along. Each generation grew up at a different time, so they have different habits, values, and lifestyles, which sometimes lead to misunderstandings but also to mutual enrichment.
April 8th is International Romani Day and has been celebrated in Czechia since 2001. Its history stretches back to 1971 when the Romani flag, the anthem “Gelem, Gelem” and the designation “Roma” were established at the first World Romani Congress, held near London. The date has been officially recognised worldwide since 1990. The holiday recognises Romani history and culture and helps to dismantle prejudices towards the Roma community.
Joy is a positive emotion expressing great pleasure and happiness; it is also a state of happiness and bliss that occurs when something good and satisfying happens. The feeling of joy is shared across social groups and cultures and relies not on ethnicity, but age. We can see this difference through the “generational shift” in the perception of joy, with parents often associating joy with their children’s successes and happiness.
Joy knows no boundaries of ethnicity or skin colour - it is a feeling that unites us all. The greatest joy isn’t in what you have, but in the people you care about.
David says: “Roma would die for their children; they would give their life for them. Children are their greatest happiness and joy in life.”
According to one Romani folktale, there was once a mirror that showed the truth. The mirror was broken into thousands of shards, scattered across the globe. Since then, each person has only one shard and sees only a portion of reality, distorted by their own point of view. The full picture can only be assembled when people listen to each other and share their stories.
Used to express both pain and joy, music and songs were a constant feature of Romani daily life and family celebrations. Roma musicians played one repertoire for themselves and a different one tailored to non-Roma, even without being able to read music.
Romani music is extremely diverse - it includes styles such as flamenco, gypsy jazz, and manele, which are very different from one another. Still, characterising Roma as “natural musicians” is a stereotype that oversimplifies the group - not all Roma play instruments and they also listen to non-Romani music.
David speaks about music as follows: “I’d like to know how [to play a musical instrument], because I really appreciate it - it’s something you have to have inside you - but I don’t play any musical instruments. I’m more of a listener, and I usually listen to hip hop and rap.”
Online hate speech targeting Roma is widespread in Czechia and creates social tension that has been a staging ground for real violence. Verbal attacks online also strengthen negative stereotypes, push Roma to the margins of society and infringe on their psychological integrity and dignity.
Online violence also occurred in 2023, following the early release of perpetrators of an arson attack in Vítkov, when a wave of hateful comments - including statements that the attackers had “not finished” their act - appeared online.
Developed in the USA, affirmative action is a strategy that strives to correct historical and institutional discrimination by granting disadvantaged groups, such as ethnic minorities, priority access to education and employment, thus ensuring them equal opportunities.
Linda’s mother describes the culture in the firm where she works: “If you make any racist remarks, you’re out.” This shows exactly how even large companies can press for equal treatment by simply not tolerating discrimination.
Katka says: “I always wanted to live in the city, in the city centre, because I was afraid to live in the outlying districts - Roma don’t live there and I feel safer among Roma. But now I have to say that I feel like more people who commit crimes tend to gather here. Whether it’s drugs or fights. There are a lot of drunk kids here, that kind of thing… today the police just totally underestimate the drug scene and the crime rate and don’t care about it because there are neighbourhoods that just don’t seem to have a future and somehow that impacts the whole city. So I think our city has a problem that’s just running rampant here…”
Roma life in Czech cities varies greatly. Some Roma live in ordinary apartments, others in “socially excluded areas,” i.e., districts where poverty, unemployment and limited access to education accumulate. It’s important to mention at the outset that not all Roma in the Czech Republic live in socially excluded environments, and not everyone who finds themselves in socially excluded conditions is Roma.
Danila describes her family’s origins: “Dad comes from a settlement in Slovakia, so he speaks fluently. Mama doesn’t come from a settlement, but her family also spoke Romani from the time they were little. Dad didn’t want to teach us too much; he wanted us to speak Czech perfectly. I can speak Romani, but Roma here tell me I speak like a gadji. So I understand Romani perfectly, I know how to speak it, but Czech is the language I use day-to-day.”
Roma have lived on the territory of what is now the Czech Republic for centuries. During the Age of Enlightenment, they were allowed to settle down for the first time, and Romani families began to build small settlements on the outskirts of villages. Moravian Roma lived in settled communities, particularly in south-eastern Moravia, but their numbers were small in comparison with Slovakia. Today, Roma make up approximately 2% of the Czech Republic’s inhabitants. A minority live in villages, but rural communities still exist, especially in border regions, where they were resettled during the communist era.
While Roma children regularly study Czech history in school, their non-Roma classmates still learn very little about Romani history. Among other reasons, this is because for centuries Roma have passed down their experience and wisdom orally - through songs, fairy tales and legends - but not produced written literature. When researching Romani history, historians are thus almost entirely reliant on non-Roma sources, which most often mention Roma when they have done something at odds with the social majority, giving rise to a negative, one-sided image. For this reason, oral folk literature is essential for understanding Romani history; it is the only source that facilitates a view of history through the eyes of Roma themselves.
Moreover, Roma never constituted a monolithic group: their predecessors came from different Indian castes, and it was only in Europe that the original term “Dom” evolved into the name “Rom,” which they chose for themselves - as opposed to the word “Cikán,” which was externally applied to them by the majority society. Indeed, in the past, surnames derived from Cikán (Zigan in English) were used by nobles and burghers, sometimes even with respect, showing that attitudes toward Roma have not been consistently negative throughout history.
Today, various groups of Roma live in the Czech Republic, as Dita discusses: “I have a brother-in-law who is Vlax Romani [Olašský Rom in Czech], he’s well-known in show business, he’s great, he’s been in our family for 20 years… We were delighted when he spoke Vlax Romani, or we asked him about their customs and traditions.”
Since time immemorial, the Romani oral tradition has included stories called paramisa (fairy tales) that pass down life lessons and the group’s ethical norms to children; within the community, the stories were told by a talented storyteller known as a paramisaris. Unlike fairy tales from other nations, Romani fairy tales focus less on searching for treasure and more on escaping evil and surviving by one’s wits.
Humorous stories (pherasa) exist alongside serious ones and, since 1990, Romani authors and experts have worked to preserve this oral tradition in written Romani literature, even though for centuries Roma had no opportunity to learn the written form of their own language.
Denisa: “My father made a point of ensuring that we knew Romani culture and history, that we carried it in our hearts. He always used to tell me, “keep Roma-ness inside you,” which meant to carry all this with me, to pass it on. Roma always loved music; they liked to dance, get together, have a drink, and so on. It’s embedded to this day, and it will never disappear.”
Many cases of violence against Roma have been documented in Czechia and elsewhere since 1989, and reports from organisations such as the ERRC show that they are associated with inadequate responses by the police, courts and other authorities - attacks have gone uninvestigated and racial motives denied, with the police often overlooking instances of violence or taking part in it themselves. This shows that the issue of violence against Roma cannot be separated from the (non-)functioning of the institutions that ought to protect citizens.
Pavel describes his experience of an attack carried out by skinheads: “In that moment, I feared for my life, and I was also there with my girlfriend, so I was scared for her, too. I was afraid for our health. I didn’t do anything after the attack. I didn’t report it anywhere.”
Chapter 3 - Marie
While a city can’t be simply divided into “good” and “bad” neighbourhoods, two different types of areas have been presented as examples of both extremes.
On one side are the socially excluded areas, where people - often Roma - lack access to resources and opportunities that are commonplace for the majority society and live in spatially and symbolically isolated locations with worse housing conditions. While we must remember that not all residents of such areas are Roma and not all socially excluded Roma live in them - words like “community” or “ghetto” distort the reality, and using them makes the situation even worse for the residents.
On the other side, there are gated communities, i.e., closed, guarded residential areas which are automatically designated safe or “good” neighbourhoods. People turn to them for security, privacy or prestige, but in doing so, they turn previously public sidewalks, roads and green spaces into private property and contribute to richer residents’ isolation from the rest of the city. Both types of neighbourhoods thus show, in different ways, how powerfully housing can deepen the social divide between people.
Katka says: “If I had money, I’d live alone. Yeah, I’d do whatever I want, travel wherever I want, buy whatever I want. It’s like money always limits everyone, I think.” Money is like in-game currency, but in real life. Those who know how to handle it have a big advantage.
Financial literacy is the ability to understand money, plan expenditure, save, and avoid predatory loans or scams. Simply earning money isn’t enough - it’s important to know what to do with your earnings.
The financialisation of housing describes the current situation where apartments and houses serve more as investments that allow banks, investors and financial companies make money in a manner similar to the stock exchange. Linked to less government regulation of the market and the global financial system, this approach treats housing as merchandise rather than places to live.
The result is increased apartment prices, which are unaffordable for many; because housing prices are entirely unregulated in Czechia, the country and Prague in particular have some of the least accessible housing in Europe. Thus, it is often not a person’s job or income that determines if they will have a place to live, but the wealth of the family into which they were born.
Financialisation has an unexpected positive side, however: some apartments have been purchased by foreign investors and, while some leave them empty, others rent them without the anti-Roma prejudice often displayed by Czech landlords.
Intersectionality, related to the concept of cumulative disadvantage, is an American theory arising from the study of Black women. It shows that when we look at an issue solely from the point of view of race or gender, we don’t see the whole picture, because poor women from ethnic minorities are not battling a single disadvantage, but confronting multiple disadvantages (poverty, sole responsibility for childcare, discrimination in the housing and job markets) at the same time, and these overlap and aggravate one another.
Moreover, such women have been socially invisible, and when they are forgotten in legislative processes, it negatively impacts both their lives and the fairness of society as a whole. Intersectionality does not solely affect women; it can also be experienced by men.
Justýna: “At least have respect for people, you know. Yes, if we want to function somehow in this society, there have to be some punishments and legislation that doesn’t permit disrespecting others. Because you’d have to bear in mind that if you behave like that, if you say those things, there’s going to be some penalty, some problem as a result. The society has to condemn it as wrong.”
Legal norms are binding rules of behaviour, passed by the state, to which everyone living within its territory must adhere. In contrast to unwritten rules or morals, legal norms have a key attribute: breaking them results in a specific sanction, i.e. a punishment or the obligation to offer compensation for damages.
Othermothering is a specific type of care where, alongside the mother herself, the role of mother is also held by another female relative, or in some cases a non-relative - most often a grandmother, sister, aunt or cousin. Together, these women, known as othermothers, create a network in which they care for their relatives’ children, whether through short-term childcare, long-term care, or informal adoption. The role of mother is thus often taken on by a grandmother or another, more experienced woman in the family, especially if the mother is still too young, with girls prepared for this role from a tender age.
Katka also experienced taking care of her siblings: “Yes, yes, I’d come home from school, tidy up, do Mama’s ironing, look after the kids, or something, she’d go out to run some errands, sometimes I’d even have to cook, too…”
Hana describes her search for housing: “The real estate agent immediately asked about my origins, if we were Roma or not. The owner didn’t want us. He’d have preferred animals to children.”
In Czechia, Roma often encounter discrimination in the housing market - landlords and real estate offices often refuse to rent them apartments solely due to their origins and sometimes even openly state “we don’t rent to Roma.” Although this is against the law, it is difficult to penalise, and fines have not been high enough to deter landlords. Because Roma cannot find ordinary housing, they often have to live in expensive residential hostels, which some people exploit to earn money from their difficult situation - this gives rise to “the poverty trade.”
Daniel speaks about the socially excluded locality in the city where he lives: “Crime, loan-sharking, lack of money, I don’t get it, but… It’s like when all these socially disadvantaged people are here, they get caught up in it; it’s like a merry-go-round that it’s really hard to get off of. And you think that’s what Roma do - commit crimes, end up in prison. Police, addiction, gambling, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes… Sure, these are socially excluded localities, so what are the people there supposed to do? And you think we’re part of that? No - we’re not!”
Each city is a map of inequality. Not all neighbourhoods are the same: in some, there are villas with gardens and good transport links; elsewhere, there are dilapidated residential hostels on the edge of industrial zones, which people must walk along a busy motorway to reach. This arrangement is no accident. We call it spatial inequality, and it reflects how money, power and social class operate in society.
Sterilisation refers to a surgical procedure that makes a given person (of any gender) unable to have children.
It can be considered a crime of communism, since it targeted a specific group of residents. In the 1970s, Roma women were targeted by a campaign initiated by the state authorities, which forced them, in various ways, to undergo a surgical procedure that made them unable to have more children. The operation was often performed as part of the delivery process, when women were still in pain, and often without explanation - women signed consent forms without knowing what they were signing.
Nevertheless, this practice did not disappear with the fall of communism and continued in the same manner for a number of years, because it was underpinned not only by the law at the time, but by a deeply embedded racism that persists in society to this day. Though the state has apologised to the women, no real compensation has been provided - in order to receive it, the women must provide proof of the injustice done to them on their own, in court.
Roma live in different types of housing - from prefab high-rise blocks and apartment buildings to tenement houses, family homes, shelters, and residential hostels.
Because they often need to move, particularly those in residential hostels, many move between different types of accommodation over their lifetimes, and some also live in shared households with family. This is caused by discrimination in the housing market, insufficient housing stock in cities and the overall housing crisis, as a result of which Roma often cannot find housing of their own.
The situation is further complicated by a poorly designed privatisation system, thanks to which Roma rarely own apartments and must rely on rented or social housing. Social housing is in short supply, however, and difficult to secure - waiting times can stretch up to 10 years, with no certainty that the applicant will be housed. Further, disorganisation and a lack of transparency across the allocation system mean this type of housing cannot be relied upon.
Daniel discusses his future as follows: “I’d like to find a permanent job here, where I’ll have a stable income and not just temp work, where I find myself thinking, yeah, they could fire me. They could replace me with someone else. Or when there are holidays, and there’s no money, no work. Yeah, definitely a stable job where I’ll have reliable money. Even during the holidays and time off, I’ll be paid, and won’t have to do temp work without a contract. Of course that’s better, something permanent, yeah.”
A social class is a group of people with similar economic conditions, education, tastes and lifestyles. It is not a fixed clan you can’t leave, but it has a strong impact on the paths or “missions” available to you in life.