TRAVERSE

STATELESS
“Romas usually
remain in the
margins of
society, living in
colonies, similar to
isolated ghettos.”
men and 83% of women are unemployed. In Slovakia,
Roma children are 28 times more likely to be sent as a
special non-Roma school. .
In some countries, the fact that Roma rely on welfare
systems is part of the problem. For some Roma families,
it is often better to live on welfare than having a low paid
job. In 2004, Livia Járóka and Viktória Mohácsi,
Hungary, Roma have become Members of the European
Parliament. Finally, seven former communist countries of
Central and Southeastern Europe are the source of the
“Decade of the Initiative of Roma Inclusion” in 2005 to
improve socio-economic conditions and the situation of
the minority Rom.
In countries outside the European Union, such as
Albania—which, according to the World Bank, has the
fourth-lowest gross domestic product per capita on the
continent (ahead of Ukraine, Kosovo and Moldova) and a
national G.D.P. ranked between that of Chad and
Zimbabwe—the plight of the Roma is especially dire.
Albanian Roma are especially long-suffering. Many were
forcibly expelled from the country during the Albanian
rebellion of 1997, also known as the Pyramid Crisis.
Out of fear for their lives, many Roma fled to neighboring
Greece, where they would live as refugees for more
than a decade. A large number of Albanian Roma are
now returning to their home country. The economy is
growing, unemployment is shrinking, and national
politics are generally calmer. But life for the resident
Roma community is still quite dismal.
ROMA IN FRANCE
Gennevilliers, France—The camps weren’t much to begin
with: They had no electricity or running water. Grocery
carts served as makeshift grills. Rats ran rampant and
54 TRAVERSE