Heavy rains on June 20 brought about the
worst floods in Slovak history, changing otherwise quiet rivers in eastern
Slovakia into a lethal force. The wild, overflowing water rushed from the
river bed, sweeping over and engulfing everything in its path. The tragic
results of these destructive floods were 63 dead, over 3,000 people evacuated
from their homes, and two thousand houses destroyed in dozens of communities.
June's floods hit the Romani settlement near the community of Jarovnice
the hardest, and the highest number of casualties occurred here. The rain-swollen
Mala Svinka river claimed 44 children and 16 adults, though this isn't
even the final total, as the Roma have not given up searching for missing
relatives. Although these floods were tragic for the Roma in Jarovnice,
in no way did it increase the sense of solidarity between the Romani minority
and the Slovak majority. Quite the opposite, the spite towards the Roma,
who lost their homes and often their loved ones, grew.
This natural disaster revealed the long-term lack of interest of the
Slovaks in the Roma living in separate Romani settlements in eastern Slovakia,
living the way they lived a hundred years ago. Jarovnice is one of the
largest and the most backward of the Romani settlements in Slovakia. Almost
four thousand Roma live in unbearable living conditions in Jarovnice, most
of them without work and illiterate. They received more attention from
the unique art work of the Romani children of Jarovnice, which has won
several top prizes at international competitions of children's art and
has been exhibited in many European countries. But even this international
success failed to attract the government's interest in the Roma in the
settlements of eastern Slovakia...
The Romani settlement at Jarovnice lies in the
valley of the Mala Svinka river. Approximately two thousand Slovaks live
in the village above the valley, which kept them from being affected by
the floods. The Slovaks in Jarovice accuse the Roma of laziness and a lack
of interest in clearing away the effects of the flooding. "The solidarity
and compassion the Slovaks felt towards their suffering neighbors from
the settlement soon evaporated. It's true the water gave the Roma a reason
to work in a harsh way, but their apathy for work, seasoned by ingrained
bad habits, is an integral part of their life. These very extremes - on
one hand the Slovaks' working on their own damaged property and on the
other the depressing inactivity of the Roma - gave rise to cynical comments
that there hadn't been enough victims," wrote the most popular Czech newspaper
Mlada
fronta Dnes in its weekly magazine.
The Roma didn't want to return to the Mala Svinka river valley, where
the water had swept away their dwellings. For the mayor of Jarovnice, the
problem loomed: where to put them? The Slovaks in Jarovnice didn't want
the Roma in close proximity, and so there was nowhere to begin building
new dwellings for the Roma left with out shelter. "We found a location
that would be feasible for the construction of new dwellings, but the land
belongs to private persons. It's their decision, whether construction starts
or not", said the mayor of Jarovnice, Marian Kyjovsky in an interview with
the Slovak daily Pravda, adding that no one had much interest in
the Roma of Jarovnice, especially now, with the election campaign going
on in Slovakia.
"Their campaign is a review of the successes of Meciar's ruling Movement
for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). The tragedy in Jarovnice, of course,
doesn't fit in that picture," wrote Pravda, and that the tragedy
in the Romani encampment has also exposed the total intertwining of the
problems concerning the situation of the Roma in Slovakia. Slovak prime
minister Valdimir Meciar, who has also taken on presidential powers, paid
a visit to the area affected by the floods 17 days after the event. The
Slovaks in Jarovnice honored him with the traditional welcome of bread
and salt, and a visit to the Romani settlement, the most decimated by the
flooding, was on the program, but evidently there wasn't enough time and
it was cancelled.
The tension between Roma and Slovaks was also increased by the reports
in the Slovak media on the situation in Jarovnice. For the Roma, according
to the press and television, only reluctantly and unwillingly helped in
clearing away the damage and were waiting apathetically for help from the
state. According to the media, the Roma not only didn't want to work, but
they were drinking their state benefits away at the pub, burning or selling
the clothing they received from humanitarian aid, and when they realized
that those who lost their property and roof over their heads would receive
financial compensation from the state, they started to destroy what still
remained of their homes. The other inhabitants accused the authorities
of concentrating aid only on the Roma.
In the flooded communities, the mayors coordinated
aid and soldiers helped to clear away the damage. Approximately 600 Roma
from Jarovnice lost their homes and now live in military tents and eat
military rations. Humanitarian aid, in particular drinking water, preservable
foodstuffs, sanitary products, fabric, shoes and children's toys were brought
in by a number of Slovak as well as Czech foundations. The Romani Children
and Youth Association of the Czech Republic continues to deliver aid to
Jarovnice.
"The Roma are living outside, so it's not true that they are living
in portable cells. It is true that two cells were brought to Jarovnice,
but they were so damaged that it wasn't possible to live in them," said
the association's chairman, Jan Rac, who last delivered aid to Jarovnice
on August 20. "Immediately after that terrible report, we got in touch
with the director of the elementary school in Jarovnice, Jozef Bugma, and
promised him all-round aid. We contacted the Romani communities, towns,
communities and no one refused us aid," said Rac, adding that information
about the Roma's inactivity in Jarovnice wasn't entirely true. "I was there
when Romani women cleaned up the elementary school so the Romani children
could start attending classes on September 1."
How the problem of lodging for the Roma without
homes in Jarovnice will be resolved is still not clear. We will report
on further developments in the Slovakian town of Jarovnice. Should you
decide to offer your help, here are two contact addresses: