Requests to remove Roma and their settlements
Timeline
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Forced Eviction of Roma Family Strojan
The Strojans, an extended family of 31 Roma, 14 of them children, were forced to abandon their land when a mob from Ambrus and other nearby villages surrounded their homes, threatening to kill them and demanding their eviction. While the police kept the crowd back, Slovenian government officials negotiated the family's removal to a former army barracks 50 kilometers away. This action was apparently undertaken as a result of a conflict arising from an incident occurring around one week previously...
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Expert group for spatial issues in Roma settlements appointed by the Goverment
In December 2006, following the case of the forced eviction of a Roma family Strojan in October 2006, the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning set up the Expert Group for Solving Spatial Issues in Roma Settlements, tasked with undertaking activities aimed at the improvement of the housing situation of the Roma community in Slovenia. The tasks of the Expert Group include, among other things, detailed acquaintance with and analysis of the problems related to the housing conditions in Roma settle...
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The Roma Community Act Adopted by the National Assembly of Slovenia
Following the constitutional provisions, 16 years after the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia and hesitation with adoption of the general law on Roma community, the Roma Community Act was adopted by the National Assembly on 30.3.2007. The events with forced eviction of Roma family Strojan in October 2006 influenced the Government to accelerate procedure of adoption. The act defines the scope of special rights of the Roma Community, the jurisdiction of state authorities and the l...
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Protest Against Legalisation of Roma Settlement Žabjak-Brezje
Around 40 protesters gathered in front of the Town Hall of Novo Mesto to request from the town authorities to stop procedures and actions aimed at the legalisation of the Romani settlement “Žabjak-Brezje” with 446 inhabitants located on the periphery of the town. After many years the town authorities had decided to make steps towards legalisation and urbanisation of the settlement as a measure of Roma integration. The protest was coordinated by an association of inhabitants of Bučna ...
Roma have been requested or forced to leave their homes or not to settle in certain areas in Slovenia in many cases. Such actions taken by majority population in neighbourhood of Roma settlements have been reported from various regions in last 15 years. The cases includes Maline (1997), Jelsane (1998), Prosenjakovci (2002), Ambrus (2006), Brezje-Zabjak (2006-2011), and other locations.
The most hostile and violent case happened in 2006 in Ambrus when the Roma family Strojan, an extended family of 31 Roma, 14 of them children, were forced to abandon their land when a mob from Ambrus and other nearby villages surrounded their homes, threatening to kill them and demanding their eviction. While the police kept the crowd back, Slovenian government officials negotiated the family's removal to a former army barracks 50 kilometres away. Since the Roma family attempted to return to their home, the authorities demolished their settlement. The Roma family Strojan was after that removed to the building within the Roje military facilities near Ljubljana, owned by the state.
In December 2006, following the case of the forced eviction of Roma family Strojan in October 2006, the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning set up the Expert Group for Solving Spatial Issues in Roma Settlements, tasked with undertaking activities aimed at the improvement of the housing situation of the Roma community in Slovenia. It operates still in 2011, providing regular data and recommendations for policy measures.
The events with forced eviction of Roma family Strojan influenced the Government to accelerate procedure of adoption of the Roma Community Act. The act, adopted in March 2007, defines the scope of special rights of the Roma community, the jurisdiction of state authorities and the local community authorities, and the organisation of the Roma community in order to implement their rights and obligations as set out by the Act.
Human Rights Ombudsman has in its annual reports repeatedly requested from the government to improve conditions for Roma settlements in Slovenia and for their integration. Most recent report was responded by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Issues in which the plan to open new calls for projects for improvements of infrastructure in Roma villages in 2011 is announced.
At the same time non-governmental organisations, such as Amnesty International Slovenia - have addressed the issue of ghettoisation of Roma in their villages, and of inhuman living conditions for Roma in many settlements in Slovenia as one of the reasons for difficulties with integration of Roma and for conflicts with neighbouring villages.
Despite various policy responses the actions in which the removal of Roma settlements is requested or attempts of local authorities to legalize them and to build the infrastructure in the settlements are confronted still continue, as in the recent case of protests against legalisation of Roma village Brezje-Zabjak near the city Novo Mesto in March 2011.
Sources:
European Roma Rights Center, 6.11.2006, http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2653. Date of access: 19.10.2011.
Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, News on appointment of the Expert Group, 5 .12.2006, http://, http://www.mop.gov.si/nc/si/medijsko_sredisce/novica/article/12118/5433/. Date of access: 19.10.2011.
Office for National Minorities of the Government of Slovenia, Legal Protection of Roma Community, http://www.uvn.gov.si/si/zakonodaja_in_dokumenti/zakonska_zascita_romske_skupnosti/. Date of access: 8.11.2011.
Article in Mladina weekly, 15.12.2006, http://www.mladina.si/95200/slo--romi-gregor_cerar/?utm_source=tednik%2F200650%2Fclanek%2Fslo--romi-gregor_cerar%2F&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=oldLink. Date of access: 8.12.2011.
Article in Delo, 10.3.2011, http://www.delo.si/novice/slovenija/proti-legalizaciji-romskega-naselja-zabjak.html. Date of access: 27.10.2011.
Article in zurnal24.si, 1.9.2011, http://www.zurnal24.si/ureditev-romskih-naselij-z-letom-2012-clanek-133950. Date of access: 8.12.2011.
Report by Amnesty International Slovenia, 16.3.2011, http://www.amnesty.si/images/KAMPANJE/SLOVENIJA/vzporedna_zivljenja.pdf. Date of access: 8.12.2011.
