Bulgaria’s transition to democracy after 1989 was harder than anyone expected. New democratic and socialist rulers at the time misjudged what was needed to quickly make Bulgaria a free-market economy, a task that countries like Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic managed. The ultimate consequence of those misjudgments in the early days of the republic was an economic catastrophe that resulted in fever-pitch unemployment and a drastic decrease in living standards.
But hardest hit were the Roma. Their social and economic situation severely deteriorated as a consequence of the post-communist transition. Roma unemployment skyrocketed up to 90 per cent during the 1990s. Their level of education also fell at great speed. A recent survey reveals that only 10 per cent of Roma aged 10 and above have completed primary education, as opposed to 72 of Bulgarians. As a result, many Roma saw no other option but to earn their bread through social benefits and, alas, crime.
Today human rights activists, NGOs, politicians and the media continue to argue who is right and wrong on the Roma’s condition in Bulgarian society. Some argue that too many preserve stereotypes about the Roma. Others argue that they simply base their perceptions of the Roma on Roma behaviour. Meanwhile, the integrated Roma are absent from the public view. The media still mostly emphasise negative stories. To a great extent, this coverage is why the perception of the “dirty, lazy, stealing Roma” remains unchanged to date. The voice of the Roma themselves is lost. Politicians, journalists, NGO representatives – we hear a lot through them about what everybody else thinks. But it is time we hear from both non-Roma and Roma themselves about the idea of living in an integrated society.
A study done with non-Roma and Roma showed that integration is easy in words, but difficult in practice.
Through the eyes of the ordinary Bulgarians, Roma integration means everything from “paying your bills” to “taking responsibility as well as using your rights”. Mainly, it involves “getting a smaller group, which is somehow different from the majority, to live by the rules and principles on which the entire society is based, to take into consideration the established norms of behaviour, whether they are social, cultural, or health.”
But is that really enough?
Bulgaria has been a multi-ethnic society for centuries. Turks, Armenians, Jews and Russians are only some of the minorities currently living in Bulgaria. However, it is a fact that other minorities are hardly ever mentioned in the public space. “This is because nobody else creates as many problems as the Roma,” said Anait Kirkorova, a teacher in a so-called white school from an Armenian background.
The interviewed Bulgarians acknowledged that it is wrong to think that all Roma are the same. Some are already integrated, they say – they are educated, work, pay taxes, and obey the law like everybody else. But examples of such integrated Roma are rare.
One of the most widely spread opinions about the Roma is that they are highly criminal, especially regarding pick pocketing, electricity stealing and burglary. Bulgarians especially say they resent how Roma are caught stealing electricity but the Government forgives them, as their lines are re-connected without payment or sanctions.
As a result, Bulgarians irritably say “Why are they allowed to get away with this, but as soon as we don’t pay ours, we remain without electricity until we pay the bill?” Bulgarians admit that when they go on a bus and a group of Roma gets on, it is almost an instant reaction to grab hold of their bags or pockets and stay alert for the duration of the trip.
This fear comes as no surprise when looking at crime figures.
Even though official crime statistics on an ethnic basis are not carried out in Bulgaria, some figures compiled in 2002 from the Bulgarian police claim that Roma commit one in four crimes. Even if such figures are unofficial, Bulgarians point towards higher criminal rates among Roma than among Bulgarians.
The visibly higher birth rate among the Roma also puts Bulgarians on alert.
Currently the birth rate among Roma is three to four times higher than among Bulgarians. A common belief is that many Roma give birth to children to use them as a means for getting easy money, mainly through claiming children state benefits. “For the Romany gypsies, children are not an expense, but a profit,” said Nona Kuzmanova, a teacher in a mixed school. Single mother Elizabet Ivanova added, “When I go to take my child benefits, I join a queue mainly with Roma women, surrounded by children”. In July, Social Minister Emilia Maslarova said 70 per cent of all 117 000 jobless who received state benefits in the first five months of the year were Roma.
Bulgarians are also convinced that Roma exploit their children for begging and pick-pocketing. A number of people have personally offered a begging Roma child in the street to buy him/her food, but in response the child said it wanted money instead. All of the interviewed Bulgarians were convinced that if a Roma family has four children, it can earn more money from child support benefits than if both parents were earning the minimum wage of 180 leva. Thus, Bulgarians said, it is not the case that there are no jobs; rather they simply don’t want to work because “It is easier to have more children and make the most of welfare,” the interviewees claimed.
Experiences of hiring or working with Roma are also negative. “They would always try to get away with doing as little as possible, leave work earlier than everyone else and on top – not do the job properly,” said Konstantin Kirilov, a company director. In the eyes of Bulgarians this work ethic raised a question as to whether the Roma actually want to be integrated.
Some Bulgarians argue that most Roma don’t want to be integrated because this requires making an effort. “They run away when the first obstacle comes along. Why make an effort if you can choose the easy way and carry on living day by day,” argues Yordanka Pochinkova, a social worker. But others believe that no one would choose misery if given the option for a better life, such as having a job, a house or access to quality education.
Although some Bulgarians express the rather extreme view that “Roma’s low intelligence has turned into a genetic attribute as a consequence of their primitive way of life during centuries,” most Bulgarians interviewed agree that the problems are rooted mainly in their lack of education.
According to data compiled in 2001, 15 per cent of the Roma population are illiterate, 30 per cent have only elementary education and another 30 per cent have finished eighth grade, the required minimum by law. Only five per cent have finished twelfth, or final, grade and less than one per cent hold a university degree. The lack of education and the high illiteracy among the Roma makes them uncompetitive. According to Konstantin Kirilov “No job means poverty, and poverty is a prerequisite for defects in society”. But this situation has much to do with the efficiency of the Government.
Compulsory primary education and sanctions for those caught not sending their children to school exist even now. But the evident poor state of the great majority of Roma speaks for a massive lack of oversight. Roma children often drop out of school, a fact admitted by the Government. Each year ten million Euros are given on average by American and EU funds for various Roma integration programmes. Yet, both Bulgarians and Roma are convinced that this money goes in the wrong hands, such as Romany bosses and politicians. The bottom line is that there are few if any signs that the lives of the Roma have improved.
“Whatever the ghetto was 30 years ago, it is still exactly the same. There is no canalisation, running water, people still scavenge rubbish bins,” said Orlin Parvanov, a company manager. While some Bulgarians admit there are things they can do to integrate the Roma, such as interact more with them and get to know their culture better, the majority of those interviewed have an extremely negative attitude.
“If they were to behave differently, their problems and those of the entire society would diminish significantly,” he said.
But what most people don’t realise is that the Roma are the most disadvantaged part of a society with many problems. While Bulgarians embrace the idea of integration, study results show they don't want their children to study with Roma or to have Roma neighbours, the hallmarks of integration.
Bulgarians themselves are not the best role model.
“We too throw our empty packs of crisps on the street. Only when we learn not to do that will we be allowed to judge other people,” said Kiril Pochinkov, an architect. But such self-critical thoughts are still uncommon. The majority of Bulgarians remain pessimistic over the success of Roma integration and don’t see much development for at least another 30 to 40 years. But perhaps this is in fact not such a long time, considering the complexity of integration. Minority issues have never been easy to solve and like any bruise, the negative consequences of the transition period in the early 90s requires a few generations to heal.
On May 19 the BBC broadcast a report about Bulgaria on how ready, or, rather, not ready, it was to join the EU in 2007. One of the most memorable images to demonstrate the backwardness of the country was a shot of a lonely Roma woman, warming her hands on a fire at what looks like a distant Sofia suburb. Most Bulgarians are ashamed of such images. But it is also the image which destines those Roma who are already integrated to a constant battle with stereotypes and prejudice.
One such person is 18-year-old Hristina Georgieva. Currently studying journalism, she says “In a few months time we will all be doing our work placements in various media. And I am 100 per cent sure that even though people will be nice to me, they will always have this thought in mind ‘Yes, but she is Roma.’ and I know that this will show in one way or another”.
Georgieva has never lived in a gypsy ghetto. She has only studied in mixed schools and doesn’t speak the Roma language. Yet, she says, her features and skin colour forces her and her colleagues to constantly prove themselves to others. “We are clean, well dressed, speak Bulgarian amongst each other and have tickets for the tram. Why are we then still looked at as criminals?” she said.
She is highly sceptical of the entire concept of Roma integration.
Bulgarians argue that if Roma were educated, had decent jobs, lived out of ghettos and obeyed the rules that everybody else obeys, there would be no reason for Roma to be isolated and a lot of their problems would be solved. However, it seems that those requirements are by far not enough to make the integrated Roma feel integrated.
Genoveva Sotirova, a Roma who holds law degree, said: “I want to be considered for a job because of my skills and qualifications, not the colour of my skin or my face features. I want to be let in dance clubs and not being told that ‘tonight it is a private party’ when it clearly isn’t. I want to be on a bus where people are not holding tight their bags as soon as a person with gypsy features gets on”.
To integrated young Roma, being integrated does not mean being accepted. Daniel Asparuhov argued that “Despite Roma being part of Bulgarian history for centuries, people are still not used to them and refuse to accept them”. Nonetheless, the interviewed Roma, who identify themselves as integrated, acknowledged that most of the stereotypes surrounding their ethnicity are indeed justified.
During the interview, they agreed that the majority of Roma are uneducated, steal, beg and cause social problems. They called them “the degraded part of Bulgarian society”. But what angers them, said Georgieva, is that the exceptions are not accepted. The typical prejudiced Bulgarian mind makes it extremely difficult for us to prove that we are not all the same, she added.
Quality education, good jobs, and being part of a society are equally as big priorities for some Roma as for Bulgarians, Turks and Jews. Antonina Zhelyazkova from the Centre for Study of Minorities said it must be acknowledged that in the past few years at least some good things happened for the Roma. “With the help of sponsorship programmes, a Roma elite of up to 5000 people managed to be formed. A number of young people were given scholarships which allowed them to leave the ghetto or the small village they lived in, gain good education and make something of themselves,” Zhelyazkova said.
Five thousand out of approximately 800 000 Roma may seem a small fraction. But it is progress. The point is that such young and ambitious Roma exist and yet still only the poor, uneducated, begging ones appear in news stories. Moreover, there are hardly any known Roma politicians, journalists, actors, doctors, teachers, or sports personas. This lack of popular, integrated Roma figures for the public is a big problem.
Desislava Rumenova, a teacher in a mixed school, said “If they don’t show us or talk about us, if they are prejudiced in offering us high-rank jobs, what model can we be for the rest of Roma?”
Her class colleague, Sotirova, adds that when she goes back to her village, Roma people there ask her, “You graduated from university and are still without a job. What is the point then of sending our children to school? Not only will they suffer discrimination but they won’t be able to get a job afterwards.”
But Genoveva’s response is always that such attitude leads to a dead end. “So, I am a gypsy. Does that mean I should not develop myself and stop living? Exactly the opposite!”
Unlike the Bulgarians who were interviewed, the Roma seemed much more self-critical and willing to admit defects within their community. Nonetheless, they blame mostly Bulgarians for the way they are treated. The Roma who were interviewed said their efforts to break stereotypes are constantly undermined. Their everyday experiences have made them extremely pessimistic and sceptical of the concept of integration and believe that until Bulgarians start seeing beyond stereotypes, integration will not be achieved.
Even the Government, the students said, doesn’t give a positive example by not appointing Roma for state administrative positions.
Having two deputy ministers in the current Government is definitely a step forward. But considering the fact that the Turkish minority have their own party which is also in the ruling coalition, there is much more to be asked for.
Take, for example, the National Council for Ethnic and Demographic issues. Out of about 20 employees in its directorate, there is only one Roma worker. At an interview in June this year, Maya Cholakova, the recently hired director there, justified the lack of Roma employees by saying it is “anti-constitutional and discriminatory to consider people’s ethnic background for a job.” But some NGOs ask if is it really not better to have Roma working on Roma-related issues? After all, they best know the problems and needs of their communities, said Iskra Stoikova from the Romani Baht Foundation.
Indeed, in certain situations, employing people with a Romany background as well as from other ethnicities should be regarded as positive discrimination. This is of extreme importance when talking about ethnic minority integration, as the case with the Roma currently is. As a result, the absence of Roma from the management of the country is one of many criticisms that Roma people, NGOs and human rights activists address to the Government. The Roma students criticised the Frame Programme for Roma Integration — the Government’s official policy — saying that it is simply a piece of paper which no one takes seriously. Also not working, they say, is the Commission for Prevention of Discrimination.
Scepticism is not only an occurrence among Bulgarians but is also spread among the integrated Roma. It must be realised that the absence of such intelligent and educated Roma from all public spheres has a much more profound effect on the integration process.
The status of the Roma ethnic group will not change until they start seeing members of their communities succeed. Currently, the majority of young Roma don’t have someone to look up to. They learn from the limited life experience of their parents, and thus live in the vicious cycle of illiteracy and low morals. Should this cycle change, it won’t be long until those Roma who need integration begin changing their minds about education, ambition, and determination. It is, in fact, strange that so many governments to date have not come around to comprehending this very simple formula to a successful integration.
Bulgarians will undeniably also benefit from more Roma in the public space. They are more likely to become less prejudiced and more open-minded if they see a teacher from Roma ethnicity being interviewed on television, or a Roma pop star in the charts. The study showed that Bulgarians’ keenness on Roma integration is mainly in words. Despite the fact that to an extent we can’t blame them for their negative attitude and pessimism, they are far from understanding the true meaning of integration. Thus, at least for now, it remains just a vague concept which the majority of society is not prepared to grasp.
