CVEK

The project builds capacities of public administration  in promoting Roma inclusion utilizing the groundbreaking amendment of antidiscrimination legislation that sanctions temporary equalization measures (TEMs) on the grounds of ethnicity and gender. 

Analytical activities entail designing of TEM schemes taking into account gender perspective in key sectors: education and employment. TEM schemes will be based on consultations with Romani NGOs and public administration. 

In roder to facilitate practical application of TEMs, we established a cooperation with Trnava Higher Regional Unit and the University of Economy in Bratislava. 

We will seek to convey adoption of internal guidelines on TEMs by central administration in our advocacy activities. Communication to the public will draw on good practices.  

The project seeks to create a broad civic platform – a public forum that will counter increasing radicalism and discriminatory and anti-minority rhetoric. 

The program also includes advocacy of measures aiming to improve human rights and inclusive education on all level of Slovakia’s schooling system. Furthermore, the project is concerned with promotion of equal opportunity policies and increasing minority participation in decision making processes.

The project analyzes policies and the use of structural funds in the field of housing and infrastructure that are aimed at tackling social exclusion of marginalized Roma communities.

We identify municipality policies employing intersectoral approach, i.e. they interconnect housing and infrastructure measures with other key areas (employment and edcuation). The project is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining secondary data analysis, public policy analysis and empirical research.

The main objective is to assess the limits of both EU and state funds’ use in the processes of Roma inclusion, as well as to contribute to a broader discussion. Furthermore, the project analyzes so called hard cases that could help us reveal structural deficiencies of state housing policies.

The project consists of comparison and exchange of integration practices between regional administrations and research centres throughout Europe. The objective is to develop a common methodology of analysis and bench-marking of integration practices while taking into account the European Modules on Integration of Migrants, notably language courses and access to services. The project seeks to support the implementation of policies promoting integration in a bottom-up fashion.

More specifically, the objective is to:

1. Assess whether and to what extent European Modules on Integration of Migrants are taken into consideration while implementing policies/practices of language learning and access to services;

2. Develop a common methodology for the analysis and bench-marking of practices stemming from the European Modules;

3. Check how practices on language teaching and access to services meet the guidelines expounded in the European Modules;

4. Launch an exchange of knowledge on integration practices undertaken locally in considered areas;

5. Collect relevant information to be displayed on a website dedicated to the definition of indicators, the monitoring and exchange of good practices.

In the second half of 2011, Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (CVEK) became the national focal point of European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) within the network of research institutions FRANET. The network engages organizations in each EU member state as well as Croatia.

Within the cooperation the main task is to collect data on fundamental rights issues in Slovakia and their processing according the FRA specification. In 2011, CVEK elaborated a baseline study on the observance of fundamental rights in 2011 for the yearly published Annual Report.

In 2012 we have been working on following issues – victim support services, impact of economic crises on gender equality, conditions of participation of children in fieldwork research and data protection and redress mechanism.

Outputs of the collaboration between CVEK and FRA are available on the FRA website.

The project has been a response to the recent developments in the field of minority policy in Slovakia which demonstrate that minorities are construed as a threat to Slovak national interests and ethnically defined Slovak identity. It has been based on the premise that by justifying minority policies by protection of national interests political elites, given their dominant status in the society, co-create a framework for perceiving minorities among lay public. It is plausible that discourse presenting minorities as a menace results in a belief that they indeed pose a threat to the majority society (e.g. territorial threat, cultural or economic threat etc.). In the long run such approach deepens interethnic tensions, discrimination and intolerance. The project therefore aimed at analysing political discourse on minorities and increasing expertise of policy makers with respect to formulation of minority policies.

One of the main objectives has been to explore means of justifying minority policies- is it the need to prevent conflicts and protect cultural interests of the dominant nation? Or are the policies guided by principles of justice and equality? The project aspired on introduction of different institutional models of minority rights protection and to present them to those with capacities to shape public policies, i.e. representatives of the public administration and Members of the Parliament, all the while bearing in mind the aim to facilitate a positive change in perception of minorities and effective implementation of constitutional and international minority rights.

The project has been aimed at fostering discussion and providing information on Muslims living in Visegrad countries to the wider public. Its main premise was that prejudice and xenophobia are primarily rooted in the lack of relevant information and contact between cultures. Muslim communities in V4 countries have been on the margins of the researchers’ interest despite having been parts of these countries for decades; this is why it has been essential to bring the majority and the Muslim minority closer and open discussion on mutual coexistence and benefits of increasing diversity in V4 countries.

The project included open discussions with representatives of Muslim communities and the public in all Visegrad countries and a preliminary research aimed at exploring Muslims’ perception of their relations with the majority populations, their view of the role that the media plays in shaping the public opinion, and structure and functioning of Muslim communities. The research should serve as a stepping stone for a future large scale project aimed at Muslim communities in V4 countries.

About the Summer School

The 2nd edition of the Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration Studies has been a two-week educational program covering topics connected with nationalism and ethnicity, de-ethnization of the public sphere, migration and integration analysis, approaches and policies.

Topics connected to de-construction of national myths, analyses of public policies concerning minorities and discussions over desired migration policy models formed the core of the Summer school activities. Through debates, lectures and workshops, it presents a unique informal learning space for student from the Central European countries and creates space for the participants to get familiar with each other’s ideas and initiate international cooperation. Lectures and workshops held by highly qualified experts from the region has been complemented with topical study trips. The Summer school has been organized in a building of the Faculty of Social and Economic Science of the Comenius University in Bratislava.

Target group
The 2nd edition of the Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration Studies aimed to create an alternative learning platform for advanced studies for MA Students, PhD students, young researchers, young public officials from countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Working language of the School has been English.

Eligible countries:

Slovakia, Czech republic, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia,  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Turkey, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbajdzan. Participants from other countries could have participate as self-funders.

Application:

Application process for the 2nd edition of the Summer School has been opened betweenApril 1 – May 2, 2011, accepted participants were informed on May 10, 2011.

Application package included:
• Application form duly filled and signed
• Motivation letter (not more than one A4 format page)
• CV
• Recommendations*
*Recommendations from one person (from the academia) familiar with the applicants work. Should be in English, printed on letterhead paper and bear the signature of the issuer. No special envelope is needed; recommendations should be simply attached to the application.

All of the materials are to be sent by postal service to:

“Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration studies”

CVEK

Klariská 14

811 03 Bratislava

Slovakia  

Moreover, an electronic copy of application form should be send to naglova@cvek.sk.

Costs

Registration fee for successful candidates has been 50 Euro. Costs of the program, study material, field trips as well as accommodation and board were covered by the organizer. Participants were responsible for their travel costs and insurance.

Participants from other than eligible countries could have participated as well – their registration fee was 500 Euro (covering travel and accommodation costs, catering, meals, study materials, and study trips).

Project Monitoring minority policies in Slovakia has had an ambition to fill in the domestic gap in monitoring minority policies with a broader objective changing the discourse on minorities and related policies. Project also complemented existing periodical monitoring of international bodies. Saliently, CVEK was hoping to embark on processes that could help alternate minority rights debate, improve minority policies and increase political commitment necessary for their sustainment. The project has been based on an idea that Slovakia shall no longer be constructed as a state owned by ethnic Slovaks, but as a multicultural country of all its citizens and permanent members to ensure the inclusion of minorities. The transformation would mean that minorities are no longer viewed as a danger to the majority and consequently to peace and stability. Instead, their claims should be viewed as a matter of justice and equality. Such discourse would open new innovative avenues for accommodating even the most deprived groups such as the Roma.

To achieve our objectives CVEK engaged with research and monitoring of minority policies standards accompanied with advocacy activities to convey these policy changes through capacity building of relevant decision-makers; and participation in policies drafting

CVEK experts draw on international minority rights, the Slovak constitutional law, and political theory of liberal pluralism to develop standards for monitoring. CVEK monitored how international standards contained in such important treaties as the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities has been observed and implemented. CVEK also evaluated developments in minority’ policies by reference to two foundational criteria of minority protection: peace and security, and human dignity, accepting that moving towards human dignity means progress. Developing minority rights through reference to human dignity also required a contextual accommodation of diverse minority groups and their individual members given their multiple sources of identities.

Monitoring:

The project’s monitoring resulted in two main deliverables: a quarterly newsletter and an annual report on minority policies in Slovakia. Electronically issued quarterly Minority Policy in Slovakia timely informed, highlighted, and provided a critical reflection on the most recent events in minority policies. The annual report, published in both Slovak and English language, provided both a grasp of broad trends as well as detailed and informed analysis of particular events based on developed minority rights standards. The annual report contains also one in-depth case study on a selected issue relating to minorities and minority policies and includes also a set of concrete policy recommendations.

Advocacy:

The advocacy component of the project employs two approaches: capacity building of relevant decision-makers through a series of workshops and participation in policies preparation. The objective of the workshops has been to educate about various avenues on thinking about minority policies, explaining alternatives of minority policies and thus increasing their capacity to adopt sound policies. Additionally, through the workshops CVEK attempted to establish a channel of regular communication with state officials and politicians that create and influence minority policy following on the policy recommendations contained in the annual report.

The other segment of the advocacy strategy has been directly focused on participation in policies drafting. Furthermore, CVEK made use of state administration’s inter-departmental amendments procedure, that allowed CVEK to submit its objections and suggestions and enter policies discourse before they are adopted by the government.

The objective of this project has been large scale as it seeks to be one of the important elements in promoting fundamental changes to conceptualize Slovakia and its relationship to minorities. CVEK recognized that our center and this project have limited capacity to investigate these changes and this agenda must be supported by at minimum a broader social movement of several stakeholders, including saliently minorities themselves to be successful. Challenge notwithstanding, CVEK believes that sustained and independent research monitoring accompanied with advocacy activities will contribute towards the development of inclusive, fair and context-sensitive policies for the diverse minority communities.  

At the beginning of May 2011 CVEK issued 1st volume of the critical quarterly MINORITY POLICIES IN SLOVAKIA. Quarterly is a part of the project Monitoring of the minority policies in Slovakia and critically evaluates topics of minority policies for first quarter of 2011. It focuses on issues such as double citizenship; amendments of a law on state language and on usage of minority languages; so-called Roma crime; regional elections from the perspective of Roma political participation; proposal of the law on aliens status, or on integration of migrants.

Based on request of the Open Society Foundation Bratislava CVEK conducted a quantitative survey of right-wing oriented extremism in Slovakia in perception of its inhabitants. Results of the research might offer broader chances to project ways of right-wing extremism spread-out in Slovakia and to prepare policies to face its existence. CVEK conducted a quantitative representative survey based on a questionnaire and qualitative survey in a form of four focus groups. 
 
CVEK research covered various topics connected to right-wing extremism:

1. Perception of right-wing extremism and extremists, knowledge of its displays, racism, and hate-crimes;
2. Associations of respondents on the notion of right-wing extremism;
3. Personal experiences with right-wing extremism;
4. Internal inter-connections of nationalism, banal nationalism, and ethno-centrism with right wing extremism; 
5. Testing of an anomy, alienation, lack of trust, and authoritarian personality as background of right-wing extremism spread-out;
6. Attitudes of public to political behavior of right-wing extremists (participation of extremists in politics);
7. Testing of respondents what do they consider acceptable in relation to various minority groups;
8. Testing of respondents, what approaches in relation to right-wing extremism would they prefer, or consider as an acceptable, and what measures do they consider efficient; 
9. Who is according to respondents a target group of right-wing extremists;
10. Perception of displays of right-wing extremism on internet;
11. Knowledge of right-wing extremism symbols.