• Text size  | | |
• Email this document
• Printable version

Hungary: Situation of Roma, including housing, and the impact of Hungarian membership in the European Union; state protection (2002-February 2005)

Specific information on the impact of Hungary's 1 May 2004 ascension into the European Union (EU) (1 May 2004) on the Roma community could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Data on Roma

Country Reports 2003 indicated that according to Hungary's 2001 Census, approximately 2 per cent of the country's population was Roma; however, Country Reports 2003 added that NGOs and government offices put the proportion at 5 per cent (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5).

Treatment of Roma

Several reports indicated that in 2003 and 2004 Hungarian Roma continued to experience widespread discrimination (Freedom House 2004) in education (BBC 30 May 2003), housing (AI 2003; Bigotry Monitor 18 June 2004; ERRC 5 Aug. 2004), and public institutions like restaurants and bars (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5), as well as health care, employment (ECRI 5 Dec. 2003; IHF 2002) and in the criminal justice system (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5).

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that derogatory slurs against Roma, such as "dirty gypsies" are commonly shouted at Hungarian football stadiums during matches but that authorities rarely intervene, although the Hungarian Football League asks referees to cancel matches if fans repeatedly shout racial slurs (28 July 2003).

After learning the number of Roma in her community, the Deputy Director of the municipal office of Piliscaba allegedly stated "...there are so many of them here, I wish Hitler had started his project with Gypsies" (AI 2003). She was promptly suspended and faced disciplinary measures (ibid.).

Economic Conditions

According to Country Reports 2003, "[l]iving conditions for Romani communities continued to be significantly worse than for the general population" (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5).

A 10 March 2004 BBC article, citing the chairman of the Hungarian Lungo Drom Roma Alliance, indicated that "the Hungarian government's decision to cut employment and training subsides was badly affecting the Roma population" and that "the equal opportunity laws were only making things worse by increasing anti-Roma feelings."

Sources vary on their assessment of the unemployment rate among Hungary's Roma, with figures ranging between 60 per cent (CE 11-14 June 2002) and 70 per cent (IHF 2002), or 10 times the national average (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) put the percentage at 74 per cent for men and 83 per cent for women (5 Dec. 2003), while a BBC article indicated that employment among Roma women in Hungary was "extremely low" (29 June 2003). BBC quoted a Roma leader as saying that unemployment was 100 per cent in some Roma settlements (10 March 2004).

Country Reports 2003 indicated that "most Roma lived in extreme poverty" (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). BBC stated that by the end of the 1990's, the rate of poverty among Roma in Hungary had grown to 62 per cent (22 July 2004).

Education

In its 2002 report, the International Helsinki Federation (IHF) indicated that only a third of Roma children began secondary school studies, as opposed to 90 per cent of the non-Roma population.

Country Reports 2003 pointed to the crowded and under equipped conditions of Roma schools in Hungary (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). In addition, the segregation of Roma children was a continuing concern (Roma Rights Quarterly 17 Dec. 2004; ERRC 6 May 2004; BBC 3 Apr. 2004; AFP 6 Aug. 2002) and has even increased in the past 20 years (AFP 22 May 2003). A BBC article indicated that 600 of Hungary's 3,500 primary schools were segregated (3 Apr. 2004). The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) has indicated that as of 6 May 2004, no concrete plan by the government to desegregate schools had been implemented (6 May 2004). An article by Agence France-Presse (AFP) told the story of a seven year-old Roma girl who, during lunchtime in the school cafeteria "was handed a plastic cup, while her classmates drank from glasses, and told not to eat with them but with the other Roma, most of whom languish in remedial classes" (22 May 2003).

The Council of Europe (CE), the BBC, and AFP indicated that Roma children were disproportionately placed in special education classes (CE 11-14 June 2002; BBC 8 Mar. 2004; AFP 22 May 2003). An 8 March 2004 article by the BBC indicated that the proportion of junior school students deemed to have special needs was ten times higher among Roma than among non-Roma pupils (20 versus 2 per cent). A Hungarian television program further stated that the discrepancy was not due to the academic ability of Roma children, but instead because of their "social background" (BBC 8 Mar. 2004). Another article, citing a report by the national ombudsman for minorities, found that many Roma students were systematically sent to remedial classes and that this phenomenon was based on ethnicity rather than scientific testing (AFP 22 May 2003). The BBC cited a report whereby many Roma students with special needs remained in remedial classes even after they had reached average academic proficiency in order that their schools might not lose the extra revenues that came with programs for students with special needs (20 June 2003).

Roma Rights and AFP indicated that Roma children were not admitted to a private school in Jászladány at the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year (Roma Rights 9 Feb. 2004b; AFP 28 Sept. 2003). The parents had been offered financial support to send their 101 children to a mostly non-Roma school, but of the 207 children who were eventually enrolled, none was Roma (Roma Rights 9 Feb. 2004b); the school director claimed that the students parents had missed the deadline to enrol their students.

An uncorroborated BBC article, citing a Hungarian radio programme, indicated that of Hungary's roughly 10,000 college students in 2002, only 5 were Roma (21 Feb. 2002).

Health

Various sources indicated that the Hungarian Roma life expectancy was between 10 (ECRI 5 Dec. 2003) and 15 years lower than the national average (IHF 2002; AFP 6 Aug. 2002) and that their mortality rate was twice as high (ibid.). A UN survey found that while 45 per cent of Roma in five Central Eastern European countries stated that their health was tolerable or bad, the situation was "significantly" more pronounced in Hungary (BBC 4 July 2003).

Reports highlighted allegations of the segregation of Roma in health care facilities (ECRI 5 Dec. 2003) such as the segregation of pregnant Roma in a Pest district hospital (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). Amnesty International (AI) indicated that Roma women were kept in separate accommodations in a Heves country hospital maternity ward (2003).

Housing

The IHF reported that in Hungary, "housing conditions are very poor for a large proportion of Roma and often do not meet the most basic health and safety requirements" (2002). A report produced by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights (CE) in 2002 found that economically, Roma were strongly affected by Hungary's transition toward a market economy (CE 11-14 June 2002; BBC 1 Dec. 2003). As such, many cannot afford decent accommodations (CE 11-14 June 2002).

Roma Rights highlighted several separate incidents of forced evictions of Roma residents from homes (9 Feb. 2004a; ibid. 31 July 2002). One eviction, involving 21 Roma residents, was eventually postponed after the ERRC pressured the local government (Roma Rights 9 Feb. 2004a). However, in June 2003 20 Roma families were evicted from a settlement on an abandoned property in southern Budapest – the local government provided accommodation for two of the families and found apartments for three of the families while four additional persons were moved to a homeless shelter, the remaining families moving to their relatives' homes in the countryside (ibid.).

Police Relations

The Roma Press Centre claimed that Zsaru Magazin (Cop Magazine) was sued after it published photographs of three Roma women without their consent in which they were referred to as prostitutes (AI 2003). AI further stated that "very few of the police officers who were suspected of ill-treatment of Roma were successfully prosecuted and those convicted were lightly punished" (ibid.). In response to AI's allegations, a spokesperson for the National Police Headquarters said that "'the [anti-Roma] prejudice among members of the police was no greater than among members of the public'" (BBC 26 May 2004).

In 2002, police allegedly injured some Roma during a loud mourning ceremony at a hospital in Gyöngyös (IHF 2002; Roma Rights 18 May 2003), although some police officers also apparently sustained injuries (IHF 2002). Roma Rights claimed that police beat the mourners, including Roma women and children, leading to two Roma being hospitalized for injuries that they sustained (18 May 2003). The Hungarian national daily Népszabadság cited the Roma victims as stating that a police officer shouted "'I'll shoot you all, filthy Gypsies'" (Roma Rights 18 May 2003). A complaint against police was initially rejected until the county police headquarters ordered a second investigation (IHF 2002). While the new investigation found that none of the implicated police officers deserved dismissal, seven police officers received lighter punishments (ibid.).

On 25 June 2002, the Roma Press Center reported the sentencing of two police officers to three and two and a half years in jail for "mistreating a Romani family and threatening them with firearms" (ERRC 2002).

For further information on the relationship between Roma and the police in Hungary, please see the information under the heading "Police Protection" below.

Societal Attitudes

Country Reports 2003 mentioned the persistence of negative stereotypes about Roma in Hungarian society, including the view they are "poor and socially burdensome" (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). A survey conducted in 2000/2001 among 1,500 Hungarian secondary school students found that "only 8 per cent of 17-year-olds did not harbour racist attitudes towards Roma...[and that] 75 per cent of the students interviewed would not befriend Roma" (Roma Rights 20 May 2003). The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) found that 35 per cent of Hungarian Roma intermarry with non-Roma and 23 per cent "practice sport or engage in joint entertainment" with non-Roma (20 Dec. 2002). BBC cited a UN survey in which out of five Central Eastern European countries, Hungary was found to be the country in which the lowest proportion of non-Roma children played with Roma children (BBC 4 July 2003).

For further information on the situation of Roma in Central and Eastern Europe, including in Hungary, please consult <http://roma.undp.sk> .

Legislation

A report by the Council of Europe's European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) stated, in 2004, that "initiatives taken at [the] national level to combat racism and discrimination do not always successfully filter down to [the] local level" (Roma Rights Quarterly 17 Dec. 2004; Bigotry Monitor 18 June 2004; RFE/RL 9 June 2004).

Judiciary

Country Reports 2003 indicated that in some cases where commercial establishments had banned Roma, authorities imposed fines (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). On 2 July 2002, the Supreme Court of Hungary upheld an earlier ruling to fine the owner of a bar in the city of Patvarc 100,000 forints [CAN$662 (Bank of Canada 21 Feb. 2005b)] for refusing to serve Roma (ERRC 2002).

BBC reported on the ruling of a labour tribunal which would see to it that a firm pay 150,000 forints [CAN$993 (Bank of Canada 21 Feb. 2005a] in compensation to each of three Romani job applicants who were allegedly rejected because of their ethnicity (11 Feb. 2004).

In 2004, a hotel based in Debrecen reportedly refused to let rooms to Roma on three occasions, and the hotel and its owner were eventually fined a total of 600 Euros because of their breach of the Law on National and Ethnic Minority Rights, the Law on Guaranteeing Equal Opportunities, and the right to personal protection (Roma Rights Quarterly 29 July 2004).

In 2003, two Romani men who were allegedly held in prison for 15 months but subsequently released after being found innocent were unsuccessful in their litigation for full compensation, the judgement stating that the greater compensation was not awarded due to the "primitive" nature of the men and, despite the court's rebuke by Hungary's Prime Minister, the ruling was upheld in appeals court (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5).

State Protection

The government created the Ministerial Commissioner for Romani Affairs in 2003 (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5; Freedom House 2004). An IPS article stated that a new office overseeing Roma issues would likely improve the representation of Roma from Hungary, especially when coupled with the founding of the European Roma Information Office (ERIO) in Brussels (19 May 2003).

In 2002, the IHF indicated that the Ministry of Education allegedly refused to register a private school in because its tuition fees were too high for Roma children. An October 2003 report published by the World Press Review mentioned that financial aid to help children attend elementary and secondary schools, with 12,000 Roma children receiving it in 2002 versus 19,000 beneficiaries between January and October 2003.

In 2002, the ERRC reported that the mayor and notary of Gyüre allegedly attempted to convince local families not to sell their homes to Roma victims of June 2001 floods.

Police Protection

Country Reports 2003 said that "reports of police abuse against Roma were common" but that victims often avoided availing themselves of legal aid or non governmental services out of fear (25 Feb. 2004, sec. 5). Amnesty International (AI) claimed that "[t]here was continued concern about the ill-treatment of Roma by police" and that "[a]nti-Roma prejudices remained strong among law enforcement officials" (2003). According to AI, many Roma were discouraged from reporting police abuse because officers were rarely prosecuted for their crimes against Roma (2003).

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

According to a United Nations (UN) survey released in 2005, political organization amongst Roma was higher in Hungary than in neighbouring Eastern European nations, with a large number of Roma political parties implicated in local (AFP 2 Feb. 2005) and federal elections (CE 11-14 June 2002). The CE indicated that the Roma now benefit from an "intellectual elite [which] is fighting for its rights" (ibid.).

Following a January 2003 incident in which several Roma families were attacked by six non-Roma men in ethnically motivated violence, the ERRC indicated that the perpetrators were arrested, but later released by the Veszprém City Court (n.d.). The ERRC did manage to convince the local government to repair the damage done to the Roma families' homes, and the Prosecutor's Office agreed to conduct an investigation and revisit the penalty given to the attackers, not deemed by the ERRC as "commensurate with their actions" (n.d.). AI requested that the General Prosecutor investigate an apparently racially motivated case of police ill treatment that occurred in 2003 (2003).

A wood factory run by Roma in southwest Hungary was able to obtain credit from NGOs in order to maintain business (RFE/RL 4 June 2004).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 2 February 2005. "Gypsies in Post-Communist Europe Face Poverty, Discrimination: UN Survey." (Dialog)
_____. 28 September 2003. Zoltan Simon. "New Private School in Hungary Raises Concerns Over Roma Segregation." (Dialog)
_____. 28 July 2003. Zoltan Simon. "Hungary Struggles to Curb Hate Speech, Ensure Freedom of Expression." (Dialog)
_____. 22 May 2003. Zoltan Simon. "Racism Keeps Roma Children on Separate School Benches in Hungary." (NEXIS)
_____. 6 August 2002. Eszter Szamado. "Hungary Makes Moves to Improve Life for its Roma." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International (AI). 2003. Amnesty International Report 2003. "Hungary." <http://web.amnesty.org/web/web.nsf/print/FB7E26EBC071838280256E860041C91D> [Accessed 18 Feb. 2005]

Bank of Canada. 21 February 2005a. "Currency Conversion Results." <http://www.bankofcanada.ca/cgi-bin/famecgi_fdps> [Accessed 22 Feb. 2005]
_____. 21 February 2005b. "Currency Conversion Results." <http://www.bankofcanada.ca/cgi-bin/famecgi_fdps> [Accessed 21 Feb. 2005]

BBC International Reports. 22 July 2004. "Hungary's UN Official Stresses Role of Positive Discrimination in Roma Integration." (Dialog)
_____. 26 May 2004. "Hungarian Police Dismiss Amnesty International's Charge of Anti-Roma Prejudice." (Dialog)
_____. 3 April 2004. "Hundreds of Hungarian Schools Segregate Roma, Minister Commissioner Says." (Dialog)
_____. 10 March 2004. "Hungarian Subsidy Cuts Hurt Roma – Leader Compares This to Slovak Situation." (Dialog)
_____. 8 March 2004. "Campaign to Improve Schooling of Roma Children in Hungary Launched." (Dialog)
_____. 11 February 2004. "Hungarian Labour Tribunal Awards Compensation to Romas." (Dialog)
_____. 1 December 2003. "Conference Debates Employment, Chances of Romanies in Hungary." (Dialog)
_____. 4 July 2003. "UN Survey Examines Romas' Lives, Problems in Hungary, Eastern Europe." (Dialog)
_____. 29 June 2003. "Hungarian Minister Tells Forum of Plight of Roma Women." (Dialog)
_____. 20 June 2003. "Hungarian Minister on Education Reforms to Deal with 'Handicapped' Roma." (Dialog)
_____. 30 May 2003. "Hungarian Officials Concede Damning Amnesty International Report Correct." (NEXIS)
_____. 21 February 2002. "Hardly Any Roma in College, No Money for Public Work in Eastern Hungary – Radio" (NEXIS)

Bigotry Monitor [Washington, DC]. 18 June 2004. Vol. 4, No. 22. "Racism Persists, Council of Europe Study Finds." (Union of Councils for Soviet Jews)

Council of Europe. 11-14 June 2002. Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. Report by Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commisioner for Human Rights, on His Visit to Hungary 11-14 June 2002. <http://www.ecoi.net/pub/ds470_01048hun.pdf> [Accessed 21 Feb. 2005]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003. 25 February 2004. "Hungary." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27841.htm> [Accessed 18 Feb. 2005]

European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). 5 December 2003. Third Report on Hungary. <http://www.coe.int/T/E/Human_Rights/Ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-by-country_approach/Hungary/third_report_Hungary.pdf> [Accessed 21 Feb. 2005]

European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). 5 August 2004. "ERRC Complaint to Hungarian Minority Ombudsman in Housing Discrimination Case." (ERRC)
_____. 6 May 2004. "ERRC Report: Segregated Schooling of Roma." (ERRC)
_____. 18 July 2002. "Legal Action on Behalf of Roma in Hungary." (ERRC)
_____. n.d. "Roma Victims of Racially Motivated Attack in Hungary." <http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=1870> [Accessed 18 Feb. 2005]

European Union (EU). 1 May 2004. "EU Enlargement." <http://europa.eu.int/eday_en.htm> [Accessed 21 Feb. 2005]

Freedom House. 2004. Freedom in the World 2004. "Hungary." <http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2004/countryratings/hungary.htm> [Accessed 18 Feb. 2005]

International Helsinki Federation on Human Rights (IHF). 2002. "Hungary." <http://www.ihf-hr.org/viewbinary/viewdocument.php?doc_id=3836> [Accessed 18 Feb. 2005]

Inter Press Service (IPS). 19 May 2003. Bela Ladanyi. "Rights-Hungary: New Office Established to Aid Roma." (IPS/NEXIS)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 9 June 2004. Newsline. Vol. 8, No. 108. "ECRI Expresses Concern Over Discrimination Against Roma in Czech Republic, Hungary." (RFE/RL)
_____. 4 June 2004. Features. Kathleen Knox. "East-Central Europe: Small Businesses Touted as Way Forward for Roma." (RFE/RL) [Accessed 7 June 2004]

Roma Rights [Budapest]. 9 February 2004a. No. 4. "Forced Eviction of One Romani Community Stopped, While Others Continue in Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 24 Feb. 2004]
_____. 9 February 2004b. No. 4. "Romani Parents Unsuccessful in Enrolling Their Children in Private School in Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 24 Feb. 2004]
_____. 20 May 2003. No. 1-2. "Controversial Segregated Private School Approved After Election of Non-Romani Minority Representatives in Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 28 May 2003]
_____. 18 May 2003. No. 1-2. "Mourning Roma Beaten by Police in Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 28 May 2003]
_____. 31 July 2002. No. 2. "More Evictions of Roma in Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 7 Aug. 2002]

Roma Rights Quarterly [Budapest]. 17 December 2004. "European Commission on Racism and Intolerance Issues Third Report on Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 21 Dec. 2004]
_____. 29 July 2004. "Discrimination Against Roma in Access to Public Accomodation in Hungary." (ERRC) [Accessed 6 Aug. 2004]

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 20 December 2002. Avoiding the Dependency Trap. <http://roma.undp.sk> [Accessed 22 Feb. 2005]

World Press Review (WPR). October 2003. Vol. 50, No. 10. David Koch. "Hungary: Painful Realities." <http://www.worldpress.org/article_model.cfm?article_id=1618&dont=yes> [Accessed 18 Feb. 2005]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet Sites, including: The Economist, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Roma Press Center, World News Connection (WNC).

Topics: Roma,