Environmental justice and Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Environmental injustice and the social exclusion of Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has roots in historical patterns of ethnic exclusion and widening socioeconomic inequalities following the collapse of state socialism and the transition to multi‐party parliamentary governments in 1989. In this article, we discuss some of the methodological considerations in environmental justice research, engage theoretical perspectives on environmental inequalities and social exclusion, discuss the dynamics of discrimination and environmental protection regarding the Roma in CEE, and summarize two case studies on environmental justice in Slovakia and Hungary. We argue that, when some landscapes and social groups are perceived as ‘beyond the pale’ of environmental regulation, public participation and civil rights, it creates local sites for externalizing environmental harms. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Sustainable Social Work: An Environmental Justice Framework for Social Work Education

“…They have been discriminated against by majority populations for more than 1000 years, first as slaves in Hungary and Romania, then systematically targeted for extermination by Nazis, and today they remain the targets of discriminatory housing and economic policies (Fox, 2001). Due to systematic exclusion from the formal workforce, the Roma are often forced into occupations that involve exposure to highly toxic hazards including coal and uranium mining and scrap metal processing (Antypas et al, 2007;Harper, Steger, & Filcˇa ḱ, 2009). …”

“…Research suggests that environmental health disparities contribute to a 10-15 year reduced life expectancy among Roma compared to their non-Roma counterparts (Antypas et al, 2007;Parry et al, 2004). Though Romani activists and Hungarians have been pushing to organize the Roma community to address discriminatory policies that lead to environmental injustices, wide health disparities still exist (Harper et al, 2009). A promising policy framework for environmental health exists in the EU but there is still need for more concrete efforts to promote environmental justice.…”

European Mobilities or Poverty Migration? Discourses on Roma in Germany

“…While most are EU citizens or citizens of states on the way to EU accession, in many of their home countries they suffer pervasive discrimination and poverty levels up to ten times that of majority populations (Ringold et al, 2005). Many scholars predicted that EU-level organizations would offer new venues for making political claims, enabling minority groups to bypass unresponsive national institutions (Harper et al, 2009). Indeed, the EU has focused sustained attention on the plight of Roma in recent annual reports and has repeatedly called for improvements in living conditions.…”

Ghettos in Slovakia. Confronting Roma Social and Enviromental Exclusion

“…The enclosure of Roma through constraint and spatial connement (and emerging institutional encasement) is further congealed by environmental discrimination in which environmental justice is lacking (Steger et al 2007;Steger/Fil£ák 2008;Harper et al 2009). Fil£ák further argues that these spaces are, beyond the pale',-places where environmental hazards are further concentrated compared to the spaces occupied by dominant power groups (Fil£ák 2012).…”