Czech Deputy Public Defender of Rights: I wish all Romani men and women the very best for their day today, with all my heart!

The Czech Deputy Public Defender of Rights, Monika Šimůnková, has wished all Romani men and women a happy World Roma Day. The Office of the Czech Public Defender of Rights has also issued a press release marking this day. 

“I wish all Romani men and women the very best for their day today, with all my heart! Above all I wish them health, happiness and love, the strength to overcome obstacles and to pursue their dreams, and that they meet only the right partners along the way to support their efforts,” Šimůnková told news server Romea.cz.  

“World Roma Day also remembers Romipen, Romani-ness, an important part of which is cohesion and mutual aid. I thank all Romani organizations who, in accordance with those values, have also joined in the assistance to Ukrainian refugees, including Romani ones. But bacht, sasťipen, zor!” Šimůnková said.  

The Deputy Public Defender of Rights is concentrating on Romani Ukrainian refugees’ situation and has also contacted the Czech Interior Minister and Czech Labor Minister about it. She addressed the need with the ministers to support nonprofit organizations in their current work, involve them in working groups for addressing the refugee crisis, and opportunities for them to interpret for Romani refugees.

The press release of the Office of the Public Defender of Rights reads as follows:  “We want to congratulate all Roma on their day today and also express support to those affected by the war who are among the refugees from Ukraine. We appreciate that the state and nonprofit organizations, including Romani ones, are aiding those in need through big deployments of assistance.”

According to the press release, the Public Defender of Rights is currently finalizing his second monitoring report on equal treatment in the Czech Republic and is concentrating on the education of Romani people in it, among other matters. “In the first report, [the Public Defender of Rights] said that it would be important to monitor qualified estimates of the proportion of Romani children in schools, as well as the number of schools with a higher proportion of Romani pupils or the proportion of Romani pupils in the compulsory final year of nursery school. He also focuses on possible changes in the education of teachers, whether they learn about the specifics of the work with pupils from different cultural and living conditions, or whether the system of continuing education includes a module of methodological support in relation to Romani pupils,” said the Office of the Czech Public Defender of Rights’ press release.