Government wants to do away with Romany ghettos

The government has approved a plan to fight the existence of Romany ghettos. Dzamila Stehlikova, minister for human rights and minorities told journalists on Tuesday that a special government agency would start working in ten Czech municipalities where the Roma live in ghettos as of next January. The agency will work with the local authorities, employment offices and Roma inhabitants with the aim of improving living conditions and turning the ghettos into ordinary neighbourhoods. The government agency against social exclusion is to have 15 employees. Several dozen million crowns have been earmarked for its projects next year. Following its pilot phase the project is to expand to other towns and cities.