Czechast about the Roma people in Czechia

We’re tackling a persistent issue that has plagued Czechia since the fall of communism over thirty years ago: the segregation and discrimination of the Roma people.

Despite various efforts and initiatives, Czechia has been consistently criticized by international governmental and non-governmental organizations for its inability to end segregation and improve the social status of the Roma people. For instance, the European Commission, in its annual report on the state of human rights, has stated: "Tangible progress in the advancement of the rights of Roma has by and large been lacking, and a redoubling of efforts is crucial to create a real breakthrough."

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Similarly, the US Department of State, in its report on Human Rights in Czechia, highlights that "the situation of the Roma minority remained one of the country’s most pressing human rights problems ... and Roma faced daily prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination in education, housing, and employment."

There are numerous Czech organizations who are trying hard to improve the situation of the Roma community, which numbers about quarter of a million people, according to the Czech government. But to shed light on this critical issue in English, I thought it would be a good idea to speak to an American who has been working in this field in Czechia and Slovakia for over twenty years.

Yechiel Bar-Chaim|Photo: Post Bellum

His name is Yechiel Bar-Chaim. Born in the United States, Yechiel studied economics, languages, and literature at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, the Sorbonne in Paris, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has served in the US Military and worked with various charities, initially helping Jewish refugees and later people displaced by the war in former Yugoslavia.

For the past nine years, Yechiel has been an independent consultant to Bader Philanthropies of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His work in the Czech Republic and Slovakia currently focuses on furthering the self-empowerment, education, and employment of the Roma population.