Poverty In Slovakia

Many people in Slovakia have been asked in a poll if they're satisfied with their social status. One of the questions was also focused on poverty. Problem is, Slovakia has no official definition of poverty.

At a recent European Union meeting in Portugal member countries expressed their determination to reduce poverty in Europe. When it comes to the social situation, or social status, the countries mentioned most often in connection with poverty are Portugal or Greece. Slovakia has been a topic in the social affairs committee in Brussels, too, despite the fact that there is much less data available. Erika Kvapilova is from the Labor Office:

"As far as statistics are concerned, Slovakia is way behind. A census in terms of household incomes was conducted in 2002 but the one before was in 1996."

And that is not enough for institutions that specialize in helping less developed countries. The United Nations Development Fund has recently conducted a study on poverty in Bulgaria and Romania, but not Slovakia. Why? Because they do not have this information.

Sociologist Martin Valentovic has tried to create a map of Slovakia that would indicate and compare the social status of people living in various parts of the country. The results are not a big surprise for people who know the geography and the historical context.

"In the east we have the poorer regions, whereas in the southwest development is going on very fast."

As for the historical context, Slovakia still has to deal with the legacy of communist times in the former Czechoslovakia. The centralist government has often been accused of having preferred the Czech part of the country, and it is certainly true that since the fall of communism the heavy industries and armaments production that were focused in Slovakia have suffered in particular, with many bankruptcies.

Sociologist Katarina Kohutikova gives some examples that show and prove the variety of reasons why a region can be called poor, political correctness aside.

"Mostly we are talking about geographically isolated groups of poor people where mostly the Roma minority lives. And then we have regions that we can call disadvantaged in terms of industry and thus in terms of job possibilities."

That is where the pre-1989 industrial map of Czechoslovakia becomes an issue. Regions where people don't have the basic social structures to fall back on are slowly turning into a no-man's land.

The state authorities are focusing on special kinds of help. Sociologist Katarina Kohutikova:

"We are sending out social workers and assistants to help teachers in schools with Roma kids, or to help pediatricians who work with Roma."

Several weeks ago the Slovak government launched a special program called "Finish Your Elementary School". There are over 15 thousand unemployed who don't even have elementary education. According to the Education Ministry, improving education can bring big changes, while other ministries can do little more or than damage-limitation. Any person who manages to overcome the education barrier, and then find a job will contribute to lowering the poverty rate in Slovakia.