This essay examines Roma as a minority in Hungary. Roma people represent one of the largest ethnic minority group within Europe. It is exceptionally difficult to assert the population of Roma accurately because some governments do not count Roma in their census figures or Roma hide their ethnic origin out of anxiety to face discrimination.
Nevertheless, it is estimated that between 10 to 12 million Roma live in the continent of Europe today. The term Roma does not refer to a homogeneous ethnic group but rather summarizes various groups with a different culture and history. The language “Rromanës” can be considered to be the common language between Roma people but it has numerous dialects and many Roma have been linguistically assimilated and speak Hungarian. With the creation of nation states in the 18. and 19. century, attempts were made to make the newly developed states “linguistically and culturally homogeneous”.
The new nation states tried to reach the goal of national unity by implementing a centralized government, national symbols, one official state language as well as state supported cultural development. Non-dominant groups put an effort into keeping their individual cultural, religious, ethnic or linguistic heritages from extinction. They were anxious about the future of the ongoing process of nation-building and democratization which equalizes to the lead of the majority group.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.3 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Uses European Commission and Hungarian ministry evaluations to examine policy effectiveness
- 16 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition of Minorities
3. Roma People
4. International Legal protection of minorities
5. Roma people in Hungary
6. Protection measures of Roma in Hungary
7. Examination
8. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This essay examines the protection of Roma in Hungary, asking how national inclusion measures address discrimination and living conditions and how effectively those measures have been implemented. It places the discussion within international minority rights law and examines education, health care and housing through the Hungarian National Social Inclusion Strategy and published evaluations.
- Definitions of minority status and minority rights
- Roma history, diversity and discrimination
- International legal protections and inclusion initiatives
- Hungarian policies for Roma inclusion
- Education, health care and housing measures
- Evaluations of policy implementation
Excerpt from the Book
2. Definition of Minorities
There is no international, legally binding definition of what is considered to be a minority. Still, in most cases the existence of a minority is connected to two factors. Firstly, objective factors including the existence of a shared ethnicity, language or religion (UN Human Rights Office of the High Commission 2010). Secondly, subjective factors meaning that individuals identify themselves as members of a particular minority group (UN Human Rights Office of the High Commission 2010).
Apart from that, Minorities can also be categorized as a positive or negative type of minority (subjective approach). Positive minorities are “constituted as associates for the purposes of pursuing a shared ideal or life plan which differs from those of the majority” (Balázs Vizi). Whereas, negative minorities are “constituted as associates for the purposes of defending themselves against discriminatory treatment or other violations of human rights and, as such, seek to achieve only the fundamental equality they have unjustly been denied” (Balázs Vizi).
The establishment of a definition for minorities which would be internationally acceptable is complex due to the diversity of identities and life circumstances. The differences lay for example in the minorities sense of a common identity and cultural heritage, their recorded history or the living circumstances, which can be in a defined territory or spread over the country (UN Human Rights Office of the High Commission 2010). Furthermore, the “inclusion or exclusion of specific groups or individuals from the definition” (Balázs Vizi) has a serious impact, as it determines the access to granted rights.
In 1977 Francesco Capotorti, a special rapporteur of the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities defined minorities as “a group numerically inferior to the rest of the population of a State, in a non-dominant position, whose members being nationals of the State possess ethnic, religious or linguistic characteristics differing from those of the rest of the population and show, if only implicitly, a sense of solidarity, directed towards preserving their culture, traditions, religion or language” (UN Human Rights Office of the High Commission 2010). Hereby, especially the criteria of being in a non-dominant position is characteristically.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The essay introduces minority rights in the context of nation-building and international efforts to prevent discrimination.
2. Definition of Minorities: This chapter discusses objective and subjective criteria for identifying minorities and the difficulty of establishing a universally accepted definition.
3. Roma People: The author outlines Roma origins and diversity, then discusses discrimination and social exclusion in Europe.
4. International Legal protection of minorities: This chapter presents international conventions and declarations concerning racial discrimination and minority rights.
5. Roma people in Hungary: The essay traces the history of Roma in Hungary and describes changes in their social and economic circumstances. It also discusses international inclusion initiatives in a separate section not listed in the contents.
6. Protection measures of Roma in Hungary: The author discusses the influence of EU accession requirements and describes Hungarian inclusion policies and agreements.
7. Examination: The essay examines education, health care and housing measures under the National Social Inclusion Strategy, drawing on European Commission and Hungarian ministry evaluations.
8. Conclusion: The conclusion considers the limitations of legal measures and inclusion strategies in addressing persistent discrimination and segregation.
Keywords
Roma, Hungary, minority rights, discrimination, social inclusion, segregation, education, health care, housing, international law, National Social Inclusion Strategy, Decade of Roma Inclusion
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this essay about?
It examines the protection and social inclusion of Roma in Hungary within the broader context of minority rights.
What are the main topics covered?
The essay covers minority definitions, international legal protections, Roma history, Hungarian inclusion policies, education, health care and housing.
What is the essay’s main objective?
It aims to examine measures intended to improve living conditions for Roma in Hungary and assess their implementation using published evaluations.
What research method does the author use?
The author analyzes legal and policy documents alongside published reports and evaluations. The essay does not describe an original survey or interviews.
What does the main analysis examine?
It focuses on education, access to health care and housing under Hungary’s National Social Inclusion Strategy.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Roma, Hungary, minority rights, discrimination, social inclusion, education, health care and housing.
Which Hungarian policy is examined in particular?
The examination focuses on the National Social Inclusion Strategy for 2011–2020 and its planned measures.
Which evaluations inform the examination?
The author draws on a 2017 European Commission paper on Roma and anti-discrimination law and an evaluation published by Hungary’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology.
What international initiative does the essay discuss?
It discusses the Decade of Roma Inclusion, an initiative launched in 2005 that ran until 2015.
- Quote paper
- Julia Müller (Author), 2021, Roma as a minority in Hungary. International protection of minority rights, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1214640
