Struggling for Ethnic Identity : Czechoslovakia's Endangered Gypsies

The transformation of Czechoslovakia into a democratic society has had both positive and negative effects on the Romanies.

On the positive side, Romanies have been recognized as a national minority, guaranteeing them important cultural and legal protection under the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.

Despite improvements in their legal status, however, Helsinki Watch finds that the consequences of past policies towards Romanies continue to affect the Romany community in the 1990s.

One matter is the government's failure to condemn publicly and to investigate and prosecute those responsible for medical procedures in which Romany women were sterilized without their consent and, in some cases, without their knowledge.

In addition, Helsinki Watch notes the charges that Romanies suffer from many human rights abuses.

It shows that discrimination against Romanies have reportedly increased in housing, employment, and access to public and private services since the democratic changes in 1989. It also notes that post-communist development has meant an incrase in nationalist tendencies that has led to the formation of several groups which have repeatedly attached members of the Romany population both verbally and physically.