Vitkov
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Vítkov is 20 kilometres from Opava, in the Moravskoslezsky region of the Czech Republic. The majority of the Roma population in Vítkov live in social housing apartments owned by the municipality, a smaller number live in hostels and private houses.
Poor housing, high unemployment rates, and access to education and healthcare are the biggest challenges faced by Roma in Vítkov. The most pressing challenges for Vítkov Roma community members are unemployment and poor housing conditions. In 2009, Vítkov experienced extremist anti-Roma attacks (arson of Roma houses), which resulted in several Roma community members having sever injuries. Later in 2014, there were extremist anti-Roma marches in Budisov, which has left a legacy of anti-Roma sentiment in the area.
The ROMACT Process
On the 20th November 2015 the Mayor, Mr. Pavel Smolka signed the letter of commitment and Vítkov began the ROMACT process. The municipality is eager to participate in the ROMACT process, evidenced by the provision of local funds to improve a local community centre which provides youth activities called “Club Tunel”.
The Community Action Group (CAG) together with the local authority plan to apply for funding to the CLLD programme and they have recently hired a staff member whose expertise is in specialised design and management of projects. Working together, the CAG and Municipality have also identified the need to employ a social worker and a Roma Police assistant, a measure that the Municipality supports as they are aware that Roma Police assistants have been beneficial in the past. The Roma Police assistant creates bridges between the Roma community and the police force, acting as a liaison between the two parties.
In order to strengthen their activities to address Roma issues, Vítkov and Budišov nad Budišovkou have joined together in their efforts to implement the ROMACT programme in their respective municipalities.
| Short-term priorities of the CAG | Objective 1 |
|---|---|
| Education | Implement leisure activities for children and youth at club Tunnel in Vítkov |
| Housing | Renovation works for the houses in the community |
| Youth | Provide a rehearsing place for young musicians |
| Long-term priorities of the CAG | Objective 1 |
|---|---|
| Employment | Establishing social enterprises in order to create employment opportunities |