Prague, Oct 25 (CTK) – The number of socially excluded localities in the Czech Republic, inhabited by 115,000 people, mainly Romanies, has doubled to the current 600 since 2006, Radek Jiranek, director of the Social Inclusion Agency, told Czech Television (CT) yesterday.
The number should lower in the future although Europe is facing a migrant crisis, Jiranek said.
“The growth in the number of socially excluded localities is mainly due to the global economic crisis, increased unemployment and trafficking in poverty,” Jiranek said.
“The poverty is made possible by the state that, acting in good belief, allowed the operation of dormitories for the socially weak, but the state contribution to the housing is often abused,” Jiranek said.
Socially excluded localities are located in 300 towns and villages.
With regard to the towns over 20,000 inhabitants, the biggest number of such places is in north Bohemia and north Moravia, CT said, referring to its own data.
In Litvinov, north Bohemia, some 20 percent of the total population number live on the fringes of society.
In Jirkov, north Bohemia, it is 14 percent and in Most and Usti nad Labem, it is 8 percent.
The towns of Karvina, north Moravia, and Chomutov, north Bohemia, have 7 percent of poor neighbourhoods, Bohumin, north Moravia, 6 percent and Havirov, north Moravia, and Sokolov, west Bohemia, have 4 percent of them.
Jiranek said he presumed that after the social housing law, now drafted, were passed, the situation would improve.
“It is its target to have social housing for socially excluded people spread evenly in the towns, to prevent the occurrence of further ghettoes,” Jiranek said.
The law is to take effect in January 2017.
Jiranek said he did not believe the number of socially excluded localities would increase due to the migrant crisis.
“I cannot see any problem in this. There are small numbers and in the previous migration waves, the Czech Republic managed to integrate the newcomers or return them to their country of origin,” he added.
The Social Inclusion Agency cooperates with 36 towns and villages across the country. It is one of the departments of the Human Rights Section at the Czech Government Office.
pv/dr
