Final results from interviews conducted in 5 Roma communities
On the 30th of September 2021, a meeting was held, at which Professor Maya Grekova officially presented the results of a sociological study in five Roma communities in Bulgaria. The study, "Migration - perception and reality", is based on field interviews conducted in Tran, Breznik, Provadia, Harmanli and Sofia-Filipovtsi. The final results contribute to the development of an effective communication strategy for the project "Raising the awareness of local communities in areas with a significant presence of Roma population on asylum and migration issues", based on the experience, knowledge and expectations of Roma community representatives.
The event was broadcast live via Zoom and Facebook platforms. Tsveta Petkova, а representative of the consortium "NNHM-BFPA-EMHPF", was the presenter. More than 50 people participated in the meeting, in person and online, including representatives from NNHM, BFPA, EMHPF, SSDID Foundation, DSA-Lulin, “Tulip” Foundation, IOM and others.
Prof. Maya Grekova outlined the social profile of the respondents, their knowledge about life abroad, the experience gained abroad, migration planning patterns, risk assessment, the most desirable destinations in Europe. A number of uncertainties were highlighted by representatives of Roma communities regarding terms such as "trafficking" and "legal (secured) work".
In the discussion that followed the presentation, topics were raised such as trafficking and smuggling, the particularities of the Roma communities in Harmanli, and, in general, the cultural and social diversity of the Roma communities in Bulgaria that prevents them being put under a common denominator based on language or religious affiliation.
Once again, special thanks were expressed to the health mediators, without whose assistance a comprehensive analysis-assessment of the situation would have been impossible. IOM’s social experts made a short presentation that introduced the participants to the project’s website, where all information on ongoing activities will be posted.
