Stehlíková: In northern Bohemia, there is a threat of the emergence of new ghettos

Most - Most, Litvínov, and other municipalities in the region, such as Obrnice and Bečov, are facing an influx of socially weak citizens, particularly Roma. In northern Bohemia, landlords are offering cheap apartments, primarily targeting non-payers and problematic tenants from lucrative apartments in Prague and Central Bohemia. There is a real threat of new ghettos forming, said Džamila Stehlíková, Minister for Minorities and Human Rights, to reporters during her visit to Mostecko today.
    According to municipal representatives, the consequence of the settlement of maladaptive residents in Mostecko is an increase in criminal acts, misdemeanors, and conflicts with local citizens. Parents, according to the deputy mayor of Obrnice, Drahomíra Miklošová, for example, send their child outside with a bike or scooter, but the child returns home robbed and often beaten by new Roma neighbors.
    "Local residents are therefore leaving the municipality and seeking new housing. Out of 2100 residents of our housing estate, already 60 percent are Roma. The Railway Infrastructure Administration is currently selling six panel buildings. If a real estate agency acquires them, we can expect another influx of Roma. The situation is already very tense in the municipality, with two to three break-ins of apartments or family homes recorded weekly," Miklošová stated.
    According to Stehlíková, the Agency for Combating Social Exclusion will collaborate with cities and municipalities on remedying the situation, and it is set to operate from January next year. "From the state's position, it is very difficult to ensure that real estate traders sell apartments with consideration for potential social impacts. Legislation does not allow for it. However, we will discuss with the Ministry of Regional Development how to address this issue. For example, there is currently no criterion for regulating the number of people living in a single apartment," she added.
    While the Roma housing estate in Most, Chanov, has been described by the minister as stabilized, she finds the situation in the Litvínov estate Janov, as well as in Obrnice, Bečov, and several other places in the Ústí Region and also in western Bohemia, serious.
    "Chanov operates like a large family; the residents do not change much. The estate has its own order and structure. However, this cannot be said for other areas where socially weak individuals from all over Bohemia are moving. People who are very hard to employ are sinking to social depths, which is manifested in the increase of crime, abuse, drug production, gambling, usury, and vandalism," Stehlíková added.
    The Agency for Combating Social Exclusion aims to initiate cooperation with municipalities, non-profit organizations, schools, employment offices, companies, and residents of problematic areas. It is supposed to teach them to act in a way that gradually leads to the elimination of ghettos or their transformation into regular neighborhoods. The agency is also meant to help secure funding from European funds.