Securitization and militarized quarantine of Roma settlements during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia

ABSTRACT

Recent analysis indicates that the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected Roma people, amplified pre-existing exclusion, poverty, discrimination, and exposed marginalized Roma to vulnerability even more than before. This study explores the securitization and militarized quarantine of Roma settlements during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia. The study analyzes who, how and why securitized Roma communities? On what issues and for whom? With what result and under what conditions? The result of securitization, i.e. militarized quarantine of six Roma settlements is investigated in terms of legality, necessity, proportionality, and temporariness. The topic is approached from the perspective of political science. The study deploys a new institutionalism approach, securitization as an analytical frame, and qualitative research design. This includes a case study, elite interviews, and qualitative content analysis. The study concludes that, in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia, securitization took place instead of right-based discourse and a humanitarian approach towards the most vulnerable and socially excluded MRCs. Slovakia deployed heavily securitized responses towards Roma, targeting them selectively and collectively with anti-corona measures. Residents of six Roma settlements were exposed to the discrimination and most restrictive measures that the rest of the population did not face.

KEYWORDS:

• Securitization
• quarantine
• militarized quarantine
• marginalized Roma communities
• COVID-19
• militarized quarantine of Roma settlements
• Slovakia

Acknowledgments

Sincere gratitude goes to all respondents that have participated in the research study, for their time and willingness to share their opinions, experiences and perspectives. Many thanks to the state and public authorities for providing information based on the Act on free access to information. Special thanks to reviewers for their insightful suggestions and comments. This paper is based on a conference paper presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the Center for the Study of Citizenship, Wayne State University, co-sponsored by the Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL), University of Aberdeen and the Citizens, Nations and Migration (CNaM) Network, University of Edinburgh that took place online in June 1–14, 2021.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

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2. Ministerstvo vnútra Slovenskej republiky (MV SR). Vestník Vlády Slovenskej Republiky. https://www.minv.sk/?2021-2 (Accessed 5 February 2021.)

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https://eupha.org/repository/advocacy/MIG_statement_on_COVID19.pdf

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6. European Commission (2020); European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2020c); (Amnesty International 2020b); (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights 2020f).

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8. Under the Act no. 211/2000 Coll. on Free Access to Information and Amendments to Certain Acts (Freedom of Information Act) following institutions were contacted from September 2020 to February 2021:

National Council of the SR; Government Office of the SR; Ministry of Defence of the SR; Ministry of Interior of the SR; Ministry of Health of the SR; General Prosecutor of the SR; Public Defender of Rights of SR; Slovak National Centre for Human Rights.

9. Sociálne Vylúčené Spoločenstvá – MPSVR SR. https://www.employment.gov.sk/sk/rodina-socialna-pomoc/socialne-sluzby/socialne-vylucene-spolocenstva/. (Accessed 18 May 2021)

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12. Úrad verejného zdravotníctva Slovenskej republiky (2020b).

13. Vláda Slovenskej republiky (2020c).

14. Zdravé regióny (2020c).

15. The members of the PCC were: professor of infectology Vladimír Krčméry, expert in biochemistry Robert Mistrík, manager from IT and telecommunications Peter Škodný, and President of the Doctors Union doctor Peter Visolajský.

16. Úrad Vlády SR (2020).

17. Zdravé regióny (2020b).

18. Verejný ochranca práv (2020a).

19. Uznesenie vlády SR č. 114 z 15.3.2020.

20. Zákon č. 355/2007 Z. z.; Zákon č. 42/1994 Z. z.; Zákon č. 387/2002 Z.z.; Zákon č. 71/1967 Z.z.

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) as represented by the Office of the Embassy of Canada in Bratislava, Mostová 2,81102 Bratislava, Slovakia. The Office of the Embassy of Canada in Bratislava bears no responsibility for the content.

Notes on contributors

Svetluša Surová

Dr Svetluša Surová received a doctorate and graduated with honours in Political Theory at the Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. She is currently working on the projects examining the impact of Covid-19 measures on human and minority rights in Slovakia and the political participation of minorities in Serbia. In the long term, she investigates collective identities of the Slovak minority in Serbia, Slovak diaspora policies and works on proposing a new definition of diaspora using combinatorics. Dr Surova’s research interests include political theory, comparative politics, diaspora studies, minority rights, ethnic politics, collective identities, identity politics and multiculturalism. Her work was published in Diaspora Studies and Nationalities Papers. She is contributing regularly to Critical Magazine Minority Policy in Slovakia published by the Centre for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (CVEK). Google Scholar is: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hapCAo8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao