The seminar was jointly organized by the Open Society Fund–Prague, the Open Society Foundation–Bratislava, and the Gender Center of the School of Social Studies at Masaryk University in Brno.
Seventeen Roma female intellectuals from the Czech Republic and Slovakia participated in the seminar, where they learned about gender and feminist theories and discussed different issues concerning Romani women in society and their status in the traditional and global culture. The event provided both the Romani women and the organizational team to meet and share their experiences, and to discuss what it means to be a Roma woman in their countries these days.
Based on their experiences at this meeting and a seperate gender studies seminar, the organizational team is now planning a six-day Gender Summer School for Roma Women; about 15-20 selected participants from the two seminars will be invited to attend. The school will seek to assist Roma women who have articulated an interest in gender issues and women´s rights and would like to do further work in this field. The ultimate goal if for them to play an important future role in the Roma women´s movement in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
For additional information, please contact:
Viera Klementova
Women's Program Manager
Open Society Foundation–Bratislava
Email: viera@osf.sk