Hungarian Authorities Forcibly Evict Romani Mother and Daughter

20 November 2007

According to a 17 April 2007 report by the Roma Press Centre (RPA), a Romani woman and her daughter were evicted from their flat in Budapest's District 7 despite the financial aid and intervention of the Roma Civil Right's Foundation.

The district administration had allocated the family their flat five years ago, but had refused to extend the rental contract after one year. The family remained in the apartment as "squatters" and had slowly accumulated a massive debt.

Unable to work due to a serious spinal injury, the Romani woman requires the constant assistance of her 16-year-old daughter.

In April, the RPA agreed to pay for the certifying cost of a hire-purchase contract for the family to enable them to continue to living in the flat. Despite the RPA's request to stop the eviction process, the municipality refused, claiming "assistance simply came too late."

The woman and her daughter were forced to take refuge in a neighbour's apartment, where eight people were sharing a one room flat.

(Roma Press Centre)