Photographer Manuela Federl Captured the Story of Perseverance and Hope in A Roma Ghetto

Once upon a time, in the Roma ghetto of Trebišov, Slovakia, a princess was trapped by society’s racism and discrimination. A brave prince tried to free her from poverty’s grip and offer her a brighter future—a dream shared by many girls in Roma settlements.

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Trebišov, one of Slovakia’s largest Roma ghettos, houses around 7,000 people in harsh conditions, lacking basic amenities. Similar settlements number around 800, as per the 2019 Atlas of Roma Communities. Slovakia is home to approximately 450,000 Roma, the country’s largest minority, but they face early challenges. A 2022 EU study revealed that two-thirds of Roma children attend schools where only Roma students are taught. Language barriers and poor access to education lead to enrolling in special schools with a curriculum taking nine years to cover what Slovak children learn in four. This makes progressing to secondary school almost impossible.

Discrimination and limited educational opportunities create a cycle of poverty among young Roma. According to the Slovak Interior Ministry, 48 percent of Roma are unemployed, mostly engaging in day labor jobs with no prospects for improvement. This bleak reality often leads to substance addiction and significantly shorter lifespans. Unfortunately, for many girls in the Trebišov Roma ghetto, the harsh truth is that they rarely attain a high school diploma, become mothers early, seldom leave their settlement, and struggle for survival throughout their lives.