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The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 22 2004
The shameful invisibility of minorities in Georgia
"One Georgian development worker in Tsalka recently commented, 'They
should all just go to Greece'"
By Mary Ellen Chatwin
Approximately 40 percent of Georgia's citizens belong to various
minority ethnic groups as defined by their language, religion and
other cultural markers. Although full citizens of the Georgian
nation, they often do not access the same services, institutions and
professional possibilities as their fellow citizens who speak
Georgian from birth, and who attend the better institutions for
education and health care, enter the political and economic
mainstream of the country and continue to participate in the
development of their country. Unfortunately the minority groups have
few voices that speak out to claim better conditions and
possibilities for participating in national institutions, few
representatives in Parliament, and few working in Government to
ensure they receive adequate education and health care.
Most Georgians believe "there is no minority problem" and often
indicate they are sure minorities are taken care of 'as well as other
citizens'. "Many Georgians are poor" is a frequent comment, which
could also be interpreted as meaning "First put your attention on the
majority and not minorities." It also takes for granted "minorities
are poorer in general". Well-meaning citizens often do not realize
that a much lower percentage of minority children finish secondary
school, many minority children have no access to the main language,
many children are not registered at birth (50 percent of certain
minority schools), many women have never had access to reproductive
health care and go through life with debilitating health conditions.
Even though the Georgian norm for girls finishing secondary school is
higher than for boys, in the case of minorities it is lower. Minority
girls and women in Georgia are especially vulnerable to the lack of
access to education, lack of civil rights (birth registration, voting
rights, marriage and family rights), or freedom of choice that other
Georgians take for granted. A much greater percentage of minority
girls finish school under 15 years of age and marry or begin working
before the legal age; they are thus more vulnerable to trafficking
and other illegal practices. This is not, as most prefer to believe,
due to religion or culture-it is due to an invisible discrimination.
Access is not denied outright in Georgia. There is no apartheid
system as was the case in South Africa or the USA until recent
decades. In Georgia, access to equal education, healthcare and social
services is denied through ignorance by the majority government of
the specific circumstances that are attributed to cultural and
religious differences, or even-as in the case of Greek ethnic groups
in Tsalka-to a dwindling population left behind, while many go abroad
for lack of better conditions. One Georgian development worker in
Tsalka recently commented, "They should all just go to Greece",
although none of the community had ever been to Greece nor do any
speak Greek, but only Russian. Such stunning remarks are common, and
demonstrate the difficulty for minorities to insist on their right
like all Georgian citizens to access the education system, the
political and civil society, and health care services. Majority
Georgian groups exert a cultural pressure in perceiving minorities as
"guests", even if they have populated whole towns and areas of the
country for centuries, have Georgian passports and have no wish to
live outside of their own country.
Access to equality is also denied when the extra effort for
integration has not been made, for example additional courses in
Georgian language to make children's educational possibilities equal
to those of the majority. In 2004 the Georgian language courses in
primary and secondary schools have been cut in all schools,
irrespective of the need for minorities to have increased Georgian
lessons in order to integrate. At all governmental levels there is a
"denial system" that blinds government offices, development agencies
and most majority Georgian citizens to the de facto segregation of
minorities from full participation in the development of their
country.
The difference between an active "apartheid system" that collapses
and gives way to democratic and equal access and participation by the
minorities, and the "denial system" as it is found in Georgia, is
that purposeful, constructive, pro-active and systematic measures and
policies were enacted by the governments to include minorities at all
levels when the decision for integration was made in the USA and
South Africa, while in the Georgian "denial system" the problems
remain invisible. No decisions are made; most minorities remain
docile and are told they receive as much as others. They are made to
feel they have less right to be in Georgia than other Georgians. They
cannot read the most important documents or legislation that has been
passed in the fields of health, social welfare and education (for
example, the World Bank Education Reform legislation has been
translated to English, but not to Russian or Azeri so that minorities
would be able to access this important information). They are often
reminded that they are "guests" or else are encouraged to "go
elsewhere" or receive aid from neighboring countries such as Armenia
or Azerbaijan. The Georgian government does not envisage any serious
special measures for integration. If hospitality in Georgia were a
true value, I believe there would be greater concern by the ethnic
majority to find ways and make serious efforts to include their
fellow citizens in the development of the country.
M.E.Chatwin, PhD, is a Policy Advisor and Lecturer in Tbilisi State
University's Sociology Department, and contributed this article to
The Messenger. She has been living in Georgia for over twelve years
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Oct 22 2004
The shameful invisibility of minorities in Georgia
"One Georgian development worker in Tsalka recently commented, 'They
should all just go to Greece'"
By Mary Ellen Chatwin
Approximately 40 percent of Georgia's citizens belong to various
minority ethnic groups as defined by their language, religion and
other cultural markers. Although full citizens of the Georgian
nation, they often do not access the same services, institutions and
professional possibilities as their fellow citizens who speak
Georgian from birth, and who attend the better institutions for
education and health care, enter the political and economic
mainstream of the country and continue to participate in the
development of their country. Unfortunately the minority groups have
few voices that speak out to claim better conditions and
possibilities for participating in national institutions, few
representatives in Parliament, and few working in Government to
ensure they receive adequate education and health care.
Most Georgians believe "there is no minority problem" and often
indicate they are sure minorities are taken care of 'as well as other
citizens'. "Many Georgians are poor" is a frequent comment, which
could also be interpreted as meaning "First put your attention on the
majority and not minorities." It also takes for granted "minorities
are poorer in general". Well-meaning citizens often do not realize
that a much lower percentage of minority children finish secondary
school, many minority children have no access to the main language,
many children are not registered at birth (50 percent of certain
minority schools), many women have never had access to reproductive
health care and go through life with debilitating health conditions.
Even though the Georgian norm for girls finishing secondary school is
higher than for boys, in the case of minorities it is lower. Minority
girls and women in Georgia are especially vulnerable to the lack of
access to education, lack of civil rights (birth registration, voting
rights, marriage and family rights), or freedom of choice that other
Georgians take for granted. A much greater percentage of minority
girls finish school under 15 years of age and marry or begin working
before the legal age; they are thus more vulnerable to trafficking
and other illegal practices. This is not, as most prefer to believe,
due to religion or culture-it is due to an invisible discrimination.
Access is not denied outright in Georgia. There is no apartheid
system as was the case in South Africa or the USA until recent
decades. In Georgia, access to equal education, healthcare and social
services is denied through ignorance by the majority government of
the specific circumstances that are attributed to cultural and
religious differences, or even-as in the case of Greek ethnic groups
in Tsalka-to a dwindling population left behind, while many go abroad
for lack of better conditions. One Georgian development worker in
Tsalka recently commented, "They should all just go to Greece",
although none of the community had ever been to Greece nor do any
speak Greek, but only Russian. Such stunning remarks are common, and
demonstrate the difficulty for minorities to insist on their right
like all Georgian citizens to access the education system, the
political and civil society, and health care services. Majority
Georgian groups exert a cultural pressure in perceiving minorities as
"guests", even if they have populated whole towns and areas of the
country for centuries, have Georgian passports and have no wish to
live outside of their own country.
Access to equality is also denied when the extra effort for
integration has not been made, for example additional courses in
Georgian language to make children's educational possibilities equal
to those of the majority. In 2004 the Georgian language courses in
primary and secondary schools have been cut in all schools,
irrespective of the need for minorities to have increased Georgian
lessons in order to integrate. At all governmental levels there is a
"denial system" that blinds government offices, development agencies
and most majority Georgian citizens to the de facto segregation of
minorities from full participation in the development of their
country.
The difference between an active "apartheid system" that collapses
and gives way to democratic and equal access and participation by the
minorities, and the "denial system" as it is found in Georgia, is
that purposeful, constructive, pro-active and systematic measures and
policies were enacted by the governments to include minorities at all
levels when the decision for integration was made in the USA and
South Africa, while in the Georgian "denial system" the problems
remain invisible. No decisions are made; most minorities remain
docile and are told they receive as much as others. They are made to
feel they have less right to be in Georgia than other Georgians. They
cannot read the most important documents or legislation that has been
passed in the fields of health, social welfare and education (for
example, the World Bank Education Reform legislation has been
translated to English, but not to Russian or Azeri so that minorities
would be able to access this important information). They are often
reminded that they are "guests" or else are encouraged to "go
elsewhere" or receive aid from neighboring countries such as Armenia
or Azerbaijan. The Georgian government does not envisage any serious
special measures for integration. If hospitality in Georgia were a
true value, I believe there would be greater concern by the ethnic
majority to find ways and make serious efforts to include their
fellow citizens in the development of the country.
M.E.Chatwin, PhD, is a Policy Advisor and Lecturer in Tbilisi State
University's Sociology Department, and contributed this article to
The Messenger. She has been living in Georgia for over twelve years
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress