Police are to supervise the payment of social benefits in a Roma ghetto for several days after a two-month-old Roma baby died of malnutrition, apparently because his mother owed her benefit money to usurers.
Money-lenders charging exorbitant interest rates blight many of Slovakia’s estimated 620 Roma ghettoes. In the case of the Medzev settlement, where police move in today, over 70 per cent of the monthly Sk3 million ($70,000) issued in benefits payments goes into the pockets of usurers.
Compiled by Tom Nicholson from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
