The growing divide: the marginalisation of young Roma children in Bulgaria

Gatenio Gabel S. The growing divide: the marginalisation of young Roma children in BulgariaInt J Soc Welfare 2009: 18: 65-75 (C) 2008 The Author(s), Journal compilation (C) 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. This article evaluates how evolving social policies for very young children and their families affect the marginalisation of Roma children from mainstream Bulgarian society. The Roma (or 'gypsies') have long been ostracised by various societies and since the fall of communism in 1989 have become increasingly vulnerable to income poverty and social exclusion. The exclusion of Roma threatens Bulgaria's economic and political growth because the Roma constitute an increasing proportion of the population. The article compares the effects of current child and family policies on modifying the social and economic differences between very young Roma children under the age of three and those of majority Bulgarian children. It demonstrates how both universal social policies directed at helping all children and policies targeted on helping the most deprived children in a population, can, because of previous employment and other factors, further marginalise the most disadvantaged children in a population.