13-14.03.2024
On March 13-14, 2024, our team met at the Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, where was the first onsite meeting of the research teams engaged in the project “Unequal Citizenship and Transnational Mobilization of Polish, Czech, and Ukrainian Roma in the Face of War in Ukraine” (ROCIT).
The meeting was an opportunity to present and discuss the socio-political contexts concerning the situation of Ukrainian Roma forced migrants in Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Last but not least, it was a chance to get to know each other a little better and enjoy some time beyond the screens of our online meetings.
In addition to presenting the situation of Ukrainian Roma in Poland, the CMR UW part of the team also presented a report prepared by the Jaw Dikh Foundation: National and Local Mobilization of Roma and Non-Roma Organizations and Activists in Poland Supporting Ukrainian Roma Forced Migrants in the Face of War in Ukraine, commissioned by the ERGO Network and funded by the European Philanthropy Initiative for Migration. We also discussed how the war and displacement affected Romani communities and NGO sector in Ukraine, thanks to contributions of Tetiana Storozhko and Yulian Kondur and learned about the situation in Czechia thanks to contribution of Markéta Hajská and Dana Hrušková.
Finally, an important part of the meeting was an open seminar “Ethical Aspects of Studying Forced Migration” (Thursday, 14 March, 2024), where we gathered to discuss the ethical challenges, questions and dilemmas when studying forced migration.
While our project does not focus on war and displacement exclusively, we found it essential to discuss these issues with researchers already experienced in documenting the displacement and experiences of people fleeing war in Ukraine. We are grateful for the opportunity to listen to ethical dilemmas and challenges related to the implementation of the project “Testimonies from the War” and the currently ongoing project “Research on the collection, preservation, analysis and disclosure of Ukrainian testimonies of war”. Meeting with the researchers of this projects, PI prof. A. Wylegala and dr. O. Krasko were an occasion to discuss the challenges and ways to address them when conducting such and similar research.