Due to critically low numbers of legal foreigners currently
living in the Republic of Slovakia, the country has issues integrating them
into their society. Out of a population of approximately 5,488,339 (2013
estimate), only a little over 25,500 (2012 estimate) foreign immigrants live in
the country, which equates to about 0.46% of the population. In comparison to
the United States, approximately 13% of our population is foreign-born.
Although the Slovakia government has tried to enact policies
to facilitate integration, all actions are hampered and exhibit little success
because foreigners lack adequate information, have difficulty communicating
with fellow Slovaks, and encounter stereotypes from other nationalized
citizens. Furthermore, when the different population ratios of foreigners from other countries are
analyzed, the groups range from several thousand from one particular country to
a just a few hundred from another. Despite the fact that some integration
efforts seem almost impractical, the Slovak Republic still has the drive to
nationalize and integrate legal foreigners and is still in the process of
establishing governmental aid for immigrants today.
I always find countries such as Slovakia interesting because of their lack of diversity. I know many foreigners from former Soviet countries who never saw a black person until they came to the United States. I can see where there would be difficulty welcoming new people into such a uniform society. Europe in general tends to be hostile towards immigrants when compared to the United States. From other articles I have read it seems as if our diversity is one of the factors that has made the United States the world leader, because we have a much better foundation for a globalized world.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this effort is admirable in order to devote diversity and encourage foreign immigration in Slovakia. I think that it is interesting that Slovakia even recognizes this problem and is actively pursuing efforts in order to increase a foreign presence. By integrating a more globalized and diverse population Slovakia could be seen as a model or leader in the international sphere. Maybe the diversity could increase business relations and could even bring a new set of assets to the nation.
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