Járóka grew up in Sopron, a town near Hungary's western border with Austria. The village did not have any other Roma families besides hers, so she experienced relatively little discrimination as a child. She comes from a family of musicians, although her father was a waiter and her mother was a seamstress. She has described herself as the daughter of a Jewish mother and a "very dark skinned" Roma father. At some point, her father's dark skin allegedly cost him his job, as Austrians visiting Sopron "didn't want to be served by a gypsy." She moved to Budapest as a teenager and found herself among other ethnic Roma, "awakening a curiosity in her Roma heritage."
She went on to study anthropology in Britain, focusing on Roma issues and culture. In August 2003, she had a daughter. As of January 2005, she was still enrolled as a senior PhD anthropology student at University College London researching the politics of ethnic identity among Roma in Hungary.
External links
Lívia Járóka at University College London (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/anthropology/socanth/res-students_jaroka.htm)
LiviaJaroka was elected in June as an MEP for the Hungarian centre-right party Fidesz.
But don't be deceived: behind Jaroka's youth, her effervescent charm and peculiar route to Brussels lies a deep commitment to improving the lot of her people, the Roma, the widely abused European Gypsies.
Jaroka had done some research for them three years ago, but had been critical of their stance towards the Roma and the relationship had ended acrimoniously.
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