Interview with Rózka Horvátová and Matúš Kubove

 

Matúš and Rózka are a young couple from Slovakia.

They live together and they want to get married.

 

How did you meet for the first time?

Matúš: We met when I was living in an institution.

Rózka was living in another institution.

We met at a party at one of these institutions.

 

What do you like most about each other?

Matúš: I like everything about her.

Rózka: I like his laughter and I like his sense of humour.

 

What is it like to live together?

Matúš and Rózka: It is great.

We cook together.

We go shopping and we visit the city.

 

You want to get married.
What are the problems that you have?

Rózka: Marriage is an important decision.

We need to be sure.

The law is a problem for us.

Matúš has to go to see the judges.

Matúš already met with a lawyer to prepare everything.

Matúš does not have full legal capacity.

If you do not have your full legal capacity you cannot marry.

Rózka has full legal capacity because she is younger.

For being younger she is under a new law.

When Matúš entered the institution he lost his full legal capacity.

5 years ago Matúš asked to get back his legal capacity.

But they only gave him back part of his legal capacity.

If you have only half of your legal capacity like Matúš

you have to ask for permission to marry.

This is what the law is like in Slovakia.

 

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Matúš: One of my dreams is to go to a music party in Bratislava.

Rózka: I want to marry Matúš.

Matúš: In 1 or 2 years I will receive an answer about my legal capacity.

Then I will know if I can marry Rózka.

 

To Rózka: You lived most of your life in institutions.

How did you leave the institution to live independently?

Who helped you?

Rózka: I lived in a public institution.

It was a place where people should stay only for a short time.

Only until there is something better for them.

People from the staff and other organisations helped me

to move into a flat.

I am not very close to my family.