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Traveller and Roma Community

This section provides some contextual information about the Irish Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland. It provides a useful introduction, however it is recommended that you contact the agencies listed at the end of each section for more detailed information. Traveller community Roma Demonstration outside Dail Eireann protesting against the introduction of the trespass legislation in 2002. Photograph courtesy of Irish Traveller Movement. Traveller Community The History of Irish Travellers Although not much historical research has been carried out on the Traveller way of life, there are references to nomadic groups dating back to 12th and even 5th century. Travellers were craftsmen, entertainers, message carriers, horse traders, tinsmiths, engaged in buying and selling goods and provided a seasonal labour force with a variety of skills. They were involved in specific economic activity throughout history that can be associated with a nomadic way of life. As industrialisation brought new methods of communication and cheap plastic, Travellers as with other groups in Ireland began to experience a change in their role in Irish society and had to adapt their lifestyle to accommodate these changes. Under many pressures to adopt a sedentary or settled lifestyle Travellers have resisted and have proved their ability to survive and maintain their cultural identity. The Traveller identity is marked by a number of common features; a common history and experience, an oral tradition, their own language, value system and of course a nomadic way of life. The distinctive Traveller lifestyle and culture sets Travellers apart from the sedentary population or 'settled people'. Travellers have a unique history and value system, as well as language, customs and traditions. The Traveller languages are called Cant, Gammon, or Shelta. While Irish Travellers are native to Ireland, they have much in common with European Roma, Sinti and Gypsies such as their nomadic tradition, a tendency to live in extended families, and a history of having to protect their identity from attempts to assimilate them into the majority population. While it is clear that Traveller have long suffered from discrimination and prejudice in Irish society, up until recently very little was known about these experiences, and Travellers are often invisible to policy and decision makers. However these gaps have begun to be closed in recent years, and information is beginning to emerge from sources such as the National Census and the anti-discrimination casework of the Equality Authority and the Equality Tribunal — ODEI. According to Census 2002: There are 23,681 Travellers nationally, accounting for approximately 0.6% of the population Only 3.3% of the Traveller population are over 65 years compared to 11.1% of the general population 63% of Travellers are under 25 years compared with 37% of the general population 42% of Travellers are under 15 years compared with 21% of the general population The average age for Travellers is 18 years compared to a national figure of 32 years 21,549 Travellers identified themselves as Roman Catholic The Traveller Community and Racism The Traveller community in Ireland experiences social exclusion and discrimination at all levels of society. Travellers live with the daily reality of being refused access to a range of services including shops, pubs, hairdressers and laundrettes. Systematic efforts were made to assimilate Travellers into the dominant population on the assumption that it was the best interests of everyone. Official reports such as the Commission on Itineracy 1963 had an approach which equated Travellers with vagrants, social misfits and deviant or saw them as an impoverished underclass in need of rehabilitation. Government policies and official reports which since the 1980's have begun to recognise Traveller culture, however have been directed towards the values and interests of the dominant culture. These include official approaches to the education and accommodation needs of Travellers. While recognising Traveller identity the approach has not been culturally appropriate for the Traveller community. More recent reports such as the Task Force Report on the Travelling Community (1995) seek to acknowledge Traveller culture and identity in a positive light and to address Traveller issues from a human rights perspective. The Task Force Report also made a number of recommendations that would challenge racism and discrimination by protecting Travellers in the law and providing a system of redress. Membership of the Traveller community was identified as one of the nine grounds for discrimination under the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000. During 2003 the Equality Tribunal 2003 decided 68 cases on the ground of membership of the Traveller community. Only two of these cases were brought under the Employment Equality Act 1998 while the remainder were heard under the Equal Status Act 2000. Refusal of service in licensed premises accounted for a large proportion of the Equal Status cases on the Traveller ground in 2003, however the jurisdiction to hear case in relation to licensed premises has now been moved from the Equality Tribunal to the District Court (The Equality Tribunal, Legal Review 2003). The casework of the Equality Authority also demonstrates the high level of discrimination against members of the Traveller community. In 2003 the Equality Authority dealt with 9 employment equality cases on the Traveller ground, while there were 327 cases under the equal status casework activity (Equality Authority, Annual Report 2003). It is also assumed that Travellers are unwilling to join the labour force, however this assumption fails to recognise the barriers which have faced the Traveller community in accessing the mainstream labour market, in particular experiences of discrimination. The NCCRI Racist Incidents Reporting Procedure has documented incidents of racially motivated attacks, harassment and verbal abuse directed at the Traveller community. One of the most frequent manifestations of prejudice against the Traveller community is the use of offensive labels either on a person-to-person basis or in the media. For instance Traveller are often called cheats and criminals. It has been assumed that Travellers choose to live in dirty condition without respect for their surroundings or others around them. These myths and misunderstandings promote racism and discrimination, and have prevented Travellers from achieving equality in accommodation, health, education and other public and private services. In Ireland the use of the words 'Traveller' or 'Traveller Community' is how Travellers prefer to be called. However Travellers are referred to by other names, such as 'tinker', 'itinerant' or 'knacker'. The usage of these other terms is often derogatory and offensive. The term 'itinerant' was legitimised in the 1960's by its usage in government reports such as the Commission on Itinerancy and was associated with social problems like vagrancy. The word 'tinker' is derived from the tinsmith trade, which was a common Traveller trade, but not a trade that all Travellers engaged in. The word 'knacker' is the most offensive of these words in its usage and in the way it reinforces negative stereotyping of Traveller identity. All of these other terms and their usage have a direct impact on Traveller identity and deny Travellers the right to identify themselves. In a public attitudes survey published by the governments 'Know Racism' campaign in February 2004 72% of respondents agreed that the settled community do not want members of the Traveller community living amongst them, while 48% disagreed that Traveller make a positive contribution to Irish society. The above information was compiled with assistance from the Pavee Point fact sheets on the Traveller community, available on www.paveepoint.ie and the Citizens Information Database on www.cidb.ie Further Reading Bewley, V., (ed.): The Travelling People in Ireland. Veritas, 1976. Irish Government: Task Force Report on the Travelling People. 1995. O'Connell, John: Travellers, Gypsies, Roma. Pavee Point Fact Sheet 1997. Donahue/Ward/McVeigh: Misli, Crush, Misli: Irish Travellers and Nomadism: A Research Report for the Irish Traveller Movement and Traveller Movement (Northern Ireland). Available from the Irish Traveller Movement Further Information Exchange House Travellers www.exchangehouse.ie Irish Traveller Movement www.itmtrav.com National Travellers Women's Forum www.ntwf.net Pavee Point Travellers Centre www.paveepoint.ie Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), First Report on Ireland www.coe.int NCCRI Submission on Recognising Travellers as an Ethnic Group (2004) PDF format (size 50 Kb) Irish National Co-ordinating Committee for the European Year Against Racism Travellers in Ireland: An Examination of Discrimination and Racism: a Report from the (1997) Click here to access document Irish Travellers: Challenging the Myths, published by the Irish Traveller Movement, Pavee Point, National Travellers Women's Forum in association with the NCCRI as part of Traveller Focus Week 2003 PDF format (size 60 Kb) Demonstration outside Dail Eireann protesting against the introduction of the trespass legislation in 2002. Photograph courtesy of Irish Traveller Movement. Roma Community Roma are a minority ethnic group whose recent origins are predominantly from Eastern and Central Europe. Roma is the preferred term used by representative groups from countries such as Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic which are the main countries of origin for Roma groups in Ireland. 'Rom' is the singular of Roma and refers to one person. The phenomenon of dispersal is central to Roma history. A report from the High Commissioner on National Minorities from 2000 notes that although Roma share a common lineage, their migrations over the centuries to many different countries have produced numerous distinct communities and dialects as particular groups established roots in various countries and regions. Roma communities have been associated and resident in specific countries for hundreds of years; in spite of this Roma are perceived and treated as outsiders. Considerable evidence exists from international bodies such as Amnesty International that Roma in parts of Eastern and Central Europe are actively persecuted and subjected to racism, including violent attacks and abuse. Some countries, particularly accession countries that joined the EU in May 2004, are recognising this issue and looking at ways to respond to it. The Roma Community in Ireland. Photograph courtesy of the Irish Times. Roma in Ireland Roma migration to Ireland is not a new experience. Even before the recent increases in the numbers of people migrating to Ireland seeking employment or to be recognised as refugees, it was not unusual for Roma to arrive in Ireland, to travel around the country, picking up seasonal work such as farm labouring and moving back to England and Europe. This migration was of a temporary nature and small numbers so went relatively unobserved. Since the mid 1990s the numbers of Roma who have arrived in Ireland seeking asylum have risen significantly. This is consistent with the overall increase in asylum seekers to Ireland that has occurred since the mid 1990s. The first major arrival of Roma in Ireland was from Arad in North Eastern Romania in 1998. Most of this group were granted refugee status. A precise demographic profile of the number of Roma in Ireland is not possible because data is collected on the basis of nationality, not ethnic origin. However it is estimated that there are 1,700 Roma living in Ireland. The countries of origin of Roma in Ireland are Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The Roma in Ireland tend to be even more marginalized than many other asylum seeker groups because of their lack of education, low language skills and historic and systematic discrimination. This information was compiled with assistance from the Roma Support Group/Pavee Point: Roma in Ireland: An Initial Needs Analysis (March 2002). A Publication in association with NCCRI and FAS Asylum Seekers Unit. Further Information Roma Support Group www.romasupport.ie Pavee Point www.paveepoint.ie Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe www.osce.org European Roma Rights Centre www.errc.org Roma Immigration to Ireland - by Mícheál Ó hAodha/Patrin Web Journal Click here