the traveller community in ireland

8/13/2019 The Traveller Community in Ireland

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Health and Illness


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Most Common Health Issues

RespiratoryAilments, e.g. asthma.

More prone to deafnessthan their settled counterparts.

GastrointericProblems, e.g. constipation.

More likely to have uncorrected visiondefects.

Genetic disorders(due to consanguinity, i.e "sameblood" marriages), e.g. Downs Syndrome.


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Mortality Rates

Males

Life Expectancy(GeneralPopulation)76.7 years

Life Expectancy(TravellerPopulation)61.7 years= LifeExpectancy of1940s

Females

Life Expectancy(GeneralPopulation)81. 5 years

Life Expectancy(TravellerPopulation)70 years= LifeExpectancy of1960s

Infants

Mortality Rates(Traveller

Population)14 per 1,000births

More than 3

Timesthat ofthe GeneralPopulation


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Mental Health

Suicide Statistics

More common among menMale to Female Ratio6:1

More common among single,separatedor widowedTravellers (66%)

Greatest Risk - Between 25-29 years.

As with the general population most common in theyoung, single, maleand death by hanging.

However, greater number of incidences occuring in theTraveller Community.


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Factors

Poor Living Standards and Hygiene Standards,

i.e. lack of clean, running water; heating etc.

Lack of Educationand Knowledge, e.g. basicnutrition, benefits of regular exercise.

Lack of accessto basic health care servicesdue to nomadic lifestyle.


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Lack Of Integrationsame blood marriages

leading to greater number of Genetic Disorders.

Discriminationresulting in less medical attentionthan settled counterparts.

Stigmaashamed to admit illness and visit localGP for advice.


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Education


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In the past

Why I didnt learn to read and write at school becausethe teachers put all the Traveller childreninto what theycalled a special class.

There were children betweenthe ages of six years oldand fourteen, I dont know why they done that.

Were put into one big room and told to play a board

gameor draw a picture. I feel very resentful and angryabout how we were treated in school. We went to schoolfor years and we left not being able to read or write.

Traveller Parent


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At Present.

I left Secondary school because you know, up

there you were treated, like kinda bad, not by the

teachers but by the young fellasin sixth year

cause youre a Traveller, and theyd slag youand if you slagged them back youd getbetby

17 and 18 year oldsthat was a big reason for

leaving school.

Traveller Boy aged 16


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Case Study

Michael is enrolled in 3rdyearin the CBS in Dungarvan.Come Januaryhe will have turned 16. He informs histeachers on a regular basis of this and that he will bedropping out of school, because it will be legallypossible. This means he will not sithis Junior

Certificate examsin June.

Currently he studies four subjectswhich include English,Maths, Technology and C.S.P.E.

On a weekly basis he takes part in at least 4 Double P.E.Classes, joining different year groups, while his ownclass peersonly take part in 1 Double P.E. Classperweek.


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Strolling into classon any given day at 11 a.mis quitefrequent for Michael. He arrives into his classroomshouting and disturbing others learning. He is merelytold to find his seat and sit down quietly.

When asked to read aloudin class he refuses,explaining he feels uncomfortablereading out loud infront of others.

Michael is fully literate. However it takes him time towrite a piece and his writing is by no means tidy.


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At the beginning of 1stYear Michael possessed none of

his own school books. This meant that a member ofthe teaching staff providedhim with the necessarybooks, that were previously lost property.

Many of the studentsin the class are afraid of him. They

are reluctant to say nowhen he asks them forsomething.

In the opinion of his fellow peers, they see that he isallowed to do whatever he wantsas the teachers just

want to keep him happy.

Is this right?!!


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Think About It

In 2002:

5,500Traveller Children attended Primary School.

1,608attended Main-stream PostPrimarySchools.(40%of all Traveller Children PostPrimary Age).

62Traveller Children attended 6thYear(PostPrimary).

The Department of Education and Science estimatesthat 28 Travellers enrolled at Third Level.


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Discrimination

#*/!!%


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Irish Travellersare a uniquely

disadvantaged group: impoverished,

under - educated, often despisedandostracised, they live on the margins of

society.


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Summary Of Dispute

Ms. O Brien believes that while travellingfrom

Tralee to Dublin on 26thJuly 2001, with her two

children, she was accusedin complicity ofthe

theftof another passengers luggage andwithout proper notificationwas removed from

the trainat Portlaoise, where her baggagewas

searchedby the Gardai. She believes she was

treated in this manner becauseshe wasrecognisedasa member of the Traveller

Community.


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The Response of Irish Rail

They rejectthat they discriminated against the

complainant and maintainthat she was treated

the sameway as anyone elsewould have beentreated in similar circumstances.

What do you think?!


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Equality Officers ReportComplainants Evidence

He did not searchthe area around the other passengersas thoroughly.

The Ticket Collector did not speakto herwhile he wasconducting his search.

She heard the ticket collector roaring Wheres thebag?! at her son who was returning from the toilet asthe train pulled into Portlaoise Station.

When she askedthe Ticket Collector why he wasaccusing her son, he did not reply.

There was no referencethat anallegationhad beenmade nor was she told that the Gardai had been

summoned.


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Ticket Collectors attitudeand mannersuggested he recognised themas members of

the Traveller Community.

Two Gardai boarded the train and asked her tostep outside onto the platform with her luggage.

She was highly embarassedas the search wasconducted in full viewof the other passengerson the train.

She has received no apologyfrom the ticketcollector nor has anyone from CIE contactedsince about the incident.


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Evidence from Respondant shows

that:

Mr. Nolan, the Ticket Collector, asked the ownerof thelost luggage if they suspected anyone in particular. Thepassenger said he himself had not seen anyonenearhis luggage, but had a suspicion that Ms. OBrienandher two sons may have had some involvement.

The passenger had spoken to two other passengerswhotold him they were suspicious of the two children.

However, they admitted that they had not seen thechildren go near his luggage.

When Mr. Nolan asked the passenger how surehe was

about the accusation, he responded 50/50.


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Considerations

Section 3 (1) of the Equal Status Act 2000says

that discriminationshall be taken to occur on any

of the grounds specified in the Act if a person is

treated less favourablythan anotherperson is,has been or would be.

Section 3 (2) (i) of the Act specifies membership

of the Traveller Communityas one of the

grounds covered by the Act.


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Conclusions of the Equality Officier:

I believe that if a nonTravellerhad been involved it is reasonableto expectthat the Ticket Collectorwould have at least asked tospeak tothe two witnessesthat had been identified before agreeingto call the Gardai.

Yet, depsite the fact that the passenger had said that it was only50/50 that Ms. OBriens children had been involved Mr. Nolan didnot seek out the two witnessesto confirm their report. Mr. Nolandid not inform Ms. OBrien of the allegationsmade against herand her children.

Mr. Nolan was following standard proceduresin not speaking to Ms.OBrien afterwards or in offering her some form of apology.


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Final Decision

Having considered all the evidencebefore me I havereached the conclusion that on 26thJuly 2001, Mr. Nolandid recognise Ms. OBrien as a Traveller and in choosingto act on an unsubstanstiated allegationagainst her,

treated her less favourablythan he would have treated anonTraveller in similar circumstances. I am thereforesatisfied that the actions of Mr. Nolan on the 26thof July2001 constituted discriminationon the TravellerCommunity ground, contrary to the provisions of the

Equality Staus Act 2000.

The Equality Officier ordered that the respondants payMs. O Brien the sum of2,500 in compensation.


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It can be seen, in all aspects of life, that the TravellerCommunity faces many of the same challengesas their

settled counterparts, but in all cases these problems aremore severeand seen to a greater extentamong theTraveller Community.

The Traveller Community also faces some problemsthat

are uniqueto their members and result from theirdifferent lifestylebut also from the attitudesof thegeneral publicto their community.

It is clear that the Traveller Community are highly

disadvantagedand discriminatedagainst and should berecognised as one of the major ethnic minoritiesinIreland today.

the traveller community in ireland

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