national traveller & roma integration strategies social...

National Traveller & RomaIntegration Strategies

Social Inclusion Forum 2014

Ronnie Fay

1st April 2014

Presentation Outline1. Context of NTRIS

Overview of Situation of Travellers & Roma: in Europe & Ireland

2. What is NTRIS

3. Critique of NTRIS• EU• Pavee Point

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Former CoE Commissioner on Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg 2012

“In many European countries the Roma population is still denied basic human rights and made victims of flagrant racism. The Roma remain far behind others in society in terms of educational attainment, employment, housing and health standards, and they have virtually no political representation”

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Roma

The term “Roma” used at the Council of Europe refers to Roma, Sinti, Kale and related groups in Europe, including Travellers and the Eastern groups (Dom and Lom), and covers the wide diversity of the groups concerned, including persons who identify themselves as “Gypsies”.

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Roma-Some Facts• Roma originated in India• Estimated 10-12 million Roma live in

Europe• 36,000 Irish Travellers (AITHS, 2010)• Estimated 5000 Roma in Ireland• Roma in Ireland come from different

countries- Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia,Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland…

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Roma History

• From 16th-19th Century anti-Gypsy laws existed in Western and Central Europe

• In Romania, Roma were slaves until late 1800s

• After this, Roma were banned from wearing distinctive clothing, from speaking Romani etc.

• It is estimated that up to 500,000 Roma were killed in the Holocaust

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Roma in Europe

Research by the FRA in 2012 found thatin 11 EU countries:

• One out of three Roma are unemployed• About 90% of the Roma live in poverty• About half of the Roma said that they

have experienced discrimination in thepast 12 months

European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (2012) The Situationof Roma in 11 EU Member States – Survey Results at a Glance

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Roma Discrimination in Europe

• Roma and the Holocaust

• Coercive Sterilisations

• Violence against Roma

• Anti-Roma speeches

• Segregated Education

Copyright James Fraher

A boy reacts as he stands next riot policemen while an excavator demolishes a relative's shack in the shanty town settlement of "El Gallinero", in the outskirts of Madrid June 18, 2013. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)

Irish Travellers Key Facts

Experience of Racism & Discrimination14% in Employment (Census 2011)Accommodation Problems: • Nomadism Criminalised; • Traveller Specific Accommodation• Few Transient Sites• Private Rented & Standard Housing;

Overcrowding & Insecurity of Tenure;

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Education

• 55% of Travellers had completed their education by the age of 15

• In Ireland, 90% of students complete second level education

• In budget 2011, 86.6% of Traveller specific education supports were cut

Travellers in Third Level Education

Less than 1% of Travellers go on to third level education2009/2010 - 29 Travellers2010/2011 – 31 Travellers2011/2012 – 29 Travellers

Higher Education Key facts and Figures 2011/2012

62 % of Travellers felt that they were discriminated against in school (AITHS)

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Traveller HealthLow Life ExpectancyHigh Rates of Mortality & MorbiditySuicide Rates 6 Times National AverageAITHS: Comprehensive Evidence of Health

InequalitiesNo Action PlanNTHAC not allowed meet since October

2012

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

54 expected deaths188 observed deaths 

AITHS Traveller Deaths 2008

134 excess deaths

Traveller Infant Mortality rate

Pavee Point

Mortality rate of Traveller women

Pavee Point

Mortality Rate of Traveller Men

Pavee Point

Travelling with AusterityReport highlighted devastating and disproportionate impact of funding cuts on Travellers

Interagency activities -100%Traveller education -86.6%Traveller accommodation -85%Equality -76.3%National Traveller Orgs -63.3%FAS Special Initiative for Travellers -50%National Traveller Partnership -32.1%Traveller SPY youth projects -29.8%Health -5.4%

Government spending in total is down 4.3% for this period

“This is a striking picture. One can think of no other section of the community which has suffered such a high level of disinvestment, compounded by the failure of the state to spend even the limited resources that are available.”

Brian Harvey: Travelling with Austerity

Attitudes of Settled People to Travellers

• 60.1% would not welcome a Traveller as a member of the family

• 72.3% support Travellers ‘to live their own way of life decently’ – down 20.7% since 1989

• 63.7% reject Travellers on the basis of their ‘way of life’

• 18.2% would deny Irish Citizenship to Travellers

Source: ‘Emancipation of the Travelling People’ 2010 Micheál Mac Gréil, S.J., NUI Maynooth

Racism against Travellers & RomaArson Attack on House Allocated to Traveller Family Ballyshannon, Donegal February 2013:

“The situation is Niall; I think there should be an isolated community of them some place. Give them houses and keep them all together.”

“The amount of support coming out of mass yesterday morning was absolutely unbelievable. They were chasing all over me to shake my hand…I wish to God there was an election tomorrow morning.” Sean McEniff – Fianna Fáil Councillor, Donegal.

"they can be sent to Spike Island for all I care".Eugene Dolan – Fine Gael Councillor, Donegal.

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Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

French authorities forcibly evicted more than 21.537 Romani migrants in 2013, more than double the total for 2012.

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

The forced eviction of Coastei Street, Cluj-Napoca in December 2010 – 356 people were evicted.

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

ies were moved to a rubbish dump. In 2013, a Romanian court ruled that thlegal. The evicted families continue to live in polluted, overcrowded and rous conditions.

The European Roma Rights Centre reports that violence against Roma communities is rising across Europe. The attacks they have documented include police violence, arson attacks, mob violence and anti-Roma demonstrations.

Roma in Ireland

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Issues for Roma in Ireland• Many Roma in Ireland cannot get

employment• Many Roma are not entitled to any

social protection• No medical cards• Children living in poverty• Families being told to ‘go home’• People being ‘voluntarily repatriated’

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Habitual Residence ConditionThe Five Factors• Length and Continuity of residence in

Ireland or in any other particular country

• Length and purpose of any absence from Ireland

• Nature and pattern of employment• Applicant's main centre of interest• Future intentions of applicant

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Headlines About RomaRoma cash seized as six held in begging crackdown (Irish Independent 20 Oct 2011)

Judge questions ‘begging industry’ as man convicted (Irish Examiner13 Jan 2012. Man given suspended sentence and fined €200)

More than 500 arrested in Dublin under begging law (Irish Times 31 Oct 2011)

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Quote from Irish Times

“For us to try to change that culture here would be like trying to change people in Dublin from drinking Guinness; it’s their culture and they do not see anything wrong with it.”

Insp Patrick McMenamin of PearseStreet Garda station

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Judiciary"I assume from his appearance that he's from the Roma community who came here to do what all of them tend to do, to use the streets to beg,“

Justice Patrick McCartan, March 2013(Dublin Circuit Criminal Court)

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

““Nobody has indicated it to me, but I suspect he comes from a certain ethnic background that would give him even more form given the type of behaviour in which some of them engage. …As I’ve described it before, they are like Neanderthal men living in the long grass, abiding by the laws of the jungle.”

Judge Seamus Hughes in Athlone District Court Sept. 5th 2012

At a sitting of Tuam District Court, Judge Geoffrey Browne is reported describing burglars as ‘Knackers’ and encouraging homeowners to use maximum force against them.

January 2013

What are the National Roma Integration Strategies?

• Response to human rights violations against Roma

• EU Framework to 2020 for addressing Roma inequality in:• education • health• accommodation• employment.

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Each Member state submit a plan by December 2011

“[National Strategies should] Be designed, implemented and monitored in close cooperation and continuous dialogue with Roma civil society, regional and local authorities.”

From: An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, p.9

Ireland Plan Submitted in January 2012

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

The Irish PlanIreland (Department of Justice and Equality) has developed a ‘National

Traveller Roma Integration Strategy’.

• This document mainly sets out the strategies already in place for the Travellers in the areas of Education, Accommodation, Healthcare and Employment.

• The document contains no goals, targets, indicators or related timeframes, funding mechanisms or monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

• No consultation or active participation of Travellers and Roma has taken place.

• Roma are largely excluded from this document.

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

NTRIS Provided Opportunity to:

1. Review existing strategies in relation to Travellers

2. Develop new strategies in areas where there are currently gaps

3. Develop new strategies for Roma

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

What has the European Commission said about Ireland's National Traveller Roma Integration Strategy?

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

The May 2012 assessment of Ireland’s strategy pointed to the need for a calendar, targets, indicators and budget. It stated that “measures to improve the consultation and political engagement of Roma and Travellers would be needed”. (Commission Staff Working Document, 2012).

The June 2013 assessment was very critical of Ireland. Ireland met 4 out of 22 criteria set out by the European Commission.

European Commission Assessment: Ireland, 2013.

PaveePavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

European Commission Assessment: Ireland, 2013.

PaveePavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

How can Ireland's National Traveller Roma Integration Strategy make a difference in the lives of Travellers and Roma in Ireland?

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

1. Establish of a cross-departmental steering group (by DoJE) with an independent Chair and Traveller and Roma civil society representation to revise the existing National Traveller Roma Integration Strategy

2. Ensure the strategy has achievable national goals with targets for Traveller and Roma integration. These goals should address, as a minimum, the four EU Roma pillars relating to access to education, employment, healthcare and housing

3. Ensure the strategy explicitly addresses racism towards Roma and Travellers and includes measures to address gender inequality and multiple discrimination faced by women

4. Ensure the strategy includes time frames, funding mechanisms and strong inclusive monitoring and evaluation methods

5. Ensure the involvement of Travellers and Roma in the development and implementation of the National Traveller Roma Integration Strategy

National Traveller and Roma Unit• A National Traveller and Roma Unit be established• Dedicated responsibility for Traveller and Roma policy• Authority to drive service provision is required-address

implementation weaknesses• This fits with the requirement under the EU Framework

on National Strategies that Governments “appoint national contact points to manage, monitor and report the implementation of their national Roma integration strategy”.

• The Unit should bring together all those with responsibility for Traveller or Roma related policies and services

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

National Traveller and Roma Unit

Reflects commitment in Programme for Government:

‘We will improve co-ordination and integration to delivery of services to the Traveller community across all Government departments, using available resources more effectively to deliver on principles of social inclusion….’ (PFG p.42)

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

NTMAC report to Minister JELR

‘Addressing the difficulties faced by Travellers is a complicated policy issue that cuts across a large number of Departments and agencies. One central point must take responsibility in terms of coordination between government Departments to ensure more effective implementation and delivery of policy objectives’ (Dec. 2009)

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

• Proposing that Traveller infrastructure/policy oversight mechanisms be extended to include Roma

• Reflects how UN, OSCE, CoE, EU all address T/R issues in an integrated way

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

In December 2013, the Council of the European Union adopted a Recommendation on Effective Roma Integration Measures in the Member States, which is the first EU legal instrument for Roma inclusion.

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Common Basic Principles on Roma Inclusion

constructive, pragmatic and non-discriminatory policiesexplicit but not exclusive targetinginter-cultural approachaiming for the mainstreamawareness of the gender dimensiontransfer of evidence-based policiesuse of EU instrumentsinvolvement of regional and local authoritiesinvolvement of civil societyactive participation of Roma/Travellers

What can you do? Challenge stereotypes

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Organise a film screening of “A People Uncounted – The Untold Story of the Roma.

Contact info@pavee.ie to get the film sent out to you

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

International Roma Day

Tuesday 8 April4pm in Pavee PointOpened by Dil WickremhasingheMusic by Matej Makulova and Vlato Gunar

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

RSVP to michelle.mallon@pavee.ie

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre

Thank You!

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre