Press Release 21st July 2007
Deportation Notices an Inadequate Response to Roma Crisis
21st July 2007
Pavee Point notes that the government have issued deportation orders to the Roma families who have been living in intolerable conditions on the M50 roundabout at Ballymun for the last 2 months. While we are disappointed that this has been the only government response, we are not surprised said Ms. Ronnie Fay, Director of Pavee Point.
We are disappointed that the Government have still not indicated that emergency accommodation will be provided, even as a temporary interim measure prior to deportation. We understand it will be at least two weeks before the families can be deported after being served with deportation notices. In the event of an appeal against deportation by the families, this period could be much longer. We reiterate our call to provide emergency accommodation facilities to meet the humanitarian crisis we have seen unfolding over the last few weeks.
We are further disappointed that the Irish Government have not used this opportunity to comment on the conditions facing Roma in Romania that resulted in Roma families preferring to live on a muddy and dangerous roundabout in Ireland rather than return to the conditions that forced them to leave Romania in the first place.
There are numerous international reports from the Council of Europe to the OSCE which have highlighted the appalling conditions of the Roma and the failure of the Romanian (and other) governments to make substantive improvements in their conditions. These issues were meant to be addressed by the Romanian government prior to accession to the EU and they have been swept under the carpet by both the Romanian Government and EU governments, including Ireland. Today we call on the Irish government to play a leading role in putting pressure on the European Union to set up a Task Force to address Roma conditions throughout the EU.
We call on the Irish media to investigate and highlight the conditions of Roma in central and eastern Europe that provides the backdrop and the context for the issues facing Roma families in Ireland.
Further information: Ms. Ronnie Fay (01) 8780255
Related information:
- Opportunity for Ireland to Promote Human Rights Should Not be Missed - Crosscare
- Irish Traveller Movement supports Pavee Point in its role in highlighting humanitarian crisis of Roma at M50
- 26 July 2007 - Pavee Point Statement
- Statement from ATD Fourth World
- 24 July 2007 - Press Release: Roma Repatriation
- Romani CRISS reports and Photographs
- Statement by the Children's Rights Alliance: Roma Crisis
- 24 July 2007 - Point of clarification
- 23 July 2007 - Pavee Point rejects accusations of the Embassy of Romania in Ireland
- 23 July 2007 - Press Release: Response to the Statement from the Romanian Embassy
- Press release: Inhumane Living Conditions in Ireland- Not Acceptable, Action Demanded Now.
- Press Release June 07: Pavee Point and the Roma Support Group calls on Government to offer humane support to Roma Families camping on roundabout.
- Case Study: Rostas Family
- Statement from Anastasia Crickley of the the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
- Social Workers call for action to reunite children with parents. Press release from the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW)
- Social Workers call for government action on Roma family crisis in North Dublin
- Photographs from the scene at the Ballymun Roundabout
- Background context report by ERRC, Romania: State of Impunity Human Rights Abuse of Roma in Romania (PDF)
- Extract from Council of Europe/European Commission against Racism and Intolerence: Third Report on Roma
- Campaign Support: How to support the Roma