Travellers and Consanguinity
Many people express curiosity about Travellers marrying cousins. Some people are inclined to make judgments on this or even condemn it. It is important therefore to put this in proper context. In a global context consanguinity is a common feature. It is widely favoured in North and sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and West, Central and much of South Asia. These regions have a combined population of over 720 million with a significant incidence of consanguineous marriages (between 20 - 50% of all marriages)1. However in Western Europe it is less common, although it is still a significant feature within Gypsy and Traveller culture.
In genetic terms consanguinity is defined as marriage between second cousins or closer. It is increasingly being addressed on the agendas of Traveller organisations for a variety of reasons. Firstly health is now a key concern and priority for a growing number of Traveller organisations. With this focus on health inevitably discussion will take place on the incidence and effects of cousin marriage. Secondly, the past decade has witnessed the emergence and development of a number of Traveller organisations who work in partnership with Travellers and have their active participation. This has lead to a deepening trust in relations between Travellers and members of the majority population. Travellers have felt confident enough to begin to discuss this issue and to feel it will be dealt with in a sensitive and anti-racist way. Thirdly, there have been developments external to the Traveller community which are impacting on cousin marriage within their communities. Some bishops refuse to approve first cousin marriages in their diocese, with the result that Traveller families go to other areas of the country and even to England in order to marry their preferred choice. The bishops have appointed a Commission to look into this matter and to make recommendations.
Travellers are seeking information on consanguinity and we in the voluntary sector have a duty to inform ourselves in order not to give false information and to be able to refer Travellers to obtain accurate and helpful advice on the matter. Cousin marriage, of itself, is not necessarily harmful and it does not cause genetic disease. Only if both partners carry a mutant gene will their children be at an increased risk, with on average one child in four being affected. In Ireland, and Celtic peoples generally, mutant genes are present in the population, this is not the case in all populations. However, given the fact that Travellers have for successive generations chosen to marry within their own communities there is clearly an increased risk of a rare gene mutation occurring. Those of us who work with Travellers will have come across a higher than average incidence of certain diseases such as galactosomia, hurlers syndrome and deafness among Travellers. We need to address this and other relevant issues in sensitive ways and to avoid guilt-tripping or panic responses based on half-truths. In Pavee Point we would advocate the use of blood tests which are available and could identify some of these genes and with sensitive genetic counselling they could be isolated and hence reduce their prevalence in the community.
A second point is that consanguineous marriages will have little observed effect on the risk of having an affected child when the mutant gene causing the disease is common in the population. In Ireland a gene mutation causing cystic fibrosis is very prevalent in society, being carried by approximately 1 in 20 of the population. Therefore by random chance two unrelated carriers could marry and one in four of their children could be affected with the disease.
The Government-appointed Task Force on Travellers recommends that:
"the Department of Health should commission an in-depth analysis by independent experts of issues related to consanguinity in the Irish context, taking account of World Health Organisation (WHO) work in this area".
Pavee Point supports this but emphasises that such expertise needs to be deployed in close cooperation with Travellers themselves and Traveller organisations.
The Task Force also recommends that:
"Given that Travellers predominantly marry within their own community, marriage of close relatives is common. Accordingly, a specific, genetic counselling service to Travellers is required to address any risks associated with this"2.
These recommendations require immediate action.
Ronnie Fay,
December 1996
Newsletter
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1 Bittles, A H (1994), The Role and
Significance of Consanguinity as a Demographic Variable. Population and
Development Review, 20.
2 Report of the
Task Force on the Travelling Community, July 1995.