Press Release February 2005
25th February 2005
Irish Government Policy on Travellers under Scrutiny at United Nations
Next Wednesday and Thursday (2nd and 3rd March) the Irish Government will have to justify their treatment of Travellers when they report under the International Covenant for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in Geneva.
Representatives of Pavee Point Travellers Centre have provided background briefings and a detailed report to CERD committee members on the situation of Irish Travellers. In particular we have highlighted:
The Irish Government’s refusal to recognise Irish Travellers as a minority ethnic group (even though they are recognised as such in Britain and in Northern Ireland) and their failure to acknowledge that Travellers experience racism/racial discrimination
Travellers health status and the refusal of many GP’s to take them as patients and lack of government action on this issue
The high unemployment rate among Travellers (73%) and the fact that there is no national strategy to address this crisis
The fact that 2/3 of Travellers have left school by 15 years of age (National Census 2002)
The absence of institutional mechanisms to ensure agreed policy is implemented
Next week delegates from Pavee Point will attend the UN hearings to observe the Irish Government’s response to these and other issues raised in our detailed Shadow Report. (The full text of Pavee Point’s Shadow Report to CERD is available at: http://www.paveepoint.ie
Once again we call for the establishment of a new Statutory Traveller Agency to coordinate and where necessary enforce the implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force on the Travelling Community and other policies on Travellers.
Issued by Pavee Point Travellers Centre, 46 North Great Charles Street, Dublin 1. 01 8780255