Author: PaveeADMin

Our report, launched today, shows that mental health services for Travellers are inadequate and that there needs to be a much more targeted approach to combat a suicide rate that is 7 times the national average. Traveller Health Worker, Michael Collins speaking at today’s launch of the report ‘Young Pavees – their Mental Health Needs’ […]

 Patrick Reilly, of Pavee Point’s Violence Against Women Programme spoke today at the launch of its first Strategy Statement by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. He called on the Government for progress on human rights for Travellers highlighting Traveller ethnicity and accommodation rights. “More than a decade after the UN Committee on the […]

Pavee Point calls for a moratorium on evictions and on the use of Housing (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 2002 – Trespass Act – which can be used to confiscate property and prosecute Travellers on the side of the road. The issue of evictions is not unique to the Traveller community, but it is particularly acute for this group […]

Pavee Point calls on Environment Minister, Alan Kelly TD, to intervene as a matter of urgency to compel Louth County Council to provide alternative accommodation for 17 Traveller families evicted from a halting site in Dundalk today (15th January 2016) The families were evicted from a Traveller local authority halting site that had been decommissioned […]

Pavee Point is continuing its work with the Census office in the run up to the Census 2016 on the 24th of April. This week we delivered an information session to Central Statistics Office Regional Supervisors. These are the key people involved in the Census. They manage the 400 Census Field Supervisors (who then manage […]

“Recognising Travellers as a minority ethnic group would be a major step for Traveller children,” said Kathleen McDonnell, Pavee Point who is attending the  examination of Ireland’s report before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva today (14th Jan). “Every child has the right to have their culture respected and valued.  This is […]

This week’s decision by Judge Mary Larkin to jail 10 Traveller parents for failing to send their children to school highlights the importance of protecting education as a human right. Pavee Point is committed to the attainment of human rights for all Traveller and Roma children. All children have the right to an education and […]

Martin Collins of Pavee Point spoke today at the launch of ICCL’s ‘Your Rights. Right Now’ – a new audit on Ireland’s human rights performance. The report endorsed  by 17 NGOs, trade unions and civil society groups led to calls for the implementation of recommendations from the last review and further recognition of human rights. […]

This week’s Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) recommendation to move from universal to selective BCG vaccination against TB for high risk groups raises concerns.  A serious concern is that the Government acts to improve Traveller living conditions. Why are Travellers a High Risk Group? Firstly, it is important to understand why Travellers have been […]

Pavee Point’s Hilary Harmon held a workshop at INTO’s conference to review DEIS – Poverty and Social Inclusion in Education at the week-end. Hilary presented a workshop ‘Ensuring Inclusion:  The challenges for Traveller and Roma children in Education’ and highlighted the role that ethnic data can play in improving educational outcomes for all children including […]

Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland, Sec Gen of Council of Europe with Martin Collins, Pavee Point and Joe Jones, UK Gypsy  Council at COE meeting in Strasbourg. A new dialogue mechanism within the Council of Europe is giving Roma and Traveller initiatives working at national and local level a voice in Europe. “This shows new energy and […]

President Michael D. Higgins gave an inspiring speech at Pavee  Point today (18th November) at our 30th Anniversary celebration.  The President spoke with emotion about the discrimination and racism that Travellers experience  and recalled when Travellers were segregated in school classrooms and school yards. He said the recent Carrickmines fire tragedy raised important issues for […]

Photo: Patrick Reilly, Pavee Point with John Connors and Helen Hutchinson at ‘Lived Lives: a Pavee Perspective “Suicide in Ireland is at epidemic proportions.  In the Traveller community it’s like a plague and seems to be infectious,” said John Connors Love/Hate actor and Traveller when he launched the exhibition ‘Lived Lives: A Pavee Perspective’ this […]

This week saw Traveller ethnicity debated for the first time in Dáil Eireann and gave rise to a passionate plea from Equality Minister Aodhán O Riordáin to move away from ‘focus group equality’ to stand by the truth.  “The truth is that the Travelling community in this State, in this Republic are a distinct ethnic […]

Traveller Groups today (Nov 3rd) walked out of a Government conference in protest at lack of progress on Traveller accommodation.   The conference was organised for Local  Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committees (LTACCs) who said today they are being stonewalled in their work by local representatives who represent a racist agenda.  LTACCs were set up to […]

Today (Oct 29th)  is a big day for Geraldine and Annmarie McDonnell (pictured with Professor Philip Nolan) who pick up the parchment to say they graduate from Maynooth University. The graduation ceremony takes place in the Aula Maxima and both are graduating in an honours degree programme – Bachelor of Arts Community and Youth Work. […]