News Archives - Page 29 of 36

Call for new Action Plan Against Racism on International Day Against Racism

Fifteen years ago the Durban Declaration stated the prime responsibility for combating racism lay with Governments. Today to mark International Day Against Racism Martin Collins calls for a new National Action Plan Against Racism. For any plan against racism to work we need to know the situation for minority ethnic groups so that is why […]

Kilkenny Travellers to go to the High Court for their Horses

Good news from the Kilkenny Traveller Community Movement who have secured the right to appeal the seizure of 29 horses as part of Operation Storm on the 17th of February. Their case will now go to the High Court. ‘This is only the first step,” says Bernard Power of the Kilkenny Traveller Movement. Read their […]

Traveller Women Speak at Maynooth University to mark #IWD2016

Tessa Collins, Pavee Point’s Violence Against Women Programme and Kathleen Lawrence, Pavee Point’s Traveller Primary Health Care Project and Maria Joyce of the National Traveller Women’s Forum are speaking today at Maynooth University’s one-day conference to mark International Women’s Day 2016. Tessa and Kathleen are speaking about the role of Community Development in advancing the […]

Equal Steps for International Women’s Day

Pavee Point kicked off its Equal Steps challenge today – International Women’s Day. Each team within the organisation has a chance of winning a prize by taking steps to improve the gender balance within their own work in Pavee Point and with organisations outside Pavee Point. Chart the Road to Equal Steps […]

120 Winners at Traveller Runamuck Challenge

There was great sunshine – within and without – for the Traveller Men’s Action Plan Runamuck challenge today (5th of March). The men gathered to meet and get organised. There was a rousing speech from Martin Collins and then it was on the road. Everyone did the necessary and got down and dirty. It was […]

ALL Traveller Discrimination Cases should be heard at Workplace Commission

Pavee Point welcomes calls by legal rights organisation FLAC and the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) for ALL Traveller discrimination cases to be heard at the new Workplace Relations Commission The ECRI notes in a new publication the establishment of Ireland’s new Workplace Relations Commission but says that the exclusion from the […]

Political Party Promises on Travellers

This is what the political parties promise Travellers in their Election Manifestos: Fianna Fail “Although very significant improvements have been made over the last fifteen years, there remain serious issues with regards educational disadvantage for children from the Traveller community. Fianna Fáil is committed to ensuring that Traveller children secure top quality education, to include […]

INCLUDE – 7 Priorities for Travellers in #GE16

National Traveller organisations have joined together to call on candidates and voters alike to INCLUDE Traveller priorities in this month’s General Election.

Travellers – Time to counter deep-rooted hostility Nils Muiznieks

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks, makes a strong statement on Travellers and Roma in the wake of the Carrickmines fire tragedy while this week the Council of Europe Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues visits Dublin to inform themselves on the empowerment and participation of Roma and Travellers. STRASBOURG 04/02/2016 In October […]

UN ‘deeply concerned’ at discrimination against Traveller and Roma children

Recommendations released today by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) urge the Irish state to address discrimination against Traveller and Roma children and to recognise Travellers as a minority ethnic group. A third of the Committee’s recommendations focus specifically on Traveller and Roma children. The committee repeatedly highlighted their concerns about […]

100 Traveller men to Run a Muck for a good cause

Traveller Men’s Action Plan held its second planning session this week since its launch last December. Traveller men from the whole Eastern Region participated in this practical and positive event. The first part of the day saw over 35 Traveller men receiving various health screening checks and being introduced to many services working on men’s health […]

General Election 2016 – Six Points for Candidates

In General Election 2016 we are asking political parties and all election candidates to include these 6 points in their Election Manifestos: Establish a National Traveller Agency This Agency will co-ordinate and drive existing policy implementation across the areas of health, employment and education and effect positive impact on the crisis in Traveller living conditions […]

Up to 20 phone calls to get help – mental health support services inadequate for Travellers

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’ […]

Traveller Rights Highlighted at IHREC Launch

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 […]

2nd Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Launched

Pavee Point welcomes the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 launched on 20 January by Ms. Frances Fitzgerald T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality. Tessa Collins, Violence against Women worker in Pavee Point, said; “It is particularly welcome to see specific actions within the new Strategy that deal with improving the […]

Evicting Travellers Solves Nothing

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 condemns evictions of 17 families from Traveller halting site –

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 […]

Gearing Up for Census 2016 – April 24th

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 […]

UN Committee to hear that Traveller and Roma children’s rights need to be respected

“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 […]

School Absenteeism Case Highlights Education as a Human Right

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 […]