Travellers, Gypsies and Roma are suffering widespread prejudice and discrimination across the UK, according to a report submitted to the United Nations (UN). The communities face difficulties getting jobs, finding schools for their children, accessing benefits and identifying stopping sites at which to stay.
An alliance of nine organisations has set out a catalogue of complaints in a report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR). The submission blames societal prejudice and inequalities in housing, health, employment and education.
In the 2021 census 71,440 people (0.12% of the population) gave their ethnic group as Gypsy or Irish Traveller and 103,020 (0.20%) of the population gave their ethnic group as Roma.
Travellers face discrimination at work
Some 53% of Gypsies and Irish Travellers aged between 16 and 63 were economically inactive, compared to 25% of the general population, while Gypsy, Roma and Traveller men were significantly more likely than white British men to be in “precarious jobs”.
It points to a 2021 poll which found that 22% of respondents expressed discomfort with the idea of employing a Traveller or Gypsy while another survey showed that 48% of Gypsy, Traveller or Roma had suffered race hate in their jobs.
On accessing social security, it says that lower functional adult literacy, lower digital literacy (one in five have never used the internet), data poverty and marginalisation contribute to low awareness of entitlement to benefits.
Mental health impacts of societal prejudice
The report cites studies showing significantly higher rates of suicide among Gypsies and Irish Travellers than in the population generally.
It further claims that children in these communities experience racist bullying and suffer disproportionate rates of suspension and exclusion from schools. Gypsy, Travellers and Roma pupils have the lowest educational attainment of any ethnic group in the UK.
The organisations also accuse the police of using discriminatory powers, despite the courts ruling them illegal.
Traveller sites are scarce and poorly maintained
A chronic shortage of local authority sites for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma is exacerbating their problems in finding appropriate accommodation. “There has been a total failure at national level to accept responsibility for this issue”, the group charge.
The condition of many local authority sites presents serious health and safety risks because of vermin infestation, proximity to environmental hazards, fly tipping and leaks. Gypsies, Travellers and Roma are twice as likely to report bad or very bad health as the general population.
Government must act to end discrimination
The submission lists a raft of recommendations for national and local government action: employment law should address the issues of discrimination against Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, and secure equal pay across all ethnicities; there should be measures to ensure equal access to benefits; local councils should be compelled to meet the assessed need for sites and to tackle the environmental standards at sites.
