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Romany (Gypsies) and Travellers

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Romany (Gypsies) and Travellers Romany (Gypsies) and Travellers Federation of Cale/Kale, Manouches, Romany & Sinti Women février 2011 Definition of Terms • Endonyme – a name given • Exonyme – a name given by a community for to a community by themselves people outside of the For example, Romanies is a name that historically the community British Romani community For example, Gypsies is a gives for itself name that historically the For example, Manouche is a English majority society name that historically the French Romani community calls the Romani gives for itself community For example, Cale is a name For example, Gitane is a that historically the Spanish name that historically Romani community gives for itself Spanish majority society has called the Romani community in Spain Gypsies - Gypsy / Gypsies is an exonyme. The term Gypsy is believed to be a corruption of the word Egyptian. When the Romani people left India between 1000-1200 , they travelled from India through from Asia and across Europe - Gypsy/Gypsies was first given to the Romani people by the Greeks (around 1500) who thought the Romani people were Egyptians (Aigyptioi) The arrival of the Romani people in Western Europe was seen as arrivals of ‘Egyptians’. They were called by majority society ‘Egyptians’. - This later became ‘Gypsies’. In Spain, the name Gitane/Gitanos, is also derived from the exonyme ‘Egyptian’ The Romani people • There are Romani branches, notably in Western Europe, who do not historically call themselves Roma: for example, the Sinti , the Cale, the Kale, and Kaale, and the Romanies. These names are all endonyms - they are Romani names for the Romani branches. • All of these branches are part of the Romani people who have a common origin (India); a common language (Romani based on the Indian Sanskrit); a common heritage and tradition. The Romani people are the largest minority in Europe, between 12,000 to 15,000 million people. The principal Western European Romani Branches The migration of the Romani people Kaale – in Finland Sinti – in Nordic countries Kale (from Spain Romanies in Britain 1500-1600) to Sinti – in, Dutch and the south Manouches / Sinti German –speaking England / Wales in France, Belgium countries Sinti – in northern Cale in Italy Spain/Portugal • The Romani people are principally divided into 4 main branches in Europe: The Roma (85%); the Sinti and Manouches (4%), the Cale (10%), the Romanies (0,5%) • Around 96% of the Romani people are sedentary. Romani organisations can use: - Exonyme (non-romani) – for example: The Gypsy Council in the United Kingdom The Fundación Secretariado Gitano in Spain - a combination of non-Romani (exonyme) and Romani (endonyme) - for example: Federation of Romany-Gypsy Associations Cali in Spain Romany (Gypsy) organisation in the UK - only Romani names (endonyme) - for example: Roma, Sinti & Kale Women’s organisation f Femmes roms, sinté & kalé (France) Who are the Travellers? The Travellers are a socio-economic group -their work is based on a travelling lifestyle. They are often self-employed. Travellers do different types of work which requires mobility – in the construction industry, road repairing, selling goods at different market places, fairs, seasonal work, horse dealers, gardening, etc. Travellers play an important role in the economic structure of a number of Western European countries – for example, France, UK, Ireland, Belgium Travellers (+ Ethnic Minorities) Some Travellers are also part of an ethnic minority: For example, there are Travellers who are members of the Western European Romani minority: • in France, some Travellers (Voyageurs) are also Manouches – a Romani branch (not all Manouches are Travellers and not all Travellers are Manouches – pas tous les Manouches sont des Voyageurs et pas tous les Voyageurs sont des Manouches) • in the UK, some of the Romany (Gypsies), also called Romanies have a travelling lifestyle, (not all Romanies are Travellers and not all Travellers are Romanies) Travellers + Ethnic minorities (cont’d) • In Ireland (and in the UK), Irish Travellers are an ethnic minority. They are not related to the Romany (Gypsy) ethnic minority. Irish Travellers are a Celtic people. • Irish Travellers do not have the same origin, or the same language, culture or ethnic traditions as the Romani minority. • In Switzerland and France, the Yenish (Jenish) are a Travelling community. They are another ethnic minority which a separate minority from the Irish Travellers and from the Romani minority. • The countries with a significant Travelling communities are the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, and Switzerland. Council of Europe - The Council of Europe practice was to use the term ‘Roma/Gypsies’ until 2005 - After 2005, the name ‘Travellers’ began to be used instead of ‘Gypsies’. - The Council of Europe administrative division responsible – the ‘Roma and Gypsies division’ – became the ‘Roma and Travellers division’. - Under the new terms of reference adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 12 July 2006, the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies (MG-S-ROM) was renamed the Committee of Experts on Roma and Travellers The European Commission • In the 2010 publication on “Ethnic Minority and Roma Women in Europe: A Case for Gender Equality?”, the European Commission refers to Gypsies and Travellers in their reports and documentation • This is because in the United Kingdom both terms Gypsies and Travellers exist and are used in different ways: • Gypsies (also known as Romany Gypsies) in this report refer to the Romani minority in the UK (who can be sedentary or not sedentary) – there are Scottish Gypsies and Welsh Gypsies who are also part of the Romani minority. • Travellers in this report refer to the non-sedentary communities who are not of Romani origin, such as the Irish Travellers. United Kingdom (UK) – Gypsy Travellers / Romany Traveller / Romany Gypsies • In the UK, most of the Romany (Gypsy) community is sedentary - around 20% of the Romany (Gypsy) community in the UK is non-sedentary. • The Romany community is referred to in different ways: Romanies, Romany (Gypsies), or as Gypsies . • However, the press, the media, elected officials and many members of majority society confuse the Romany (Gypsy) community with the Irish Traveller and communities – calling both these communities Gypsies. The Situation of the Romany (Gypsy) and Traveller communities in the UK As established by government and Human Rights organisations: • “Gypsies and Travellers face the most serious disadvantages of all ethnic minority groups with a much shorter life expectancy, low income and poor access to finance.” • “Their children have high mortality rates and the lowest educational attainment.” Communities and Local Government, UK 2011. Gypsy Council Report to the Council of Europe - 2010 “The Gypsy and Traveller communities of the United Kingdom, have (like almost every other Romani and Traveller community in Europe) been excluded from the UK main stream society, although they have been documented as existing in the UK for hundreds of years”. “The Gypsy and Traveller communities (sedentary and non-sedentary) experience hostility and discrimination in housing (accommodation – either sedentary or non- sedentary), employment, access to health, education etc.” 1. Accommodation Lack of suitable and adequate accommodation for the Romani and Traveller communities Local authorities often place Romany (Gypsy) and Traveller sites in England near rubbish dumps, sewage works or noisy industrial facilities. Romany (Gypsy) and Traveller individuals and communities refuse to live in polluted and isolated places and try to buy their own land Romany (Gypsy) and Traveller are often met with hostility from the local inhabitants and elected politicians in the areas when they try to live on the land that they have bought – and they also face hostility from neighbours when they live in houses (many hide their ethnic identity) Hostility of local inhabitants and elected representatives (schools) Some of the occurrences with the presence of Gypsies or Travellers in an area: Sometimes local inhabitants take their children out of the schools and put them in other schools away from the Gypsy or Traveller children who have moved to the area The schools then close because there are not enough children or the school remains open but the school only has Gypsy and Traveller children because the other children have been taken out of the schools Hostility of local inhabitants towards Romany (Gypsies) and Travellers • The local people block the area so that the Gypsies and Travellers cannot move in to the land (often land the Gypsies and Travellers have bought legally and is their own land.) • The local inhabitants demonstrate openly against the Romany (Gypsies) and Travellers and demand that the Mayor evicts them, even if the Romany (Gypsies) and Travellers are legally on their own property Discrimination in Housing – Difficult for Romanies (Romany Gypsy) and Irish Travellers to obtain land • Local government and local inhabitants do not want Romanies or Irish Travellers near them • As a result 90% of applications for land (terrain), to put a house or a caravan on, are rejected by the Local Municipality, if the applicants are Romanies or Irish Travellers • When the applications for land (terrain) are from non-Romani or non-Traveller people, then nearly 100% of the applications are accepted by Local Municipalities Even if Romanies and Irish Travellers are legally allowed to stay on the land which is their property • The local inhabitants often block where
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