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Inequalities Experienced by Gypsy and Traveller Communities: a Review

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Inequalities Experienced by Gypsy and Traveller Communities: a Review Research report: 12 Inequalities experienced by Gypsy and Traveller communities: A review Sarah Cemlyn, Margaret Greenfields, Sally Burnett, Zoe Matthews and Chris Whitwell University of Bristol, Buckinghamshire New University, Friends Families and Travellers INEQUALITIES EXPERIENCED BY GYPSY AND TRAVELLER COMMUNITIES: A REVIEW Sarah Cemlyn1, Margaret Greenfields2, Sally Burnett3, Zoe Matthews3 and Chris Whitwell3 1University of Bristol 2Buckinghamshire New University 3Friends, Families and Travellers © Equality and Human Rights Commission 2009 First published Winter 2009 ISBN 978 1 84206 088 9 Equality and Human Rights Commission Research Report Series The Equality and Human Rights Commission Research Report Series publishes research carried out for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (the Commission) by commissioned researchers. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission. The Commission is publishing the report as a contribution to discussion and debate. Please contact the Research Team for further information about other Equality and Human Rights Commission’s research reports, or visit our website: Research Team Equality and Human Rights Commission Arndale House The Arndale Centre Manchester M4 3AQ Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0161 829 8500 Website: www.equalityhumanrights.com You can download a copy of this report as a PDF from our website: www.equalityhumanrights.com/researchreports CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY III 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. ACCOMMODATION AND EMPLOYMENT 5 2.1 Accommodation 5 2.2 Employment and economic inclusion 35 3. HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND SELF-HARM 48 3.1 Health 48 3.2 Substance abuse 63 3.3 Self-harm and suicide 77 4. EDUCATION, EARLY YEARS AND CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES 88 4.1 Education 88 4.2 Early years and play 111 4.3 Children’s experiences and leisure, play and youth provision 116 5. SOCIAL WORK AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 125 5.1 Social work 125 5.2 Domestic violence 136 6. CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND LEGAL SERVICES 147 6.1 Criminal justice and policing 147 6.2 Legal services 164 7. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, COMMUNITY COHESION AND RELIGION 170 7.1 Political participation 170 7.2 Community cohesion and community development 175 7.3 Religion 197 8. WALES AND SCOTLAND 202 8.1 Wales 202 8.2 Scotland 207 9. RACISM, HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER, AGE, DISABILITY AND SEXUAL 214 ORIENTATION 9.1 Racism, sedentarism and discrimination 214 9.2 Human rights 219 9.3 Gender issues 224 9.4 Ageism and older people 235 9.5 Disability 242 9.6 Sexual orientation 247 10. CONCLUSION 252 REFERENCES 257 GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS 321 APPENDICES 323 1. Methodology 323 2. List of people and organisations who responded to the consultation 331 3. Topic guide for consultation 332 4. Topic guide for consultation (community group version) 341 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks are due to the following people for their invaluable assistance with this report: Consultation respondents Susan Alexander Travellers Aid Trust (TAT) Father Gerard Barry HM Prison, Full Sutton Sue Cullen Shelter Penny Dane Devon Racial Equality Council Caroline Dann Travellerspace Joanne Davis Health Visitor Jude Hawes Stoke CAB Alison Heine Town Planner Glen Hocken HM Prison Service Liz Hughes Shelter Michelle Lloyd Save the Children Liz Morgan Stonewall Iryna Pona Children's Society Michael Ridge Haringey Council Tony Thomson TAT and Friends Families and Travellers (FFT), and in his personal capacity as a Traveller Anthea Worthington National Association of Teachers of Travellers (NATT) Thanks are also due to Thomas Acton, Avon Consortium Traveller Education Service, Shirley Barratt, David Bates, Bob Dawson, Kerstin Deuling , Ingirid Deuling, Carol Ellison, Janette Grönfors, Debbie Harvey, Jo Heaton, Frances Heywood, Lynda Howells, Arthur Ivatts, Yvonne McNamara, Sinead Maguire, Afrodita Marcu, Pat Niner, Bernie O'Rourke, Patricia Reynolds, Jo Richardson, Greg Yates and the other individual Gypsies, Travellers and Showpeople who have shared their stories with us and support groups / agencies that have sent in suggestions for contacts or copies of reports in their possession. Especial thanks are due to Andrew Nocon and also to his i colleagues Sue Coe, Sean Risdale and Alexis Wright at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). We must apologise if we have inadvertently missed anyone else out: do get in touch to let us know, so that we can correct the online version of this report. ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Gypsy and Traveller communities in Britain experience wide-ranging inequalities. These are familiar to the communities themselves and to those working with them. However, published research evidence does not address all the problems in equal depth. The aim of this report is to draw together the evidence from across a wide range of Gypsies' and Travellers' experiences in order to set out clearly the full extent of the inequalities and discrimination. The review and evaluation of existing evidence in turn provide a basis for action to address the inequalities, including on issues which the policy agenda often neglects. Formal evidence on some aspects of inequality and exclusion is lacking. The study also involved a consultation with experts from both within and outside Gypsy and Traveller communities: this supplemented the review of published research. The review covers Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers, Welsh Travellers, Scottish Gypsy / Travellers, New Travellers and Occupational Travellers (including Showpeople). For ease of reference, the report will hereafter refer to these groups as 'Gypsies and Travellers'. Case law has established that the Race Relations Acts and Race Equality Duty cover the majority of these groups. The legislation does not protect New Travellers or Occupational Travellers in the same way, although they experience many of the same inequalities and much of the planning guidance applies to them too. Equality legislation in Wales applies to all citizens, without reference to membership of specific groups: this ensures the inclusion of all groups. Throughout Britain, the inclusion of a Gypsy / Traveller category in the 2011 Census will both provide important data and highlight their ethnic identity. The review evaluates and discusses the available evidence on a range of subjects. These include: economic inclusion and access to employment; relationships with and experiences of accessing healthcare, social care, education and other public services; experiences of the legal and criminal justice systems; racism and discrimination; the situation of Gypsies and Travellers in housing; political participation; religious organisations' work with members of the communities; and experiences across the lifecourse, including those of young people and older people. One core theme which arises across all topics is the pervasive and corrosive impact of experiencing racism and discrimination throughout an entire lifespan and in employment, social and public contexts. Existing evidence, including from the consultation, highlights high rates of anxiety, depression and at times self-destructive behaviour (for example, suicide and / or substance abuse). These are, on the face of the evidence, responses to 'cultural trauma' produced by the failings of 21st century iii INEQUALITIES EXPERIENCED BY GYPSY AND TRAVELLER COMMUNITIES British society and public bodies' failure to engage in an equitable manner with members of the communities. Having reviewed the strength of the evidence of the prejudice and discrimination faced by Gypsies and Travellers, the authors of the report were surprised that more members of the Gypsy and Traveller communities had not succumbed to negativity, and remained resilient in the face of what are often multiple and complex forms of exclusion. This summary presents only an outline of some of the key topics: the full report sets these out in more detail. Accommodation The lack of suitable, secure accommodation underpins many of the inequalities that Gypsy and Traveller communities experience. Planning policy has shifted away from publicly owned sites, which local housing authorities administer, to self-provision by the communities themselves. Disputes arise though, often utilising explicitly racist discourse, when Gypsies and Travellers apply for planning permission to develop a site on land they have purchased privately. Opposition from local residents frequently leads to local authorities turning down planning applications, though many are successful on appeal. In addition to private site development, the Government has allocated substantial sums to local housing authorities to develop new sites or refurbish old ones; however, the extent to which local authorities and registered social landlords access such grants, varies considerably across areas and is often dependent upon political will and changing local circumstances. Evidence is now available about the extent of provision and unmet need, as a result of the requirement for housing authorities to carry out formal accommodation assessments. These highlight a considerable shortfall in the quantity of residential and transit accommodation available to Gypsies and Travellers who do not wish to reside in conventional housing. Provision on a minority of sites is of good quality. On others however, the location of sites can be poor (for instance, under motorways or next to sewage works). Other problems include health hazards (such as contamination by vermin), decayed
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