News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

Travellers: A Traveller's life

22 October 2012
4 minute read

Gypsies and Travellers are among the most excluded ethnic groups in society. Elaine Okyere finds out what it is like growing up as part of a minority.

"I don’t tell people at school that I’m a Traveller because I know I would get picked on," says Rachel, 12, from central Scotland. "You have to act differently when you’re at school. You’re frightened that if they find out, you won’t get left alone. "

For most young Gypsies and Travellers, discrimination is an everyday issue. Whether they are popping into a shop, or just hanging around with friends, they are often treated with derision and suspicion. Karen Carrick, a development worker at Save the Children in Scotland, says research shows nine out of 10 young people have experienced discrimination. "Often it’s on a daily basis," she says.

School’s out

Ofsted estimates that in England there are about 12,000 secondary school-aged Gypsies and Travellers not registered at school. They are also among the ethnic groups most likely to struggle at school. According to the Department for Education and Skills’ figures for 2005, 33 per cent of Irish Traveller pupils and 22 per cent of Gypsy pupils did not sit their Key Stage 3 English exams by the time they were 14, compared with a national average of four per cent.

For Charmaine, 15, from Leeds, discrimination played a large part in her decision to leave school when she was 13. Charmaine says: "I was getting bullied for being a Gypsy and I didn’t want to go back."

Charmaine originally left school at 11 because she was verbally abused by her classmates and felt excluded. But when she tried to return to school at 13 she found it even more difficult to fit in. She says: "I didn’t feel comfortable, there was nobody there that I knew."

However, after attending Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (Leeds GATE), an independent charity run by Gypsies for Gypsies, Charmaine is now training to become a receptionist. She says she is thriving in her new role. "Before I started this job I never really knew how to use a computer," she says.

"If it wasn’t for Leeds GATE I would just be sitting at home."

Violet Tucker, deputy director of Leeds GATE, says the majority of the young people she works with leave school at 11 because they believe they can earn a living without qualifications. "They think there is little point in getting an education if no employers will employ you once they find out that you live on a site or when you don’t have water to drink for that day," she says. "Our project is based on getting them to value education and build their confidence."

For some young Gypsies and Travellers, the constant moving can make attending school difficult. Shannon, 11, from Tayside in Scotland, lives with her family in a caravan and used to travel throughout the year. She says: "When I go to a new school, I’ve got to make friends and it’s very hard."

Gypsies and Travellers are rarely included as separate racial groups in studies, so there is no reliable data on the population of Gypsies and Travellers in the UK. A lack of information means little is known about the provision of local services for the community and, as a result, the needs of these groups tend to be overlooked.

Racism

Last year, Ormiston Children’s & Families Trust published a report entitled Children’s voices: changing futures, which recorded the experiences of young Gypsies and Travellers.

Camille Warrington, author of the report, says: "The young people were aware of racism towards Gypsies and Travellers. In group work and improvisations the fact of being a Traveller or Gypsy was seen as something they needed to hide."

The report highlighted how society needed to challenge the misrepresentation of Gypsy and Traveller culture within schools and the community and give young Gypsies and Travellers opportunities to learn more about their heritage.

"There’s a lot of ignorance about what it means to be a Gypsy or Traveller," says Warrington. "The misrepresentations of the community in newspapers and the media are things that young people remember."

Despite the prejudice and discrimination, George, 14, from the Scottish Highlands, says he enjoys the Traveller lifestyle. "I like the freedom of moving around and seeing the countryside," he says. "I just wish people would understand that we are no different; we just live our lives differently."

STATS AND FACTS

– There are no official figures for the number of Gypsies and Travellers in the UK, but it is estimated there are between 200,000 and 300,000

– Gypsy and Irish Traveller children, particularly of secondary age, have much lower levels of school attendance than pupils from other groups. The Department for Education and Skills recorded there are 4,000 Irish Traveller pupils and 6,500 Gypsy/Roma pupils in school in England

– Twenty-two per cent of Irish Traveller pupils and 14 per cent of Gypsy/Roma pupils gained five or more A* to C grade GCSEs in 2005, compared with the national average of 54.9 per cent

Sources: DfES report Ethnicity and Education and Commission for Racial Equality report Gypsies and Travellers: A strategy for the CRE, 2004-2007.

Help us share the news about Romas
Trending now icon