Gypsy Roma Traveller GRT Cultural Awareness Bristol Prevention
Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) Cultural Awareness Bristol Prevention Network Meeting Tuesday 22 nd March 2016
Introduction �Tom Gilchrist: GRT Strategic Lead and Service Manager of Private Housing & Assessable Homes �Heather Mundy: Service Coordinator BCC GRT �Steve Hearsey: BCC Traveller Site Manager and Community Liaison
GRTs in the UK �In the UK there are different groups: Gypsy, Roma, Travellers. There a lot of similar problems they all face. For example welfare problems, access to health services, low achievement in education and discrimination. However they have different cultural identities and lifestyle.
Definition of Terms: What do the terms “Gypsy” and “Traveller” mean? These terms include: �Romany Gypsies �Welsh Gypsies �Scottish Travellers �Travellers of Irish heritage �New Travellers �Roma �Fairground families, Showpeople and Circus People �Boat People and other boat dwelling people
Ethnic Travellers Romany (English) Gypsies: � Have been in Britain since 16 th century after migrating from continental Europe � Early settlers in Britain believed to be Egyptian (due to their dark complexion and cultural dress) � Origins can be traced back to 400 a. d. from northwest India Irish Travellers: � Are a nomadic group with a distinctive way of life and have been part of Irish society for centuries. � Romany immigrants who reached Ireland found a strong group of Travelling traders established, using a Celtic language called Shelta. Their modern language, which consists of some Romany dialectal, is called Gamon, or Cant language. Roma: � Roma often come to the UK from Eastern / central Europe � Also originated from northwest India around 1, 000 years ago � The largest minority ethnic group in Europe with estimates of 10 million � Roma households typically reside in private housing not caravans
History and Culture Middle East NW India
Non-Ethnic Travellers: �New Travellers or New (Age) Travellers �Boat People �Showpeople or Fairground Travellers �Circus People
GRTs in the UK �There is very little data available which provides a reliable estimate of GRT living in the UK. �A mapping survey undertaken by European Dialogue for Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009) and University of Salford’s report “Migrant Roma in the UK”, (2013) estimated the minimum number of 50, 000 GRT living in the UK. However, community estimates range from 500, 000 to 1 million.
GRT Context The history of GRT groups has been in Britain for over 500 years. Gypsies and Travellers have lived in and around Bristol for hundreds of years, on former commons and open areas such as: �Emerson’s Green �Bradley Stoke �Patchway �Lawrence Weston. This is reflected in street names such as “Gypsy Lane” and “Gipsy Patch Lane”.
GRTs in Bristol In Bristol the different communities are geographically situated as follows: �Romany Gypsies families located mostly in South of City �Roma in EC Bristol: Estimates of 50 - 80 families (300 – 500 indiv. ) Roma residing in private housing often 15 - 20 people per household. �Irish Travellers predominately live in the North. �Many GRT living in council and/or private accommodation. 25% of the Gypsy/Traveller population in the SW reside in Bristol City area with only 5% residing in caravans.
Current Provision in Bristol • Residential Provision: 12 pitches of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation at South Liberty Lane. • Transit Provision: 20 transit pitches at St Anthony's Park, Avonmouth. • Showpeople: 16 plots on two sites; 14 plots on Lockes Yard, and 2 plots at Hartcliffe Way and Mile Hill, St George.
Amenity Block, Rose Meadow View
St Anthony’s Park, Transit Site
Culture & Tradition: Cultural Taboos �Gender �Age �Purity Laws �Romany Code of Justice �Illness and health taboos
Family Life �No sex before marriage �Tend to marry young-marriage seen as for life �Often have large families-cultural/religious issues around contraception �Male-dominated culture – ‘traditional’ family roles �Strong privacy code �Family is important and supportive
Health and Well-being �Health is generally poor, with a shorter life expectancy, even after adjusting for socio-economic status; life expectancy 50 years. �More likely to have a long-term illness, health problem or disability which limits daily activities or work (11% higher). �Deaths from respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and suicides were more markedly increased in GRTs compared to the general population.
�Higher prevalence of anxiety (28% compared to 4%); �Chronic Stress: negative effect on behaviour, reduces attention control, stimulates impulsiveness and damages the working memory. It has a negative effect on motivation and increases depression rates. �A child living in intensive stress causing environment tends to channel the stress through unacceptable behaviour at school. Children exposed to permanent stress usually demonstrate anger or are withdrawn and passive. To adults such a child might seem out of control, rude or lazy. Source: http: //reyn. blog. issa. nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Korak-po-korak-Reyn-brosura-Siromastvo 1 -ENG-preview-
Health and Well-being �High rates of depression and suicide. The suicide rates are 7 x higher than the general population (most common in young Traveller men aged 15 -25 and women). �Highest maternal death rate of any ethnic group �Higher prevalence of miscarriage (16% compared to 8%) �High rates of infant mortality: 5 X higher than the settled population (1 in 20 mothers will experience the loss of a child compared with 1 in 100 in the general population). Source: Twelves Company Research and Support
Safeguarding Concerns �Highly mobile population; �High rate of teenage pregnancies, especially in Roma; �Difficulty in accessing / engaging in services; �High rates of DVA; �Environmental constraints relating to home safety; �Issues relating to education and health.
What you see
What you don’t see Research shows that domestic abuse is a significant health issue for GRTs. Estimated that between 60% - 80% of women from travelling communities experience domestic abuse during their lives; compared to 25% of the wider female population. While many incidents of domestic abuse are perpetrated by husbands and intimate partners, other family members may be perpetrators of domestic abuse. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience DVA in their lifetime. Domestic abuse is accepted as normal for many women.
Domestic abuse is accepted as normal for many women. �This is a very hard to reach and vulnerable part of society who face discrimination on individual, institutional and societal levels. �The isolated nature of the communities can also lead to domestic abuse being seen as normal by successive generations of both men and women.
Barriers to accessing support �Trapped by culture (interpretations vary); �Poor literacy and education; �Distrust of the police and social services; �Fear of separation from family and friends; �GRTs are far less likely to report an incident or seek help. �Domestic abuse, often physical violence, impacts upon the victim’s mental health and upon their children.
Barriers to accessing support �Close-knit nature of GRT communities is supportive; �But can also act as a barrier to seeking help if a woman is unable to access services privately or is concerned that a community member may tell the perpetrator. Further accessibility issues: �Problematic access to telephones and transport; �Illiteracy (80% illiteracy rates) makes contacting services difficult; �Frequent movement impact victim’s knowledge/awareness of services and more likely to remain with the perpetrator(s). �When a victim decides to leave an abusive relationship they may also have to leave their whole community, which can mean leaving their culture and way of life and facing the prejudice of the settled population alone.
�There is a cultural resistance to engage with the police for fear of repercussions from within the GRT communities. �Experiences of racism/inequality discourages many victims from accessing mainstream services; �Lack of cultural understanding among professionals. �Frontline services which may be able to identify cases of domestic abuse (i. e. GPs) are not always accessible. �Research has found evidence of large numbers of GPs who will not accept GRT onto their practice lists. �Due to these barriers it makes seeking help even more difficult for GRT victims.
Barriers to Accessing Services �Mobility / Travel Patterns �Cultural Constraints and/or Priorities �Familiarity / Geographical Isolation �Lack of Support Networks / Peer Group �Site Provision �Poor Health �Safety / Security �Shortage of Spaces / �Parental Roles Waiting List �Communication Barriers / Literacy Handout 1: Barriers to Accessing Services
Purpose in supporting GRTs Our vision is to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence by challenging behaviours and attitudes and intervening early to prevent it. Where adults and children are at risk or are experiencing domestic/sexual violence or abuse, appropriate support will be made available to them to enable them to deal with their situation, including providing them with a safe and secure environment in which to live.
GRT Drop-ins response to DVA 1. Create a coherent and culturally relevant approach to support, centralizing victim safety; 2. Enhance partnership working; 3. Improve GRT monitoring and tracking system(s); 4. Ensure a supportive community infrastructure for GRTs experiencing DVA; 5. Providing sanctions and rehabilitation opportunities for GRT perpetrator/ abusers; 6. Evaluate the coordinated community response from the standpoint of victim safety (taking culture into account).
Why Children’s Centres? �Early year practitioners often become like Key Workers linking families to other agencies in much the same way that other Key Workers bring together health, social care and other agencies to support the integration of children’s services at the heart of the Governments old ECM Agenda. �Crucial to this linking role is the relationship between the family and the Key Worker.
A relationship based on trust enables a shared understanding to emerge, thus reducing the likelihood of a clash of expectations and priorities, which will not be supportive for the child. Relationships of trust are more likely to develop into partnerships with parents.
Outreach �Visits to families in the catchment area within two months of the child’s birth; �Activities to raise community awareness, particularly among disadvantaged groups; �Coordinated programme of home visits; �Systems for referring / signposting families to further services (direct face-to-face promotion of services is essential rather than through literature and postal info); �Where possible, Key Worker System or those with special cultural knowledge and interest in the communities they are supporting.
Prospective Projects �Traveller’s Crufts; �GRT Radio Show; �Police job-shadowing opportunities (Police Stables); �GRT Drop-in (4 Area community-led projects); �MOM (Mental Health and Cultural Support).
National Support for Roma Support Group (National Charity for Roma) Email: info@romasupportgroup. org. uk Telephone: 0794 908 9778 or 020 7511 8245 The Aire Centre A charity that promote awareness of European law rights and assist marginalised individuals and those in vulnerable circumstances to assert those rights by: �Taking cases to the European Court of Human Rights �Providing legal advice to other lawyers and advisers in the voluntary sector �Providing legal advice to individuals directly �Carrying out training and drafting reports and other publications.
GRT Police Lead T/Chief Inspector 476 Cosgrove, Operation Planning Department, Catch and Disrupt, Police Headquarters, PO Box 37, Valley Road, Portishead, BS 20 8 QJ. Tel: 01275 816845 Ext: 66845 Mob: 07788 356 350
BCC’s GRT Contact Details Steve Hearsey: Traveller Site Manager (Mon – Fri) (0117 92 24272 ( 07795 445958 : Steve. hearsey@bristol. gov. uk Heather Mundy: GRT Service Coordinator (Mon – Fri) (0117 92 24770 ( 0787 91 17779 : Heather. mundy@bristol. gov. uk
Surrounding LA Contacts Bath Gypsy, Traveller & Boater Outreach and Engagement Sam Worrall (01225 354650 : samw@julianhouse. org. uk : www. julianhouse. org. uk North Somerset: Traveller Advisory Teacher Rachel Ballin ( 01275884895 : Rachel. Ballin@n-somerset. gov. uk South Gloucester: Specialist Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service Jo Mckean and Nicky Rice (01454 868473 : nicky. rice@southglos. gov. uk : Jo. Mc. Kean@southglos. gov. uk
Questions?
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