Ms Ann Irwin:

I will address a number of issues regarding the work of Community Work Ireland and the perspective that Ms Doyle and I share as non-Traveller members and supporters of the Traveller movement. We were both very involved in the Galway Traveller Movement when it was established in 1994. Despite developments in advancing the position of Travellers in Ireland, most notably the formal recognition of Traveller ethnicity and the more recent launch of the national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy, it is clear that little has changed for many Travellers. Travellers' experience of oppression, discrimination and racism is well documented and acknowledged nationally and internationally. While these themes will be discussed in the next session, the issues are pertinent and require specific attention when discussing the matter of Traveller participation in decision-making processes in the public sphere. As Ms Corcoran alluded to, such processes and the structures, committees and boards established to promote them are frequently reflective and representative of society at large and the attitudes and values that prevail. It is, therefore, not surprising that while some of the experiences of Travellers are positive, the majority can be characterised by Travellers not being listened to, tokenism, frustration and even experiences of obstruction, direct hostility, and expressions of prejudice and discrimination from non-Traveller committee members in a range of fora. We need to ask how people are appointed to decision-making committees, particularly those that affect Traveller lives at a local and national level. In many instances, there appears to be no prerequisite for members of these committees to have a track record in the promotion of equality and human rights. As mentioned, some are proactively anti-Traveller and hostile to progress with regard to Traveller rights.

We draw attention, as Mr. Joyce did, to the fact that representation by Travellers tends to be limited to Traveller-specific committees, issues and themes. We argue that this needs to change so that Traveller voices are heard in a variety of fora, dealing with a variety of themes, such as planning, arts, culture, climate change, etc. The committee will hear later from the National Traveller Women's Forum but we take this opportunity to highlight the need for a specific focus on Traveller women in the development of any programmes or policies seeking to promote the participation of Travellers. As highlighted by the National Traveller Women's Forum, Traveller women play a central role in Traveller society. Within the Traveller movement in Ireland, Traveller women have played a significant role in the development of Traveller organisations and made a valuable contribution to the improvement of lives of Travellers. Over the past ten years, a significant number of Traveller women have progressed from working in Traveller organisations in a voluntary capacity to a paid capacity, representing a significant and positive development for both Traveller women and Traveller organisations.

The national strategy for women and girls, the monitoring committee on which my colleague, Ms Doyle, sits, notes that if women are to change their circumstances fundamentally, they must have greater access to the levels of power across Irish society. We also need to ensure that disadvantaged women, older women, women with disabilities, Traveller and Roma women and migrant women can participate in key decisions concerning their lives. The strategy states that, in view of the historic under-representation of Traveller and Roma women in leadership positions, measures will specifically be taken to provide greater opportunities for Traveller and Roma women to participate in leadership, including in the community and voluntary sector.

I will pass over to Ms Doyle to talk about a short number of recommendations but, before I do, I have a note on the critical role that community development has played in the development of leadership within the Traveller community. As a number of my colleagues have already stated, community development is usually behind many of the Traveller leaders who have emerged over the past number of decades and we strongly suggest that specific support should be given to this.