Intersectionality

Picking up a theme highlighted in section one above (integration the new remit of the Department), three submissions specifically picked up the intersectional issues facing the Traveller and Roma Communities (Pavee Point, LGBT Ireland and AI). Pavee Point recommended that the National Action Plan Against Racism recognise the intersectionality of race with other issues relating to inequality and discrimination. In relation to gender, Pavee Point welcomed references to Traveller and Roma women within the actions of the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020. However, they recommended a series of improvements to the implementation plan, including “clear gendered targets, robust resources and prioritising by key agencies”. They argued for investment in and prioritisation of: “the social determinants of Traveller and Roma women’s health”. Pavee Point argued that the Roma needs assessment data from 2018 indicates that: “24% of women do not access health services while pregnant”, and that the All Ireland Traveller Health Study from 2010 indicated that the “infant mortality rate for Travellers is 3.7 times the national rate”.

LGBT Ireland, meanwhile, noted that LGBTI+ people who are Travellers or Roma may “face multiple discrimination and marginalisation”. They recommended that “targeted measures” meet these “intersectional needs”.

Four submissions referenced the specific needs of children and young people from the Traveller and Roma communities (TVG, Cork; TEJP; Pavee Point and NTP). TVG, Cork argued that youth work provision in Cork is insufficient to meet the needs of Traveller young people in the city. The TEJP urged the Department to discuss educational disadvantages faced by Traveller and Roma children. Pavee Point, meanwhile, highlighted that the demographic characteristics of the Traveller and Roma communities differ from that of the general population. Both the NTP and Pavee Point referenced 2016 census data which indicated that Travellers are much younger on average than the general population, with 63% of Travellers being under age 25 compared to 35% in the general population.