{"id":1209,"date":"2014-11-21T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/21-11-2014-great-britain-survey-confirms-discrimination-but-perpetuates-biased-rroma-image\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:47:20","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:47:20","slug":"21-11-2014-great-britain-survey-confirms-discrimination-but-perpetuates-biased-rroma-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/21-11-2014-great-britain-survey-confirms-discrimination-but-perpetuates-biased-rroma-image\/","title":{"rendered":"21.11.2014 Great Britain: survey confirms discrimination, but perpetuates biased Rroma image"},"content":{"rendered":"

A survey conducted on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbehalf of Anglia Ruskin University and the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGroups, which interviewed 120 Rroma and Irish Travellers, confirms the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdiscrimination and exclusion of Rroma and Irish Travellers in the areas of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thealth care, access to education and the labour market, and indicates elevated \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlevels of infant mortality and lower life expectancies. However, due to the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvery small group of subjects it seems likely that only already marginalised Rroma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand Irish Travellers were interviewed for the survey. Of the 90,000 to 120,000 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma, who have been living integrated in England for generations, belonging to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tall social strata, not a word is said of in the study. The study seems \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconcentrated on the easily identifiable, marginalised Rroma and Irish \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTravellers, who only represent a part of these groups. The investigation is \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tunderstood as a critique of the Rroma policy of the British government, which \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tso far only undertook insufficient efforts to help the minority integrate \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuccessfully: \u201cNearly nine out of every \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t10 children and young people from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller background have \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuffered racial abuse and nearly two thirds have also been bullied or \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tphysically attacked. As a result many are scared to attend school. The infant \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmortality rate of Gypsies and Travellers is three times higher than the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnational average. The life expectancy of Gypsies and Travellers has been \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\testimated to up to 12 years shorter than that of the general population. They \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tare significantly more likely to have a long-term condition and suffer poorer \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thealth. Gypsies and Travellers use mainstream health services less than other \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmembers of the population because of practical difficulties, such as complex \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprocedures for registering and making use of services. Traditional occupations \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuch as scrap metal dealing are being made more difficult or disappearing \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taltogether due to Government policies. Roma are often exploited by gang masters.\u201d<\/em> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn addition to the one-sided focus of the study on a marginalised minority of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe minority, it is must be criticised that one didn\u2019t deal precisely enough \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twith terminologies and cultural explanations. While the distinction between \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIrish Travellers with European roots and Rroma with Indian origins made, the differentiation \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbetween \u201cGypsies\u201d in opposite to \u201cRroma\u201d and \u201cIrish Travellers\u201d remains \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tunclear. Moreover, the claim that clan chiefs often exploit Rroma is the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treproduction of a popular prejudice about Rroma. Rroma are not organised in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thierarchical clans, but structured largely egalitarian (compare Lane\/ Spencer\/Jones \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2014).<\/p>\n