Senator Eileen Flynn, a member of the Traveller community, expressed a recurring fear of societal “rejection”. Frequent worries about experiencing rejection are a common concern for her, particularly when venturing out socially. This sentiment was shared during a discussion at an Oireachtas committee meeting that took place on a recent Thursday.
Flynn commented on the spike in hatred in recent years, remarking that those within the white settled population often aren’t cognizant of it. The committee was focusing its attention on the challenges Travellers face when seeking appropriate housing. Flynn shared her passionate appeal for better support for Travellers in combatting racism during presentations made by the Free Legal Advice Centres (Flac) and the Community Law and Mediation (CLM) service.
She voiced her belief that one really must belong to the Traveller community to understand the volume of discrimination and hatred they endure, including problems regarding accommodation. Flynn further stated that she doesn’t believe the necessary services to tackle discrimination are adequately available.
She shared her opinion that there is limited support available for Travellers looking to make a discrimination claim. Flynn vouched for a greater provision of free legal services for minority groups dealing with discrimination.
She expressed her belief that the demand for such services, namely CLM and Flac, is significant in Ireland, given the increased levels of racism and discrimination towards Travellers. She added that the situation isn’t just worsening for Travellers, but also for other minority communities.
She talked about how minorities are usually hesitant to file complaints and stand up for their rights. She detailed personal experiences of being shadowed whilst shopping, merely because she belongs to the Traveller community. Flynn is aware of how much such intimidation can affect a person’s self-esteem and overall wellbeing.
Flynn professed her fervour on these matters, acknowledging that white settled individuals often fail to see things from the minority perspective. At 34-years-old, and serving as a public representative, she still often feels apprehensive and concerned about societal rejection when socialising in her native Donegal. She emphasised just how dejecting it is to live under the constant apprehension, scared of societal rejection.
Housing legal expert Mary Heavey from CLM points out a significant gap in the provision of legal support for the Traveller community, particularly on housing matters. Insufficient accessibility to temporary lodgings from local bodies is causing a large number of CLM’s clients to dwell in motor vehicles, tents, or severely overcrowded and deplorably unfit quarters.
Flac’s supervising solicitor, Sinead Lucey, disclosed that their services are overwhelmed by calls from Travellers reporting discriminatory practices when trying to access various services, accommodation being one of them. However, they lack the resources to address all these calls. According to Lucey, not all cases they handle are purely resource-based; the underlying issue is often one of viewpoint and mentality. To illustrate this, she referred to a case involving a homeless Traveller family that ended up in the High Court the previous year where housing was ultimately provided. The problem isn’t always a lack of resources, she argues.
Both CLM and Flac are urging for the removal of proposed Traveller accommodation initiatives from the Part 8 procedure that lets public objections; a revision of eviction laws to ensure that Traveller families aren’t disturbed without the courts making a “merits-based decision” and the provision of alternative fitting accommodation; and the implementation of enforceable standards for Traveller housing that adhere to minimum requirements.