Thread by @Wolfpac86

This is a thread and is going to take several tweets to get through so please bare with me. I've been asked to prove the below tweet by @williewhite. I'll also tag @PaveePoint @johnconnors1990 @1bernardsweeney and @KittyHollandIT @90mikeryan #Aras18

https://twitter.com/williewhite/status/1055614050825134081

@williewhite @PaveePoint @johnconnors1990 @1bernardsweeney @KittyHollandIT @90mikeryan It is not an attempt to further condemn Travellers but simply a means to make them understand the genuine concerns of people and how using racism/bigotry and discrimination are not helpful ways of dispelling all forms of criticism.

1: Travellers get plenty help.

The following document outlines The National Traveller and Roma Strategy 2017 - 2021 to help Travellers under 10 specific headings seen below.

justice.ie/en/JELR/Nation…

The following link delves a little deeper into the specifics of the strategy explaining some of the funding initiatives, Deis plans, pilot programmes. The pictures are just examples. Of the 149 actions identified to help travellers 100 have begun.

justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/…

Here's a link to an @PaveePoint article which welcomes the new strategy initiatives aimed at helping Travellers.

paveepoint.ie/budget-2017-a-…

Of course it is also worth noting at this point that Pavee Point who do so much work helping Travellers are funded by the Government.

Here's another article outlining a government initiative to create a pathway to help and encourage more travellers to become involved in teaching.

google.ie/amp/www.thejou…

The following documents a piece of legislation brought forward by @SenLynnRuane to Traveller history and culture thought as part of the CSPE programme to help create more inclusivity,understanding and a sense of belonging for Irish Traveller children.

oireachtas.ie/en/debates/deb…

According to Censes 2016 Local Authorities provide over 50% of Travellers with accommodation either through rental schemes or for free. The exact figures are below.

Travellers living in accommodation provided by Local Authorities or Local Authority Assisted accommodation increased every year from 2014-2016 and the estimated figures for 2017 shows another increase.This accommodation is provided to help travellers.

housing.gov.ie/sites/default/…

If we look backwards for help received it shows an investment of 360 million over a ten year period on Traveller Accommodation. Not the kind of investment that happens if there is no interest in helping.

google.ie/amp/s/amp.inde…

Finally in this section the below image outlines an example of funding available through social welfare for a traveller woman, Margaret Cash. A total yearly income of €51,746, which I would consider worthy of being called help.I'll also address it further under responsibilities.

2: Responsibilities that come with this help.

I hope the above examples have made it clear that even though everyone could always do with more help/funding, there is a lot being done to help and address the problems facing Travellers.

I have shown the efforts being made in terms of accomadation. It is with this in mind and taking into a/c the crisis of housing in Ireland that it is unforgivable to demand stables and land on top of free housing. When is help going to be good enough?

tippfm.com/news/tipperary…

This is not an isolated incident. A similar issue arose in Cork in 2015 when Travellers refused to move into a €5million facility despite Community centre with initiatives and grottos being built with some holding out for 'disturbance money'.

google.ie/amp/s/amp.iris…

From an educational point of view all I can tell you is what I see and experience every day. The money which is being given to Traveller parents for education through welfare initiatives is not being used on such and it is heartbreaking to see. Traveller children are suffering.

Examples: Books provided by school, contribution asked for but not received. Children arriving to school with no copies, stationary. Provided by school. Uniforms absent or at times unclean. No contribution towards daily school activities i.e music. Healthy eating policy ignored.

Where is the money provided for education going? Where is the roughly 24 thousand euro for child benefit/allowance/back to school illustrated earlier going? Where is the responsibility? Where is the accountability?

Census16 states that over 80% of Travellers are unemployed. Meaning 80% are not contributing tax to the running of the country and any welfare they are in receipt of. How will this ever change if Traveller parents don't take responsibility and prioritise their child's education?

There is a culture of complete abdication of responsibility amoungst Traveller groups. Here's an article about a Traveller feud which,following call out videos, resulted in a shooting.Catherine Joyce placed blame on Local Authorities for the incident.

google.ie/amp/s/amp.iris…

3: Issues within Traveller Culture are leading to suicides.

The final part of this thread deals with the sickeningly high number of Traveller suicides. The reasoning is of course multi facitated but I am asking Travellers to look at themselves to help tackle this.

You need only look back at the observations I made re-attitude to education as the first and most important issue. If education is not valued, if these children are not valued enough to be pushed forward in education it will be extremely difficult to tackle this issue.

Education is the springboard to open opportunities, employment, opportunity to offer something back and provide a purpose in this society beyond that which exists for many Travellers today. This would be a difficult road but would have to have a positive impact on mental health.

Another massive issue affecting mental health is the damaging attitude towards of some Travellers towards gay members of the community. Here's an article outlining how gay members are entering arranged marriages to avoid shame.

google.ie/amp/s/www.iris…

This document highlights the attitudes amoungst Travellers towards Relationships and Sex. It also is a telling insight into the rolls of men and women. On girl spoke of her fear of 'being left on the shelf' if not married by 20.

paveepoint.ie/wp-content/upl…

In a deeply disturbing part of the research, below, A Traveller Parents group discussed fears that women in a marriage may accept rape as they felt they had no choice.

This research needs to be read when looking into mental health amoungst Travellers. It covers troubling attitudes to sexuality, contraception and gender rolls.

I hope I have provided enough proof to satisfy that I am not dressing prejudice up as fact as said by @williewhite.Travellers face an up hill battle in this life. But unless they look at criticism within themselves before calling racism it is a battle they are never going to win.