Scottish Gypsy Travellers

Following a resolution at Amnesty's 2009 Annual General Meeting, we have been working to tackle discrimination against Scottish Gypsy Travellers. 
 
Our campaign has focused on challenging Local Authorities, the housing regulator and the media to encourage better access to services and an end to the discrimination of Scottish Gypsy Travellers. We use the 2001 Equal Opportunities Report, and its latest update in March 2013, to call local and national government to account. 
 
Despite four inquiries by the Scottish Equal Opportunities Committees over the last 12 years, little or no progress has been made. In 2012 we conducted two pieces of research - one on local authority service provision and the other on the role of the media in perpetuating discrimination.

Challenging local authorities

Local authorities play a crucial role in delivering basic services so as part of this campaign we have investigated how each of Scotland's 32 local authorities are performing in terms of recommendations outlined in the Scottish Equal Opportunities Committee Enquiry (EOI) of 2001.
 
In December 2009, we wrote to all 32 Local Authorities in Scotland requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act concerning four of the key recommendations of the Scottish Equal Opportunities Committee Enquiry (EOI) of 2001:
  • The role of the Gypsy Traveller Liaison Office within the authority, along with their practical duties
  • Use by the authority of the 'Model Tenancy Agreement' developed by the former Advisory Committee on Scotland's Travelling People 
  • Circumstances and needs of Gypsy Travellers within the authority's local housing strategy 
  • Circumstances and needs of Gypsy Travellers within the authority's race equality scheme.  

We challenged each local authority on their record and highlighted areas we'd like to see improved. Read our letter to Aberdeen City Council (PDF). 

Interested in what we discovered? Read our report On The Margins (PDF)

Monitoring media representation

In 2010 we undertook a second piece of research, monitoring how the Scottish media represented Scottish Gypsy Travellers over a 120 day period. Our research had some startling findings - for example, despite Scottish Gypsy Travellers making up just approximately 0.5% of the Scottish population there was, on average, 1.5 articles a day written about them. This figure and our other findings suggest disproportionate scrutiny and negative reporting associated with Scottish Gypsy Travellers. 

We're continuing to monitor the Scottish media, responding to specific pieces of negative coverage as and when we can. Can you help by responding to local press in your area? Please get in touch

Interested in our findings? Read our report Living in the headlines (PDF). 

Equal Opportunities Committee

Across six months in late 2012- early 2013 the Scottish Equal Opportunities Committee conducted an investigation into the living conditions of Scottish Gypsy Travellers - Where Gypsy/Travellers Live

This concluded in the publication of a report by the committee which found that little had changed since the previous update in 2004. Many Scottish Gypsy Travellers continud to live in horrendous conditions, with inadequate access to services and continuing prejudice.  

We continue to call for national action across Government departments and for the Government and COSLA to work together to ensure a national strategy is planned and delivered on the ground. We're also in the early stages of a campaign for zero tolerance of prejudice, with a focus on ensuring the Scottish media adhere to National Union of Journalist codes of conduct to deliver balanced reporting.  

We are going to be working with the Government, Government agencies and Third Sector groups in Scotland to bring an end to the human rights abuses which occur daily in the lives of Scottish Gypsy Travellers.

See our submission to the Public Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament (WORD)