The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
TWO THIRDS OF ROMA CHILDREN IN KERRY SAY THEY HAVE BEEN BULLIED
Report by Tralee International Resource Centre reveals that almost 60 per cent of Roma community hide ethnicity when accessing services due to fear of being discriminated.
LOW OR NO LITERACY AND POOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO DIFFICULTIES ...
ROMA children experience a high level of bullying in Kerry and many families have experienced discrimination according to new research into the Roma community in Kerry.
The research also found that the ethnicity of students at schools was not being collated and led to concerns about racial profiling in secondary schools in the county.
The research, which was carried out by Tralee International Resource Centre (TIRC) and funded by Tulsa, however, proved difficult with almost half of Kerry’s Roma families and other stakeholders, not engaging with the project.
The research found that there are between 60 -70 Roma families living in Kerry and 36 of these families engaged with the survey which looked at a number of issues facing the Roma community in Kerry in areas of health, education, employment and housing.
The families in Kerry are originally from Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Some 59 per cent of Roma interviewed said they did not identify as being members of the Roma community when accessing services due to fear of discrimination and lack of equity to services. Also, 26 of the participants said they had experienced discrimination when accessing services but none had reported it to gardaí.
In commenting as part of the research, TIRC stated that Roma are often portrayed as being associated with criminal activities and organised begging in Ireland.
TIRC Chairperson Samuel Kiwanuka said that concerns were raised in relation to Roma and schools. “There were some worrying findings in relation to Roma and schools, with 68 per cent of participants saying that they are or have experienced bullying.
The researchers found there is a problem in the lack of official data being aggregated by ethnicity in the schools and they were concerned with profiling practices made by a number of secondary schools.”
“Low or no literacy and poor English language skills contribute directly to difficulties in terms of communication between parents and schools. This often leads to situations where Roma children are used as interpreters, which is an inappropriate practice for all involved”, continued Samuel.
The report recommended developing teachers training on equality and awareness of Roma culture to help integrate them into the education system.
Unemployment rates were low among the community the research found with only 8.3% of the community in employment. The language barrier was found to be a major barrier in accessing the labour market. Education too is a factor.
The research shows that Roma community living in Kerry have made Ireland their home and are eager to integrate and be part of the Irish community – 35 respondents of 36 indicated that they feel at home in Ireland, but only two said that they feel integrated into Irish society.