Ethnic Identifier in Primary Education

The Department of Education and Skills is introducing an ethnic identifier at primary level. This means that in the coming months parents will receive a form from their children’s primary school that will ask them to identify what cultural or ethnic background they identify with. Previously only Traveller children were asked to identify. Pavee Point […]

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Fighting Back: Roma Resistance in Auschwitz-Birkenau

 “The gypsies, who knew what was in store for them, screamed: fights broke out, shots went off and people were wounded. SS reinforcements arrived when the trucks were only half full. The gypsies even used loaves of bread as missiles. But the SS were too strong, too experienced, too numerous.”                                 — Dazlo Tilany Under […]

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Report from Children’s Ombudsman

The Children’s Ombudsman was asked to compile a report on the removal of two Roma children from their families last October. While this report has not yet been released to the public, details of it have emerged in the Sunday Times, published May 11th. Further coverage has emerged from The Irish Times today, as well […]

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Realising Roma Children’s Rights

Realising Roma Children’s Rights Conference Pavee Point hosted the conference “Realising Roma Children’s Rights” on 10 April to mark International Traveller and Roma Day.  The conference was addressed by Minister Fitzgerald, Emily Logan, Professor Jacqueline Bhabha from Harvard University and Iulius Rostas from Corvinus University.  The conference highlighted serious child welfare issues facing Roma children […]

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Joint Oireachtas Committee Report on Traveller Ethnicity

Today, April 17th, the Joint Oirechtas Committee on Justice presented their Report on Traveller Ethnicity, which recommends the recognition of Travellers by the Taoiseach or Minister for Justice and Equality by way of a statement in Dáil Éireann. The Report also calls for the Government to notify international bodies about the recognition, and finally suggests […]

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PRESS STATEMENT: Our Ethnicity-Our Pride, Your prejudice

Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre Press Statment April 17th 2014 ‘Our Ethnicity- Our Pride, Your Prejudice: Time for the State to end this cycle of ethnicity denial’ Pavee Point today welcomes the publication of a report on the recognition of Traveller Ethnicity by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice. We call on the Minister […]

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Press Release: Roma Children’s Rights in Ireland- Fact or Fiction?

Roma Children’s Rights in Ireland- Fact or Fiction? Serious concerns about Roma children’s rights were raised at a conference held today by Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre. The conference highlighted systematic failures on the part of the state to protect vulnerable Roma children. ‘It’s time to stop being complicit in discrimination and stand up […]

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Press Release: Remove these Children from the Garda PULSE Database

Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre Press Statement March 27th, 2014   Pavee Point: Remove these children from the Garda PULSE database Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre today call for the immediate removal of the details of Traveller and Roma children improperly entered in the Garda PULSE database and an investigation by the Garda […]

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Oireachtas Committee on Domestic and Sexual Violence

Pavee Point attended a meeting with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on 26 February to discuss the shortcomings of Irish legislation in protecting vulnerable Roma and Traveller women from domestic and sexual violence. The presentation highlighted how the persistent marginalisation of Traveller and Roma women makes women vulnerable to abuse and […]

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Media now allowed in Family Court

With changes made to the ‘in camera rule’ in January 2014, the media can now report on proceedings in family law and childcare court. This includes reporting of domestic violence cases.   Under strict conditions, the media is prohibited to report any information, which is likely to identify the persons or child to whom the […]

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UK Press Complaints Commission finds against Pavee Point

This week, the United Kingdom Press Complaints Commission found against Pavee Point for a complaint relating to the Daily Mail’s coverage of the removal of Roma children from their families in Ireland last year. Our complaint had argued that the Daily Mail had breached Clause 1 (accuracy) and Clause 12 (Discrimination) Of the Editors’ Code […]

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Press Ombudsman Upholds Prejudice Complaint

Pavee Point is delighted today to highlight the decision by the Press Ombudsman to uphold a complaint made by Shane O Curry of ENAR that a column by Mr Ian O Doherty of the Irish Independent breached Principle 8 (Prejudice) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines. We feel strongly that this was […]

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Pavee Point present to the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly

The British Irish Parliamentary Assembly met in Leinster House  in January to consider issues facing Travellers and Roma in their jurisdictions.  Membership is composed of Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. Pavee Point representatives presented to […]

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Amnesty and Pavee Point welcome EU Roma Recommendation

Amnesty International and Pavee Point welcome the European Council’s recommendation on effective Roma integration strategies in the member states. The recommendation comes in reaction to the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, established in 2011. This called on member states to develop national Roma Inclusion Strategies. The majority of these strategies were weak, not […]

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Ombudsman Investigation

Pavee Point welcome the beginning of investigation by the Ombudsman into removal of Roma children from their families. Pavee Point strongly welcomes the initiation of the investigation of the cases of the removal of Roma children from their families by the Ombudsman for Children.  We have always maintained that a fully independent investigation was needed […]

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PP calls on OSCE to promote Inclusion

Pavee Point attended the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting in Vienna in October.  The meeting, organized jointly by the Ukrainian 2013 OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), marked  the 10th anniversary of the Action Plan on Roma and Sinti inclusion and presented the ODIHR’s 2013 Status Report  on its […]

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ICCPR Human Rights Committee questions for Ireland

Human Rights Committee  highlights Traveller ethnicity and Roma inclusion in questions to Ireland under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Human Rights Committee will examine  Ireland in July 2014.  In advance of this the Committee has provided a list of issues that Ireland has to provide information on, so it can assess […]

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Travellers Accessing Addiction Services

The Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse recently published an article that Siobhan Cafferty, former Pavee Point Drugs Programme Coordinator, co-authored with researchers from the Health Research Board, pertaining to Travellers accessing addiction services (check out la drug rehab center to get rid off drug addiction) in Ireland.  The following is an abstract of the article […]

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Roma in Europe: Guilty until proven innocent?

Stigmatization of Roma communities as criminal is disturbing and dangerous, warns UN Independent Expert on minority issues Rita Izsák GENEVA (29 October 2013) – “The recent activities of some national authorities to remove ‘non-Roma looking’ children from Roma families due to their alleged abduction has led to sensationalist media coverage, has been disturbing and may […]

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Robert Heffernan’s Tweets: Joint Statement from SARI, SRRC and PP

Click here to see the statement on the SARI website. Following the ‘racist’ tweet last week from Irish athlete Robert Heffernan, a joint statement has been released by SARI, Show Racism the Red Card (SRRC) and Pavee Point recommending that all National Governing Bodies of Sport adopt Equality and Discrimination clauses in their constitutions in […]

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