Gypsy Travellers are recognised in Scotland as an ethnic group and as such retain a range of domestic and international protections. Despite these protections, Gypsy Travellers in Scotland remain one of the most marginalised communities, experiencing racialised inequalities in outcomes in health, education, income, employment and face continued direct discrimination and human rights breaches.
This AEQ project is a direct response to Gypsy Travellers’ concerns about their experiences of inequality and the impact of racism and discrimination in Scotland and has been co-created by community members.
Our AEQ project follows participatory action research project, carried out by Gypsy Travellers at Double Dykes Site in Perth, Scotland which was supported by Scottish NGO, Making Rights Real and launched in 2023. The research found that racism and discrimination against the community is rife, is experienced across all fields of life and has resulted in multiple human rights breaches. Despite the right to live free from discrimination, racism and discrimination are continuous features of Gypsy Travellers’ lives at Double Dykes:
- 87.5% of residents have experienced or seen others experience racism, hate speech, or any other form of discrimination because of disability, sexual orientation, transgender, religious beliefs, or other characteristics.
- 87.5% of residents have directly experienced verbal abuse.
- 37.5% have experienced continuous bullying and intimidation.
- 25% of people on site have experienced vandalism of the community or site.
Travellers also report ‘testimonial injustice’ when reporting issues to duty bearers. As one member of the community said, “Nothing changes when we say what’s going on for us… it's like our voices don’t count!”
This research, co-designed by Gypsy Travellers will aim to redress that injustice.