The social exclusion of gypsy and traveller children

This chapter examines the poverty and social exclusion of Gypsy and Traveller children in contemporary Britain. We set the scene by exploring who Gypsies and Travellers actually are and how poverty and social exclusion impacts on these minority communities. We examine the legal and policy context and illustrate the ways in which, in particular, Gypsies and Travellers often suffer from spatialised forms of poverty and can be rendered 'invisible' in policy areas where other ethnic minority groups are usually able to at least have their voices heard. We argue that the 'poverty' faced by Gypsy and Traveller children tends to reflect the group's wider relationship with the dominant settled society and the discrimination and denial of human rights they endure across a range of aspects of day-today living. To illustrate these points we look at key policy areas and report on how Gypsies and Travellers are provided for in terms of accommodation, education, income/employment, health, family support, and political/ community participation.