Hearing the voices of the children of Travellers
TRAVELLER children in Ballyfermot are aware of previous promises made to build a playground for them in Labre Park, which have not been fulfilled, leaving generations of children without a safe space to play.
According to a report “Hearing the Voice of Ballyfermot Traveller Children”, which documented the views of Traveller children aged 4-12 years living in Ballyfermot, the children also noted there is no mention of Traveller culture being included in the school curriculum or environment.
On Monday, the report was launched locally in the Civic Centre in Ballyfermot by the Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon.
Liz Harper, Nuala Nic Giobhín (DCSCYPSC), Audrey Coyne (Ballyfermot FRC)
The project was commissioned by Ballyfermot Travellers Action Project (BTAP), Dublin City South CYPSC and Liffey Partnership, and offered Traveller children the opportunity to express their views on a wide range of services they encounter in the Ballyfermot area.
Consultation with children was facilitated using the Lundy Model Framework – a reminder for adults to record what the children really said and in what context they said it and not an adult version of what they said.
A graphic artist was also brought in to create live visuals of the children’s stories.
According to BTAP, a number of issues came to the fore, including culture, accommodation, playground and school. In respect of culture the children demonstrated a strong sense of their rights and pride in Traveller culture.
Accommodation was given a lot of attention by the children and their comments reflected on the poor living conditions that some of them experience living in Labre Park. The availability of a safe place to play was also given significant attention with children especially that the most recent plans for a playground will be delivered.
Labre Park Traveller halting site was first opened in 1967 to cater for 40 Traveller families.
Basic infrastructure on site remains inadequate according to BTAP.
Since 1999 Dublin City Council has committed to the regeneration of Labre Park.
However, previous plans including a 2019 proposal, collapsed and more recent works on site have stalled due to funding issues.
