Hearing the human rights voices of Gypsy and traveller mothers in the UK

摘要

For nomadic Gypsy and traveller mothers in the UK already coping with social, economic and civic exclusion and suffering poor health and high mortality, NHS service provision is poorly adapted to serving a mobile population. This and the impact of systemic exclusion and disenfranchisement, have serious implications for the health of these mothers and their children. This paper assesses the extent to which nomadic Gypsy and traveller mothers in the UK can use legal human rights to articulate their claims to adequate maternal healthcare. While there is, in theory, a path to human rights-based remedies through the courts, there are formidable practical obstacles stemming from limited access to resources and advice. This paper argues, however, that Gypsy and traveller mothers may gain from more accessible, inclusive and empowerment-oriented approaches to human rights as a natural complement to existing community development projects around health. The analysis highlights how this could be developed through human rights awareness-raising and empowerment workshops for practitioners and Gypsy and traveller women, coupled with plain English benchmarks and measures of effectiveness for use as advocacy tools.