Call for redress as Scottish Human Rights Commission exposes lasting harm to Scotland’s Gypsy Travellers

The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is calling for a programme of reparations for Scotland’s Gypsy Travellers subjected to decades of forced assimilation and on-going harm under policies known as the ‘Tinker Experiment’.

The new spotlight report, “No Man’s Land”, is a comprehensive human rights examination of the ‘Tinker Experiment’, drawing on legal analysis, archival evidence and victim testimony.

The report sets out evidence that Scotland’s Gypsy Travellers were pushed to abandon their culture, experienced child removal, and were housed in substandard accommodation as part of efforts by the government and local authorities to forcibly assimilate the community using key legislative and policy actions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

The SHRC concludes that the harms caused by the ‘Tinker Experiment’ are not solely historic. Victims are still living with the consequences, including unsafe housing, cultural loss, discrimination, stigma, poor health outcomes and barriers in education and employment. These ongoing impacts amount to a continuing human rights issue under international law.

Key Findings

The report finds that the ‘Tinker Experiment’ involved:

  • forced assimilation policies targeting culture and nomadism
  • removal of children, including placement in institutions and mistreatment
  • deep prejudice and dehumanisation of Scottish Gypsy Travellers
  • substandard accommodation
  • ongoing discrimination and stigma from public authorities and wider public
  • intergenerational trauma and cultural loss reported by victims

Victim testimony

Victims interviewed for the report described decades of fear, stigma and social isolation, and waiting more than 15 years for recognition:

“The years of alienation and mental, emotional and physical torture; the emotional plague of having been the victim of savage gaslighting and defamation, linked to seeking an apology, that continues to haunt my mind."

“We'd all be terrified, and I mean absolutely petrified. Because we always had a fear of a children’s home.”

“We weren’t used to the food that they gave us. They would try to shove it down our throats and they put it across our faces. An if you swore or anything, they made you eat soap.”

Human rights law

The report concludes that these failures engage several areas of human rights laws. Human rights affected include private and family life, housing, culture, non-discrimination, the rights of the child and the right to remedy.

The First Minister of Scotland, Perth and Kinross Council and the Church of Scotland have issued apologies, which the SHRC welcomes, but the report concludes that victims are still living with the consequences and continuing human rights issues.

Call for reparations

The SHRC is calling for ‘Transformative Reparations’ by public bodies in response to the ‘Tinker Experiment’. Recommendations include:

  • financial compensation to victims and families
  • rehabilitation, cultural investment and community development
  • further truth recovery on harms to children
  • improved and culturally appropriate accommodation

Redress should be designed and led by victims and meet international human rights standards.

Professor Angela O’Hagan, Chair of the SHRC, said:

“Victims were forced to give up their culture and in some cases their children. The apologies are vital, but it is not enough on its own. Scotland must now put things right and support those who continue to live with the harm.”

“Scotland now has the opportunity to lead internationally in how states address forced assimilation, cultural harm as well as the long-term impact and the continued perpetuation of discriminatory legislation and policies.”

Read the full report. Available as a PDF, an accessible Word document, an Easy Read and in BSL.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Judy Fladmark on mobile 07880 398530 or email media@scottishhumanrights.com.

Notes to editors:

  1. The SHRC worked directly with victims of the ‘Tinker Experiment’, with support from RAJPOT, a voluntary organisation working to give indigenous and cultural communities a voice, and an archival researcher. This work involved collating historical materials and victim testimony and developing an archive documenting the harms associated with the ‘Tinker Experiment’.