Who is Affected?

Romany Gypsies, Roma, and Traveller communities are often left out of decisions that directly impact our lives. Many organisations claim to represent us, but in many cases, they are not led by people from our communities.  As a result, our voices aren’t heard, and the policies and services receiving funding to support us often miss the mark.

What is at Stake?

If things don’t change, our communities will continue to be ignored and misrepresented. Exclusion from leadership means that others continue making decisions about us without our input. People who are not Romany Gypsy, Roma or Travellers, are often the ones creating policies and training materials—especially those used in schools—which only deepens the misrepresentation of our communities and prevents us from shaping how we’re seen and understood by society. Organisations that claim funding in our names, need to become fully Traveller-led, with leadership roles held by people who identify as ethnic Romany Gypsy, Roma, or Traveller within the next 5-10 years.

Why Now?

For too long, our communities have been excluded from important decisions. We need organisations to prioritise a transition toward leadership from within our communities by providing Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people with the opportunities and resources to lead. Funders should support grassroots programmes that equip our communities with the skills and experience to take on leadership roles. Delaying these changes will only continue to keep our communities excluded and underrepresented.

Key Points for Action

1. Exclusion in Government Policy and Advocacy

Many organisations act as middlemen between us and the government, shaping policies about us without truly understanding us. In some cases, unconscious biases affect the work, further disconnecting these policies from our needs, cultures, and priorities, and further fuelling the distrust that many Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people have toward services that represent our communities  

2. Community-Led Leadership

We need leadership roles in organisations, especially those influencing political decisions, to be led by people who identify as Romany Gypsy, Roma, or Traveller. This is crucial because, due to a lack of diversity, our communities are severely underrepresented in government and political spaces that directly affect our lives. Organisations that claim to represent us often fail to do so correctly, as they are not led by people from within our own communities. We demand a clear and actionable plan to ensure these roles are led by individuals from our communities within the next 5-10 years. Funders must also prioritise and support grassroots-led programmes that empower Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people to take leadership and shape the policies and decisions that affect us.

3. Training and Opportunities for Our People

To create real change, we need targeted training and development programmes for people in our communities. It’s not enough to simply demand leadership from within our communities—we need the skills, training, and opportunities to take on these roles. Organisations and funders should invest in grassroots organisations and in developing community members to step into leadership and decision-making positions. This will also help to increase diversity across the wider workforce, especially in civil service and council services, where we are underrepresented.

4. Real Involvement, Not Tokenism

Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people are often asked to provide advice or act as advisors or consultants, but have no real decision-making power. Our voices are often used to check boxes, without our input ever truly shaping the outcomes. We demand real involvement in every step of the decision-making process. Our input should directly influence policies and actions.

5. Hiring Practices That Reflect Us

Organisations need to move away from the damaging practice of hiring individuals into leadership roles who claim to be from “Traveller or Gypsy heritage” but do not actually identify as being Romany Gypsy, Roma, or Traveller. These individuals often share the same class background as those making hiring decisions and don’t truly understand or represent lived experiences. This practice, disguised as inclusivity and meant to meet “by and for” standards, fails to genuinely be “by and for,” further marginalising our communities. When Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller’s challenge this practice, they often face institutional coercive exclusion, pushing them out of what is their space's, through toxic work environments due to embedded systemic prejudices. Those who speak up against such practices are frequently painted as “difficult”, “not inclusive”, or “unprofessional,” which dismisses our legitimate concerns about authentic representation and silences our voices. This form of exclusion may not always involve formal disciplinary actions like termination, but it creates conditions that make it impossible for us to feel supported and remain in our roles.

6. Transparency and Accountability

Organisations need to be transparent in how they allocate resources, make decisions, and measure impact. Funding must go to programmes genuinely led by our communities and directly benefiting our people—not to those with little understanding of our needs, which results in minimal impact and further disconnect.

Why This Matters

For too long, Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities have been ignored, misrepresented, and pushed aside by organisations and policymakers. These organisations often focus on their own internal needs—such as staff development, networking, salaries, and securing funding—while our communities continue to struggle with underrepresentation and a lack of real change.

It’s a system they created, meaning it meets the needs not of those within these communities, but of those who benefit from managing the system. Our lives are now viewed as a way for some people who have little understanding on these communities,  to progress in their careers, with large amounts of funding directed into staff and upkeep rather than directly benefiting our communities. This isn’t just a job; it’s our lives, our future, and the future of our children. Many Romany Gyspies, Roma, and Traveller individuals have been fighting for our communities, often without recognition or pay. It’s time for us to be given the power to lead and make the changes that will shape our future.

Additionally, organisations often group us together under labels like “GRT,” which dilutes our unique cultures, histories, and needs. We demand that our distinct identities are respected and authentically represented. With those from our communities representing us, it will reduce confusion and unconscious bias from those outside our communities.

Our communities should no longer be treated as statistics or checkboxes for inclusion. We deserve authentic representation that truly reflects our cultures and needs.

We call on government officials, charity leaders, funders, educational institutions, local councils, and civil services to prioritise authentic representation and leadership within Romany Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities. By supporting grassroots-led initiatives, creating inclusive policies, and providing targeted development programmes, these decision-makers can help ensure that our communities have a real voice in the decisions that affect our lives.

Sign and Share This Petition

By signing this petition, you are standing for our right to be genuinely represented. Together, we can make the changes that are long overdue—for our communities and for society as a whole.