Naomi Native depicted as Oshun, Yoruba goddess of love, beauty, and fertility
good news for Romani women in the UK!
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The network can support Gypsy Roma and Traveller Women to
- Get help registering with a GP
- Get help to arrange a GP appointment
- Access to Midwives
- Advise on getting the right support
"This is a community led group" Dee, told Travellers Times "I think eventually it will be a positive move forward in terms of women’s health - but along the way we will be able to help men’s health and children too. For now, it’s all about building trust and getting those much-needed appointments and conversations going” at our first meeting in October- one woman left saying she “felt heard” after sharing her lived experience. Others had appointments booked for them that were long overdue."
In the UK, Romani women are more vulnerable to stillbirths and miscarriages, have higher maternal death rates during pregnancy and after childbirth, and are 20x more likely to experience the death of their newborn child. Reasons for that are a lack of access to proper maternal care, a lack of awareness and education about maternal care, as well as poverty and poor environmental conditions. As of 2021-2022, the Romani life expectancy in the UK was of 50 years old for both men and women (x), about 30 years shorter than that of the general British population (x).
this is FANTASTIC. the next step is to dismantle the racism and misogyny within the NHS that affects all areas of our care, but this organisation will absolutely be a lifeline to gypsy/roma/traveller women in the UK.
outsiders don't understand that most travellers are not registered with a GP surgery, meaning they can't be prescribed medication, seek non-emergency treatment of any sort or be referred to an outpatients service (including cancer care iirc).
please support this network, it could really help people!!
it's great that the network is community-run, as well, but i really hope the local NHS services cooperate on their end. i could see some issues coming up there as our actions often mean next to nothing in the eyes of non-travellers
Stone-hewn graves at Heysham, Lancashire. Believed to be 11th Century.
and yet. someone has left fresh flowers









aigenderated