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The missions

Publication

15/10/2007 Rapport - Rapport 2006 de l'Observatoire de l'Accès aux soins de la Mission France de Médecins du Monde

Notre rapport sort au moment où l’Insee vient rappeler que le taux de pauvreté reste à peu près stable depuis plusieurs années avec toutefois une augmentation entre 2004 et 2005 puisque la France passe d’un taux de pauvreté de 11.7 % en 2004 à 12.1 % en 2005 ce qui représente plus de 7 millions de personnes ...

Mission Travellers

CHIFFRES

Number of beneficiaries : approx. 100 families
Main conditions : depression, insomnia, cardiovascular diseases, addiction problems linked to living conditions and life style
Social characteristics : isolation, lack of schooling,désocialisation

Number of projects : 2
Number of volunteers : 7
Sources of funding : Regional health authorities and health insurance agencies
Partners : Relais accueil gens du voyage, co-ordinating body for work amongst travellers, Centre social des Alliers, LDH, CCAS (local social work centres), schools, town councils, etc.

Although the Besson law on travellers is not complied with, insofar as only 15% of towns with more than 5,000 inhabitants have fulfilled their obligations concerning sites for travellers, other plans do threaten them. In December 2005, a French MP managed to have an amendment to the national budget passed instituting a tax on caravans. This state tax (of several tens of euros per m2), which is not in any way a housing tax, does not give any welfare rights for housing. Associations defending travellers' rights are calling for this tax to be withdrawn as it is neither legitimate nor fair. They reaffirm the priority of having caravan housing recognised with all the welfare rights related to housing, and are asking to take part in the authorities laid down by the law, namely the National Consultative Committee, for all subjects concerning travellers, and Halde (the high authority in the fight against discrimination and for equality).

Facilitating access to fundamental rights



Since 1997...

Activities:

MdM's mobile teams have two aims: to meet travellers whre they live and help them to have their rights recognised. In fact, there are very few sites for them, and where they exist, the living conditions are very insecure: no sewers, poor access to running water and electricity, the presence of rats, a lack of toilets. MdM is carrying out the following activities:
• support, listening and referral activities;
• activities aimed at facilitating access to healthcare, rights and schooling for children;
• lobbying the public administrations to ask for sites to be created for travellers.

Types of work

> Listening, psychological support, prevention and information messages.

> Primary healthcare, help for schooling and access to housing, referral to other public welfare and health structures.

> Lobbying town councils, health institutions and professionals to improve hygiene, living and health conditions; actions to recognise citizenship.

> Involvement in department-level consultative committees for the plan to deal with travellers.

Outlook:

Continue activities to improve hygiene, living and health conditions for travellers, facilitating their access to public health and welfare structures and more generally to citizenship. The expert status acquired by the MdM Bordeaux team has allowed it, together with Gypsy associations and personalities working with the traveller community, to create a coordinating body whose aim is to contribute to putting in place suitable conditions for the traveller community. MdM's teams are involved with several authorities including the departmentlevel consultative committees for the plan to deal with travellers.

October 2006