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Sarah's story
Sarah: An 18 year old local girl who enjoys all aspects of life. Going out, meeting up with friends, having the craic.
Sarah had ambitions in life. She wanted to go far, be the first in her family to complete second level education and go on to third level. Why didn’t she? Because of society’s small-mindedness. A number of people, not only in authority, but people of her own age made it difficult for her to do so, by giving her a hard time, bitching, causing trouble and putting the blame on her if anything went wrong.
Sarah was suspended from Secondary school. She remembers well how her dreams had crashed as she was shown the door out of education and onto the dole. Everything changed for Sarah at that point, and it was a very lonely time for her, as she had lost her sense of security but what’s really sad is that people, young and old who affected her school life so negatively still live their lives, unaware of the effects of their treatment on her.
However, Sarah carries on with her life. She has a loving family for whom she has the most respect in the world, friends who she goes out with and has the craic.
Sarah has worked in several jobs, including a fast-food outlet which she left because of verbal abuse from customers. Sad, isn’t it? Sarah told us her story, the ups and the downs; the good times and the hard times, yet throughout her life, she will always look to the future. Her feelings towards many of the people who changed her youth for the worse are still bitter, and these feelings will remain, due to the abuse and the lack of respect she received from them. Sarah respects people who respect her and isn’t she right?
Sarah’s story really made us think about ourselves and our lives. You may be asking yourself a few questions now, for example, why was Sarah given such a hard time at school, why was she abused? Why indeed?! Because Sarah’s a Traveller. Are you shocked? And if so, why? Sarah lives in a house like all of us. Did you think that all members of the Travelling community lived in caravans? Well, you were wrong and what’s more- there are probably a whole lot of other assumptions you make about Travellers that are also wrong! One word sums up all the abuse Sarah received from members of the public and people in authority:
D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.
Maybe you might think on all of this the next time you see a Traveller.... I know we will.
If you think you’re being discriminated against or are the victim of prejudice then contact the Equality Authority in Ireland or the Citizens Advice Bureau or Equality Commission in NI for advice.
This article is part of the SpunOut.ie true life stories section – a space for young people to share their experiences of tough times and encourage others to seek help. This story is just one person's experience and it may be different for you. Remember that no matter what you are going through, there is help and support available. See the Find help section for more information: www.spunout.ie/help/
