Under the Magnifying Glass

13 Dec 2021

A report on shaming within the Gypsy and Traveller communities

‘Shaming’, or ‘scandalising’, are actions that intend to cause someone else to feel
shame for being or doing something that another person(s) feels is wrong or
undesirable by their ‘community behavioural standards’. Public shaming aims to
damage a person’s image, sense of self-worth and mental health. Shaming has
also begun to manifest in ‘shame pages’ online. Some Irish Traveller and Romany
Gypsy individuals have been creating ‘Traveller shame pages’ and ‘Gypsy shame
pages’ with the purpose of publicly humiliating other members of their own
community.