Traveller families across 18 sites in Galway are living in overcrowded, cold and damp conditions, according to a report which surveyed the living conditions of Travellers across Ireland.
The 'Traveller Homes Now' report found that many families were living in conditions that were infested with rats and flies.
Regular overflowing sewage was also highlighted, posing serious health risks, in particular to children.
The conditions described across the sites in both Galway city and county, breach at least ten or more fundamental international human rights standards set for adequate accommodation.
The survey was carried out by the Galway Traveller Movement, which visited the sites and questioned families.
Overcrowding was a particularly serious problem at the Cul Trá halting site in Salthill, where 16 families live with 25 children across six bays in a site which has not changed in the past 21 years.
The report found that rat, mouse and fly infestations were particularly alarming at the Carrowbrowne temporary site on the Headford Road, where 25 adults and 36 children have lived for the past nine years.
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It said rats were often found in sinks, showers and food presses.
The report also found that toilets and sinks were constantly blocked with water and sewage coming up over the ground and running through the bays, all of which were posing a serious public health threat to the tenants, in particular to young children.
The report found that all of the sites surveyed were in violation of international human rights standards outlined by the UN, which underpins the rights of people to live in security peace and dignity, and that this right to adequate housing and accommodation are integrally linked to other human rights.
It calls at the very least, for structural improvement to be carried out to many of the sites, and for the closure of some of the worst sites.
