It must be acknowledged that the State has ârepeatedly failedâ Travellers over time, the Minister for Community Development and Charities Joe OâBrien has said. Mr OâBrien said the findings from a report by the Ombudsman for Childrenâs Office (OCO) into the living conditions of children in a local authority halting site is âdeeply unacceptableâ. The report, published on Monday, finds that Cork City Council is violating the human rights of Traveller children by leaving them in filthy, overcrowded, rat-infested, unsafe and cold and damp living conditions. âI havenât had a chance to read it [the report] in detail, itâs clear that the situation described there is deeply unacceptable. I think we have to acknowledge as well that the State has repeatedly failed the Travellers over time,â the Green Party TD told the Childrenâs Rights Alliance national conference on Monday.