Gypsy-Travellers 'deflated' by John Swinney's apology
The settlements they were placed in were inadequate, with no running water or electricity, according to a St Andrews University report which highlighted significant failings.
Speaking in Holyrood, Mr Swinney said the Tinker Experiments 'should not have happened', adding the impacts have been 'significant and lasting'.
'I want to say this: on behalf of Scotland, we are sorry,' he said.
The apology has been welcomed by leading campaigners, including Dr Lynne Tammi-Connolly, who leaked a draft copy of the report earlier this year amid concerns the Scottish Government were seeking to erase some of the details.
But financial compensation and funding for a memorial for the children trafficked away from their homes is needed, campaigners have said.
She told The Herald: 'I'm a bit deflated, to be honest.
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'We were expecting that there would be a commitment, at least some short-term offers, particularly in terms of a right to redress for people who are still living in the Tinker Experiment.
'I hoped there would be mention of a memorial to children that were trafficked, so this whole 'this is just the beginning, and we'll have conversations', this is what we have been doing for decades now.'
She added: 'For me and many of the other campaigners, who have been in this for decades, we're not getting any younger. I don't have good health and it really is a case of how long we can wait.
'It's not about being impatient, it's about how much longer we have to wait.'
She added that other campaigners will be 'disappointed'.
'I feel like I am going to have to continue pressurising and pushing government. Have we actually moved any further forward? I'm not sure that we have.'
Speaking in Holyrood, Mr Swinney said: "The trauma that this has caused to individuals, families and groups, including those who regard themselves as 'victims of Tinker Experiments', is significant and lasting.
"So, as First Minister of Scotland, I want to say this directly to Gypsy/Traveller communities: The 'Tinker Experiments' should not have happened.
"These policies were wrong. And we recognise how much it is still hurting so many.
"And more than anything else I want to say this: On behalf of Scotland, we are sorry."
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Mr Swinney said it was clear that "stark prejudice and and a lack of cultural awareness led to a serious of unfair and unjust policies".
He added: "I invite Parliament to consider that only by confronting these difficult truths from our past, we are able to move forward - learning from the mistakes of the past as we work towards a more just and equitable Scotland – a Scotland that truly honours and celebrates the rich culture of Gypsy/Travellers."
Roseanna McPhee and her siblings have lived in the Bobbin Mill settlement in Perth most of their lives after their parents were forcibly settled there in 1957.
She said the aim of keeping them in insufficient accommodation would persuade them to assimilate into the wider community over time, thereby "eradicating" the Gypsy-Traveller community.
Following the apology, Ms McPhee said there was never any effort to integrate Gypsy-Travellers into towns.
"We only got hot water and electricity in 2010.
"We were bullied at school and discriminated against all our lives, it's been very hard to get gainful employment and we're still harassed here at Bobbin Mill.
"A crime against humanity has been committed against Scottish Gypsy-Travellers, and is ongoing today."
She said: "This apology is a welcome first step in an ongoing conversation to help realise victims' rights to restitution.
"This apology is a welcome first step in an ongoing conversation to help realise victims' rights to restitution what was done to me and my siblings. The Scottish Government needs to start implementing the recommendations in the report as one means of achieving restitution, including making Bobbin Mill a protected site of historic and cultural significance."
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