Publications

IHREC as Ireland’s National Rapporteur on the Trafficking in Human Beings has contributed to the European Commission 5th Progress Report on the Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings in the European Union. As mandated by the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive, every two years IHREC reports information and data on the progress made by Ireland on the…

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (the Commission) would like to invite you to make a contribution to our consultation process for our new Strategy Statement 2025-2027. Please download and complete this accessible word form to make your submission. You can email this form to: consultation@ihrec.ie Please use the subject line: “Submission to IHREC…

In January 2024, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, as National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking made a contribution to the Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls to the Human Rights Council on ‘Prostitution and violence against women and girls’.  

We submitted our report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as part of Ireland’s fourth periodic review and ahead of an oral dialogue between the Committee and State representatives in February, in which the Committee will assess compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights. In our parallel report, we…

This research paper considers the constitutional position in respect of a right to collective bargaining, in order to assess whether the Irish Constitution might protect such a right, and/or facilitate the protection of such a right in statute. It begins by offering a constitutional and legal context in respect of this right, and outlines relevant…

This is the second activity report on our three Commissions’ joint work to ensure the implementation of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework from an island of Ireland perspective. The report covers the work of our Commissions in this regard from October 2022 to September 2023. Download Accessible Word version of Equality and Human Rights…

We strongly welcome the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023 as a wide-ranging piece of legislation with significant potential. In this review, we consider Part 3 – dedicated to the establishment of a National Referal Mechanism – in detail. We also provide observations on Part 2 insofar as it aligns to the…

Submission on the Planning and Development Bill 2022

We welcome the opportunity to provide this submission on the Planning and Development Bill 2022. We take this opportunity to highlight the deep-rooted relationship between planning and development, and human rights and equality. Human rights cannot be enjoyed without an accessible, safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and planning and development in the State has,…

We welcome the opportunity to provide this parallel report to inform the List of Issues Prior to Reporting being adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its 88th Pre-Sessional Working Group meeting, in advance of its forthcoming examination of Ireland’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All…

Policy Statement on Care

This policy statement promotes a human rights and equality-based framework for care, and sets out the actions that must be taken by the State to translate European and international standards into public policy commitments and measures. Our positions and recommendations require a fundamental change in how the State views and values care across the life-cycle….

Submission on the Review of the Equality Acts

The Commission has published a second set of recommendations to Government as part of ongoing engagement with the Review of the Equality Acts, including the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015. The submission, sets out over 55 specific recommendations on access to justice and legal aid; on exemptions under the Equality Acts;…

In December 2022, the Government of Ireland submitted its 20th National Report to the European Committee of Social Rights on the follow-up to five collective complaints under the Revised European Social Charter. These relate to; the current arrangements for industrial relations within An Garda Síochána; the provision of Traveller accommodation by the State; the compliance…

Tuarascáil Bhliantúil 2022

Cuimsítear an chéad bhliain dár Ráiteas Straitéise le haghaidh 2022–2024 sa Tuarascáil Bhliantúil seo. Leagtar amach ann ár ngníomhaíochtaí i rith 2022 chun dul chun cinn a dhéanamh ar chúig thosaíocht straitéiseacha an Choimisiúin: Comhionannas geilleagrach Ceartas Meas agus aitheantas: Seasmhacht i leith na todhchaí Dualgas na hEarnála Poiblí

Annual Report 2022

This Annual Report covers the first year of our Strategy Statement 2022- 2024. It sets out our activities during 2022 to advance each of the Commission’s five strategic priorities: Economic equality Justice Respect and recognition Futureproofing Public Sector Duty Highlights include: Direct Public Queries to our Your Rights service In 2022 we saw 1,411 public…