Dr Maurice Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) addressed the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Wednesday 23 February 2011. Dr Manning called on the Irish State to produce an adequately resourced National Action Plan on Human Rights that would coherently and systematically combat racial discrimination, and involve the IHRC and civil society in its development, implementation and evaluation.
In relation to the budget cuts to human rights and equality bodies, Dr Manning said:
"combating racial discrimination has not been prioritised by the Irish State. The slashing of the budgets of the IHRC and the Equality Authority as well as the closure of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) and Combat Poverty Agency does not demonstrate a firm commitment to tackling racism and discrimination. The cuts made were among the harshest made to any public bodies. Without infrastructure to monitor and safeguard the rights of people from ethnic minorities, racism and racial discrimination cannot be effectively tackled or eliminated. It is essential that funding for equality, human rights and anti-discrimination bodies and programmes be reinstated."
As a consequence of the cuts, Dr Manning highlighted the lack of data on incidents of racial crime and racial discrimination in Ireland. He said:
"The NCCRI was responsible for the independent monitoring of racist incidents. There is now no independent state institution in Ireland with this responsibility. Although some civil society organisations are making great efforts to fill this gap, monitoring and reporting of racist incidents must be also carried out by a properly resourced independent state institution."
Discrimination against Travellers, asylum seekers and migrant workers was brought to the attention of the CERD Committee. Dr Manning said:
"Travellers are among the most marginalised communities in Irish society. The State does not recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority. They experience extremely low outcomes in terms of life expectancy, health and education compared to the settled population. Concerted efforts by the State, with full participation of Traveller representatives, are needed to address the real discrimination faced by Travellers in health, education, employment, housing, provision of services and other areas. Any such efforts must ensure specific targets and timeframes. There should also be a national awareness campaign to bring about a change in attitude to the Traveller community in Ireland. Specific proactive measures must be put in place to ensure Traveller representation in public life."
The policy of Direct Provision and its impact on people seeking asylum seekers was also raised. Dr Manning said:
"Although the system was originally intended for short periods, in practice people remain in the system for years. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work and have almost no personal autonomy, often sharing rooms with 2 or 3 strangers. The prevalence of mental health problems for asylum seekers living in direct provision has been documented. Problems are particularly acute for those who have been in the process for a lengthy period. The State must ensure that no one is in this system for more than a year, and act immediately to revise upwards the totally inadequate €19.10 payment for personal requirements, which has remained unchanged since 1999. It must improve access to healthcare and education, ensure the provision of appropriate food and put in place an independent system for dealing with complaints."
In relation to insufficient human rights safeguards in legislation and policy to protect migrant workers and their families Dr Manning said:
"vulnerable migrant workers need greater legislative and policy protections, especially those working in the hospitality industry, rural workers, (including those working in agriculture), and women migrant workers, particularly those working in domestic households. The State should without delay ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families and put the necessary domestic legal protections in place. Family reunification should also be legislated for in a positive, humane and expeditious manner, and the ‘best interests of child assessment’ should form an integral part of the family reunification determination."
Commitments to tackling racism and discrimination must include awareness and training. The IHRC has continually highlighted the need for positive action by the State to raise awareness of CERD and other human rights treaties. Dr Manning said:
"awareness and training on CERD has not been carried out in Ireland in any systematic way. We firmly believe that a commitment by the State to human rights training for all Civil and Public Servants would help ensue that anti-discrimination measures are mainstreamed into Irish law, policy and practice. We hope that the CERD Committee will encourage Ireland to ensure human rights training is mainstreamed throughout Government departments, in cooperation with the IHRC."
In conclusion, Dr Manning said:
"A concerted and systematic approach at both the macro and micro levels is required for Ireland to live up to its commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. The IHRC hopes that the Committee’s Concluding Observations will act as a catalyst to tackling racism and discrimination in Ireland."
ENDS/
Notes to Editor
The UN CERD Committee is a leading example of how National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and Treaty Bodies can engage. The IHRC was the first NHRI to be given the opportunity to speak during the State Party hearing. Since then, NHRIs on the international level have advocated for the other Treaty Bodies to include this formal role for NHRIs. We also greatly value the opportunity we had yesterday morning to meet with Committee Members privately, to present our concerns.
Format of Ireland’s Hearing before the UN CERD Committee
22 February (3-6pm)
- Ireland presents its report to UN CERD Committee for examination
23 February (10-1pm)
- Ireland’s report is examined by UN CERD Committee
- IHRC makes oral presentation of its views to UN CERD Committee
- UN CERD Committee concludes it examination of Ireland’s report
For more information see http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/