UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (UN CERD) issued its Concluding Observations on Friday 11 March 2011. These can be found at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/co/Ireland_AUV.pdf
The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination concludes that the economic recession threatens achievements to combat racism and sends a clear message that racism must be back on the political agenda of the new Irish Government.
The Committee’s observations concur with NGO concerns that racism has fallen off the political agenda. The recommendations send a clear message that this situation must be reversed. The Concluding Observations are timely, coming only days after the new Government takes Office. We call on the Government to take seriously and prioritise actions to combat racism as it sets out to deliver the Programme for Government. The Committee’s Concluding Observations can play a crucial role is setting out a mandate for the new Government on anti racism.”
The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination heard the Government’s report on its commitments under the UN Convention on the Elimination on all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) from 22-23 February. It issued its Concluding Observations today, Friday 11 March from Geneva.
Anastasia Crickley, an Irish member of CERD, says that “the Concluding Observations of CERD on Ireland’s third and fourth report echo the concerns and recommendations reflected in the remarks made on the first and second report, calling again on Ireland to work more concretely towards recognising the Traveller community as an ethnic group and to intensify its efforts to implement policies to promote their effective equality. Ireland is reminded that notwithstanding the current economic recession, enhanced efforts need to be made to protect individuals from racial discrimination and that budget cuts should not result in stifling the activities of human rights and other bodies to effectively monitor protection from racial discrimination. The Committee also recommends that legislation be brought forward to improve the protection of all people from racial discrimination.”
The Committee notes with regret that the economic recession threatens to reverse the achievements that have been made by Ireland to combat racial discrimination at all levels. The Committee expresses grave concern over the disproportionate budget cuts to various human rights institutions mandated to promote and monitor human rights such as the Irish Human Rights Commission, the Equality Authority and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism.
The “persistent refusal” on the part of the State to recognise Travellers as an ethnic group is identified as a key concern. It recommends also that the State undertakes concrete measures to improve the livelihoods of the Traveller community by focusing on improving students’ enrolment and retention in schools, employment, access to healthcare and accommodation including transient sites.
On the issue of hate crime, the Committee makes a number of comments. It notes with regret that the review of the Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 has stalled. The Committee recommends that the Government pass legislation to declare illegal and prohibit racist organisations, in line with article 4(b) of the Convention. It also recommends that the racist motivation be consistently taken into account as an aggravating factor in sentencing practice for criminal offences. It also recommends that the State take appropriate steps to encourage the reporting of racist incidents and crimes.
There is much for the Government to consider in the area of immigration and asylum. The Committee is concerned at the negative impact that the policy of direct provision has had on the welfare of asylum seekers who, “due to inordinate delay in the processing of their applications and the final outcomes of their appeals and reviews, as well as poor living conditions, can suffer health and psychological problems that in certain cases lead to serious mental illness”.
The Committee notes that the lapsed Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill and the fact that current legislation does not provide adequate protection for separated children and unaccompanied minors. It calls on the Government both to improve the existing draft legislation and to pass it into law. In particular, the State should improve the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill to provide for the right of migrants to judicial review against administrative actions and to “ensure the right of migrant women in abusive relationships to legal protection by providing them with separate residence permits”.
The Committee is concerned at the lack of legislation proscribing racial profiling by the Garda Siochána (Police) and other law enforcement personnel. The Committee recommends that the Ireland adopts legislation that prohibits any form of racial profiling, a practice which has the danger of promoting racial prejudice and stereotypes against certain groups in Ireland. Furthermore, Ireland should strengthen its efforts to promote the humane treatment of “migrants and people of non-Irish origin” by the Garda Síochána (Police) and other law enforcement personnel in accordance with international human rights law.
For further information contact:
· Catherine Lynch, European Network Against Racism (ENAR) Ireland – Tel. 01-8897110 EnarIreland@gmail.com or
Background information:
· ENAR Ireland is an Irish network against racism of anti racist organisations working collectively to highlight and address racism. We are the Irish Coordination for the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), an EU wide network of over 700 non governmental organisations. ENAR Ireland and other stakeholders attended the Hearing in Geneva and made a presentation to the Committee. See www.enarireland.org or www.enar-eu.org
· The UN CERD is the oldest UN Committee and has eighteen members including one Irish member, Anastasia Crickley. Anastasia Crickley is the first Irish woman and second Irish person to be appointed to such a UN Committee. Anastasia will be well known to many readers as a founding and active member of the CWC and Head of Department of Applied Social Studies, NUI Maynooth. She had previously acted as Chair of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency until June 2010 and was the Chair of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism.
Resources/References
CERD Concluding Observations are available at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/co/Ireland_AUV.pdf
OHCHR Database contains all the reports from the Irish Government to CERD to date as well as CERD documents, see http://tb.ohchr.org/default.aspx?country=ie
The CERD webpage on the OHCHR database includes agenda for CERD Hearing and also NGO shadow reports submitted to the Committee in advance of the Hearing. 11 NGO reports were submitted, see http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/cerds78.htm
21st March is International Day Against Racism, a day when the people across the globe show their opposition to racism. European Week Against Racism centres on International Day Against Racism and is co-ordinated in Ireland by ENAR Ireland.
Check out what’s happening on Online Calendar, www.enarireland.org/ewar2011
To have your event included in our Online Calendar of Events, e-mail details to us at EnarIreland@gmail.com
March 21st, International Day Against Racism
March 21st is International Day Against Racism, a day when the people across the globe show their opposition to racism. This annual event declared as a memorial by the United Nations in response to the murder of 69 anti-apartheid demonstrators in Sharpeville, South Africa, in 1960.
European Week Against Racism
European Week Against Racism centres on International Day Against Racism and is co-ordinated in Ireland by ENAR Ireland. We are celebrating European Week from 21-27 March 2011.
The European Week Against Racism is a series of events, run by people and organisations actively opposed to racism in Irish society. It’s co-ordinated by ENAR Ireland. During the Week thousands of people, not just in Ireland but all across the EU will come together to promote and celebrate equal rights and diversity in Europe. Check out our calendar– and take part in a range of exciting and inspiring activities we’re helping to co-ordinate in Ireland.
This Year, our focus is on 21st March, and celebrating the European Week from 21-27 March. Recognising that in some countries not all events be held during one week, some countries shall celebrate events over two weeks this year from 14-27 March 2011. Our Calendar of Events can also feature events during these weeks.
Funding an issue?
Take the lead from other organisations and contact your local authority or area based Partnership – see how they can support you.
Watch this space for more information on International Day Against Racism and other events during the Week. Check out last year’s events on www.enarireland.org/ewar2010
Get organised and let us know!
If you’re organising an activity for the European Week Against Racism or the International Day Against Racism, send us the detail via email for inclusion in our calendar. We’ll need the following:
- Title of activity
- Name of organisation
- Description of activity (100 words max.)
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Fee to attend the event
- Contact person
- Telephone
- Email address for bookings or press
- Website
UN Committee Questions Echo Concerns that Racism has fallen off the Political Agenda in Ireland
The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) met in Geneva to hear Ireland’s report on racism from 22-23 February. The Committee’s reflections concur with NGO concerns that racism has fallen off the political agenda. This was an important Hearing eagerly awaited by NGOs who have been arguing against the disproportionate cuts to equality and human rights measures and have been lobbying for many cost neutral initiatives to protect rights and address racism.
Committee reflections reflected ENAR Ireland’s submission that is a perception that for government and other stakeholders, equality and anti-racism are seen as a luxury in a time of recession, that many of the positive aspects previously identified by the Committee had diminished or disappeared and that most concerns raised in 2006 remain valid today.
There was a clear message from the Committee that Convention relates to rights that need to be protected and cannot be comprised in times of economic difficulty, although the Committee did understand the economic and political position facing the Irish State at this time. What members said they struggled to understand, however, was why certain issues still had not been resolved since the last Hearing five years ago and pressure was put on the Irish delegation to clarify why Travellers still are not recognised as a distinct ethnic group by the Irish context.
Committee members raised a number of questions of the Irish Government. One member who could not pose questions however, was Ireland’s representative, Anastasia Crickley. Anastasia Crickley is the first Irish woman and only second Irish person to be appointed to such a UN Committee. She had previously acted as Chair of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency until June 2010 and was the Chair of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) until it was closed in December 2008 following a 100% budget cut.
The 100% budget cut to the NCCRI was one of the questions raised at the Hearing, as part of a concern at the disproportionately of the cuts to anti racism and human rights measures.
Members sought clarification on the position of vulnerable groups, highlighting the mental health issues facing asylum seekers in direct provision due to long waiting times on their asylum cases. Domestic abuse experienced by migrant women was also highlighted and the State was asked to clarify what measures they are taking to protect women whose status may depend on their spouse and who may not be able to leave the situation for fear of an insecure future. Questions were also posed on the State’s capacity to respond to hate crime and the independent monitoring of racist incidents. The Committee reflected that strong institutions are crucial to the delivery of obligations under the Convention on Elimination on all Forms of Racial Discrimination.
One suggestion to the Irish Government was that they ratify the ILO Convention on Quality Work for Domestic Workers; this was welcomed by the Government delegation. The Government was also urged to consider full incorporation of the Convention into domestic law, to help enable better protection against hate crime. This is an area where Ireland as other EU members states struggle with sometimes outdated legislation that does not have the capacity to respond for example to racism on the internet. The EU Framework Decision on Racism and Xenopbhobia was another effort to try to increase capacity in this area.
With the election only days away at the time, the commitment of political parties to the ENAR Ireland Anti Racism Political Protocol was commended, although it was pointed out that this should not lead to complacency. Coming shortly after the general election, the Committee’s concluding observations may play a crucial role is setting out a mandate for the new government on anti racism.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) met in Geneva to hear Ireland’s report on racism from 22-23 February.
With the election only days away at the time, the Committee commended the commitment of political parties to the ENAR Ireland Anti Racism Political Protocol, although it was pointed out that this should not lead to complacency. Coming shortly after the general election, the Committee’s concluding observations may play a crucial role is setting out a mandate for the new government on anti racism.
ENAR Ireland actively worked to ensure that the 2011 General Election Campaign was conducted in a manner that does not perpetuate or incite racism.
To support this effort ENAR Ireland updated and circulated the Anti Racism Election Protocol first developed in 2001 by NCCRI[1].
The Anti Racism Election Protocol has played an important role since 2001 in ensuring that elections have been conducted in such a way that they do not incite hatred or prejudice on the grounds of ‘race’, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origin, religious belief and membership of the Traveller Community. Political parties that have already endorsed the Protocol include Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green Party, Labour Party, Libertas, People before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, Workers’ Party.
To date in Ireland, election campaigners have generally avoided using the ‘race card’; however, we cannot take this for granted. Nor is the picture at all perfect. Research by Doras Luimni in Limerick for example, reveals that political representatives on both the left and right were found to commonly address the issue of immigration in the media as a social problem. Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI|) research suggests hidden messages that equality is not important and racism is not a significant issue. This protocol continued to be quite successful in the 2011 general election campaign but it should be noted that ENAR Ireland is following up on a number of statements brought to their attention by concerned citizens during the course of the campaign.
The European Network Against Racism notes a rise in right wing extremism across Europe and a general trend towards higher levels of racism. There is now a far right Party active in the European Parliament. The Party was established in 2007; in the same year the German Presidency was working to bring in EU legislation to tackle the rise of extremism across Europe.
Keeping and removing racism from politics requires commitment on the part of politicians, political parties and civil society alike. Ireland is facing a difficult challenge at this time. Political leadership has never been so important, in realising rights as well as maintaining solidarity and harmony between all members of society irrespective of their ethnicity, nationality or residency status.
Having secured commitment from political parties, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) Ireland also invited individual candidates to sign the Protocol as a public declaration of their own support for the Protocol and its message. We believe that in taking this action candidates will be reminded of the necessity to uphold the commitment made by their political parties. Independents are also strongly encouraged to sign up. This call was well received and signed declarations and e-mails flooded in.
You can access the Protocol or report racism on our website at www.enarireland.org Call us at 01 8897110 or E-mail EnarIreland@gmail.com
[1] The Protocol was originally developed by National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) in partnership with political parties. The NCCRI was closed in December 2008.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) met in Geneva to hear Ireland’s report on racism from 22-23 February. The Committee’s reflections concur with NGO concerns that racism has fallen off the political agenda. This was an important Hearing eagerly awaited by NGOs who have been arguing against the disproportionate cuts to equality and human rights measures and have been lobbying for many cost neutral initiatives to protect rights and address racism.
Committee reflections reflected ENAR Ireland submission, stating that there is a perception that for government and other stakeholders, equality and anti-racism are seen as a luxury in a time of recession, that many of the positive aspects previously identified by the Committee had diminished or disappeared and that most concerns raised in 2006 remain valid today.
There was a clear message from the Committee that Convention relates to rights that need to be protected and cannot be comprised in times of economic difficulty, although the Committee did understand the economic and political position facing the Irish State at this time. What members said they struggled to understand, however, was why certain issues still had not been resolved since the last Hearing five years ago and pressure was put on the Irish delegation to clarify why Travellers still are not recognised as a distinct ethnic group by the Irish context.
Committee members raised a number of questions of the Irish Government. One member who could not pose questions however, was Ireland’s representative, Anastasia Crickley. Anastasia Crickley is the first Irish woman and only second Irish person to be appointed to such a UN Committee. She had previously acted as Chair of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency until June 2010 and was the Chair of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) until it was closed in December 2008 following a 100% budget cut.
The 100% budget cut to the NCCRI was one of the questions raised at the Hearing, as part of a concern at the disproportionately of the cuts to anti racism and human rights measures.
Members sought clarification on the position of vulnerable groups, highlighting the mental health issues facing asylum seekers in direct provision due to long waiting times on their asylum cases. Domestic abuse experienced by migrant women was also highlighted and the State was asked to clarify what measures they are taking to protect women whose status may depend on their spouse and who may not be able to leave the situation for fear of an insecure future. Questions were also posed on the State’s capacity to respond to hate crime and the independent monitoring of racist incidents. The Committee reflected that strong institutions are crucial to the delivery of obligations under the Convention on Elimination on all Forms of Racial Discrimination.
One suggestion to the Irish Government was that they ratify the ILO Convention on Quality Work for Domestic Workers; this was welcomed by the Government delegation. The Government was also urged to consider full incorporation of the Convention into domestic law, to help enable better protection against hate crime. This is an area where Ireland as other EU members states struggle with sometimes outdated legislation that does not have the capacity to respond for example to racism on the internet. The EU Framework Decision on Racism and Xenopbhobia was another effort to try to increase capacity in this area.
With the election only days away at the time, the commitment of political parties to the ENAR Ireland Anti Racism Political Protocol was commended, although it was pointed out that this should not lead to complacency. Coming shortly after the general election, the Committee’s concluding observations may play a crucial role is setting out a mandate for the new government on anti racism.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) met in Geneva to hear Ireland’s report on racism from 22-23 February.
With the election only days away at the time, the Committee commended the commitment of political parties to the ENAR Ireland Anti Racism Political Protocol, although it was pointed out that this should not lead to complacency. Coming shortly after the general election, the Committee’s concluding observations may play a crucial role is setting out a mandate for the new government on anti racism.
Having secured commitment from political parties, ENAR Ireland also invited individual candidates to sign the Protocol as a public declaration of their own support for the Protocol and its message. This call was well received and declarations of support flooded in. The protocol continued to be quite successful in the 2011 general election campaign but things were not perfect. ENAR Ireland is following up on a number of statements brought to their attention by concerned citizens during the course of the campaign.
Check out the principles, here on the site.
21st March is International Day Against Racism, a day when the people across the globe show their opposition to racism. European Week Against Racism centres on International Day Against Racism and is co-ordinated in Ireland by ENAR Ireland.
To have your event included in our Online Calendar of Events, e-mail details to us at EnarIreland@gmail.com
March 21st, International Day Against Racism
March 21st is International Day Against Racism, a day when the people across the globe show their opposition to racism. This annual event declared as a memorial by the United Nations in response to the murder of 69 anti-apartheid demonstrators in Sharpeville, South Africa, in 1960.
European Week Against Racism
European Week Against Racism centres on International Day Against Racism and is co-ordinated in Ireland by ENAR Ireland. We are celebrating European Week from 21-27 March 2011.
The European Week Against Racism is a series of events, run by people and organisations actively opposed to racism in Irish society. It’s co-ordinated by ENAR Ireland. During the Week thousands of people, not just in Ireland but all across the EU will come together to promote and celebrate equal rights and diversity in Europe. Check out our calendar– and take part in a range of exciting and inspiring activities we’re helping to co-ordinate in Ireland.
This Year, our focus is on 21st March, and celebrating the European Week from 21-27 March. Recognising that in some countries not all events be held during one week, some countries shall celebrate events over two weeks this year from 14-27 March 2011. Our Calendar of Events can also feature events during these weeks.
Funding an issue?
Take the lead from other organisations and contact your local authority or area based Partnership – see how they can support you.
Watch this space for more information on International Day Against Racism and other events during the Week. Check out last year’s events on www.enarireland.org/ewar2010
Get organised and let us know!
If you’re organising an activity for the European Week Against Racism or the International Day Against Racism, send us the detail via email for inclusion in our calendar. We’ll need the following:
- Title of activity
- Name of organisation
- Description of activity (100 words max.)
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Fee to attend the event
- Contact person
- Telephone
- Email address for bookings or press
- Website
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