IHREC publishes report to the Anti-Racism Committee
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), earlier this month, published its report to the Anti-Racism Committee entitled Developing a National Action Plan Against Racism. The report sets out what needs to be done in areas such as policing, education, media, politics, employment and healthcare and includes 130 recommendations for State action. The Independent Anti-Racism Committee, consisting of representatives of the public, private and voluntary sector and experts, was established in late 2019 to consider what more needs to be done by public sector organisations in this area as well as how to develop a clear understanding of racism and how to combat it. After having received all the recommendations from interested groups, the Committee is set to publish its findings towards the end of this year.
According to IHREC’s press release, the report recommends that the State should:
On Education
- review the equality implications of the use of the past pupil criterion in education admissions; to address the use of reduced timetables and to put in place programmes to improve education outcomes for Traveller and Roma children.
- address educational issues for children in the international protection process, including adequate resourcing of English language supports, IT equipment and transport to ensure access to after-school activities, as well as provision of information resources to families about registering for a school place.
- develop a transparent plan on the divestment and patronage of schools, with provision for sanctions for inadequate implementation.
- embed mandatory antiracism programmes at all levels of the education system, as well as in initial teacher training and continuous professional development programmes. Antiracism education should include content tailored to different groups’ experiences of racism such as Travellers and People of African Descent.
On Policing
- target the recruitment, retention and advancement of a diverse police service which fully reflects the diversity of Irish society.
- set specific targets for diversity in An Garda Síochána’s recruitment procedures and Garda promotion policies should be regularly evaluated to address the underrepresentation of minority groups.
- address existing negative attitudes amongst Garda members towards minority ethnic groups and set out measures to address racial profiling, including reports from young minority ethnic people.
On Health
- increase access to healthcare for ethnic minority groups disproportionately impacted through lack of access to private healthcare services, due to being over-represented in poverty and unemployment.
- take seriously the mental health impacts of racist incidents, discrimination, micro-aggressions and a lack of accurate representation, which have been highlighted by ethnic minority young people as having the most detrimental impact on their mental wellbeing, leading to constant alertness, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
- respond to the urgent need for Traveller-focused suicide prevention supports and support for the suicide bereaved.
- task the Department of Health and the HSE to increase access to, treatment in, and routes through the Irish healthcare service system for members of ethnic minority groups.
On ethnic equality monitoring
- address the shortfall in data on racial or ethnic origin in Ireland which has profound consequences for our understanding of racial discrimination in Ireland– specifically when examining structural and institutional barriers facing ethnic minorities.
- establish a clear mandate for the collection and processing of data on racial or ethnic origin across all public bodies, particularly An Garda Síochána.
To view the press release, click here.
To read the report in full, click here.