Patrick Reilly, of Pavee Point’s Violence Against Women Programme spoke today at the launch of its first Strategy Statement by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
He called on the Government for progress on human rights for Travellers highlighting Traveller ethnicity and accommodation rights.
“More than a decade after the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended for the State to work concretely to recognise Travellers as an ethnic group, no announcement has been made.
“This recommendation has since been echoed by numerous other UN treaty monitoring bodies, European institutions, and Irish equality and human rights bodies, ” he said.
The Commission launched its Strategy Statement following a nationwide consultation with public, community groups and NGOs and set itself 5 goals:
- Goal 1 Leadership: The Commission will, by 2019, be recognised as an authoritative force, driving and enabling excellence in human rights and equality
- Goal 2 Pro-active implementation of Legal Powers: The Commission will pro-actively implement its legal powers, particularly the public duty introduced by S42 of the 2014 Act
- Goal 3 Promote Understanding: The Commission will promote understanding of the indivisibility of equality and human rights
- Goal 4 Making Human Rights and Equality Real: The Commission will achieve strategic progress in the critical areas of human rights and equality
- Goal 5 Promote Intercultural Understanding and Diversity: The Commission will promote and contribute to effective, positive intercultural relations in Ireland and an enhanced recognition of diversity
Photo: (L to R) Debbie Mulhall, Dolphin House Alliance and Miriam Dowling, Don’t Mind the Gap, Emily Logan IHREC Chief Commissioner and Patrick Reilly (Pavee Point).