Nasc at the May Day event, May 2010, Evening Echo 
Nasc at the Womens Mini Marathon, September 2009, Evening Echo 
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Nasc in the Media
2010
Cork Independent , Thursday, July 22, 2010
SEEKING ASYLUM
by Peter Tobin
A protest about conditions at the Kinsale Road Direct Provision Centre hit the headlines recently, but in the outside world we hear very little about what life inside the centres. Peter Tobin met three residents.
Last month, a small protest took place at the Kinsale Road Direct Provision Centre. Parents of children living there were pointing out that, due to the timing of breakfast and city buses, they were being forced to choose between sending their children to school late or hungry. This problem highlighted the fact there are many issues facing residents of the centre and here some of them share their stories. more...
Evening Echo, Wednesday, June 30, 2010
ASYLUM SEEKERS WANT BUS FOR KIDS
By Kieran Dineen, Education correspondent
‘OUR children should not have to choose between being on time for class or going to school hungry’.
That was the message from asylum seekers who live in Kinsale Road Accommodation Centre who this morning called on the Department of Justice to provide a school bus for their kids.
As breakfast at the centre is served at 8am, the earliest bus the pupils can get is the 8.30am No.6 from Frankfield Road. Parents are not permitted to access the kitchen themselves to make breakfast at an earlier time or to have food in their rooms.
To highlight the issue the parents walked with the 50 pupils on the 20-minuts trek to the No.6 bus stop along with friends who support their call for a bus.
From here some pupils go to St Nicholas and Christ King Primary while others take a second bus to get other schools such as Togher Boys’ and Girls’ National Schools.
Some of the children also cross the dual carriageway to get the Airport bus, putting themselves at risk, so they can get to school.
Mari Pia Paillot, who works with the women’s group at the centre and with Nasc, the immigrant support group, said it was wrong that the children were once again forced to be late for school today, on what was the last day of term.
Evening Echo, Tuesday, June 29, 2010
REFUGEES FORCED TO WAIT UP TO 10 YEARS FOR HEARING
By Eimear Fitzgerald
Refugee. One simple word that brings with it many varying interpretations, opinions and reactions.
But what does it really mean and what does daily life entail for the people that come under this often misunderstood classification?
An unexpected opportunity to find out came about as part of a study I did on integration and discrimination in Cork city, at the Nasc immigration centre in the city.
My own understanding of what it means to be a ‘refugee’ or ‘asylum seeker’ was challenged in a chance discussion with three men, all of African descent and currently in the process of seeking asylum in this country
more...
Irish Examiner June 15, 2010
RESIDENT 'DENIED CITIZEN STATUS'
By Jennifer Hough
CHILEAN Offman Molina has lived in Cork as a legal resident for 30 years, working and paying taxes like most other citizens.
He has six children and renews his residency every five years. A few years ago, he decided he wanted to become a full citizen.
"It never really bothered me too much before but now I feel I am part of the country and culture – so why not have the document to show it?"
Offman, a Cork city taxi driver for ten years, applied for citizenship two years ago. He sent all the documents required but, in the end his application was refused, primarily on the basis he allowed his five-year residency to lapse for a while –the last time it came up for renewal.
The letter of refusal of his application was a generic one, enclosing a memo outlining the five-year residency requirement.
"It was quite offensive to get a letter like that after 30 years of contributing to Ireland," he said. "I am here since 1977 but they said I did not satisfy the time frame and that having one child was not enough reason to grant the passport.
"But all my children were born here and my wife is Irish. I cannot appeal the decisions and there is no one to talk to about it," he said.
"I want to try and get a TD to help me. There is no law about citizenship and no guidelines as such either.
"They say I don’t have five years of residency, but surely they can easily see that I have been paying taxes here for thirty years.
"I think that I have earned the right to be included, and to be able to vote in national elections."
Metro Eireann May 20-26, 2010
'ENCOURAGING IRELAND’S MIGRANTS TO TAKE ACTION'
Rose Foley speaks to Fiona Finn of Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, about the group’s work for immigrants throughout the country
Back in her native Cork since 2002 after a number years in London, Fiona Finn took her experience working with asylum seekers and refugees in the UK to help immigrants in Ireland.
As CEO of Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, Finn oversees the Cork-based NGO that aids up to 3,000 immigrants, including asylum seekers, each year.
“We contribute to an environment of social inclusion for all communities based on principles of equality, social justice and human rights,” says Finn, who outlines the three pillars that underpin the work of Nasc – legal assistance, community development and policy work – all of which is provided free of charge.
The centre’s legal information service helps clients navigate their way through the often unwieldy immigration system, whether the issue is applying for Irish citizenship, attempting to gain legal residency or working as an undocumented immigrant.
The drop-in service allows clients to come in to the centre and seek assistance without having an appointment. They can also be assigned a case worker who will assist them on an appointment basis. more....
Evening Echo May 1, 2010
MAY DAY ACTIVISTS SLAM CROKER DEAL
By Ronan Bagnall
MAINSTREAM unions were criticised for trying to sell the Croke Park deal to ‘punch drunk workers’ at the May Day celebrations in Cork ........
At Solidarity Books on Douglas Street, Claire McCarthy of Nasc – The Irish Immigrant Support Centre Ltd. gave an overview of migrant workers rights today.
She was followed by Joe Moore of the Cork Anti Racism Network who talked about racial problems in Ireland. Volunteers cooked a community meal for those in attendance before city councillors Ted Tynan and Mick Barry addressed the gathering
The speakers criticised the big unions for trying to sell the Croke Park deal on public pay to a workforce “already punch drunk from assaults on their pay and conditions”
A colourful May Day march organised by the Independent Workers Union paraded down the city’s main streets to Daunt Square.
Citizenship refusals have a damaging impact on lives - Nasc
By Robert Carry
Those wishing to secure citizenship in Ireland have to contend with a stringent application process, while refusals – sometimes handed down after a lengthy waiting period – are not uncommon.
Moreover, the reasons cited for such refusals are often particularly hard to swallow for those turned down.
“Some of the reasons given seem very trivial,” says Claire McCarthy, policy and campaigning officer at the Cork-based Nasc Immigrant Support Centre.
McCarthy has come across a number of cases where people are turned down for spurious reasons. One of the worst involved that of ‘Mohamed’, who arrived as an asylum seeker in Ireland from Afghanistan and was later granted refugee status.
“His application for citizenship was refused on the basis that he has two traffic offences, which he did not mention in his application,” says McCarthy. “He has paid fines in both cases but non-disclosure of even the most minor offence is fatal.” more...
Irish Examiner, January 18, 2010Minister is complacent on the realities of racism
INTEGRATION Minister John Curran’s apparent complacency about the realities of life for those members of Irish society (whether "non-national" or otherwise) who experience racism and discrimination here is worrying.
The minister dismisses the results of a major survey designed by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights to provide data that can be used to inform evidence-based policies (the EU Minorities and Discrimination Survey – EU-MIDIS) with the somewhat mystifying remark that "the methodology used in Ireland for the survey was different to that used in other countries and, more importantly, was only carried out in Dublin".
The fact that evidence suggesting that many of those people feel excluded, discriminated against and – "worst of all" – picked on by the gardaí does not seem to interest the minister in the slightest is worrying, to say the least.
I would ask the minister to take very seriously any indications of patterns of racist and discriminatory behaviour in our society and of failures in the reporting mechanisms and in the effectiveness of our excellent legislation.
I invite him to test the results of the EU-MIDIS survey by means of a comprehensive national survey around the same issues, rather than dismissing them without further ado.
Claire McCarthy, Policy and Campaigning Officer,
Nasc Irish Immigrant Support Centre more...
Irish Examiner, January 11, 2010
Gardaí accused of racial discrimination
By Scott Millar
GARDAÍ have been accused of racial discrimination following the release of EU research which found Sub-Saharan Africans are twice as likely to be subjected to police stops than other members of the public.
The European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey found in a 12-month period 59% of Africans surveyed had been stopped at least once by gardaí. One in three eastern Europeans were stopped at least once in the same period. More than 1,000 Sub-Saharan Africans and eastern Europeans were surveyed.
The stop rate for Sub-Saharan Africans in Ireland was the highest for any ethnic minority surveyed in any of the 27 EU member states. Only members of the Roma in Greece experienced similarly high levels of police stops, with 56% stopped at least once in the pervious 12 months.
Claire McCarthy, policy officer with the Cork-based Nasc Irish Immigrant Support Centre, said her organisation was concerned that gardaí were instigating a policy of "ethnic profiling."
"There is a feeling on the ground that there has been ethnic profiling by the gardaí. I think if you’re black and you live in Ireland you have a much, much higher chance of being stopped by gardaí."
"The EU report goes a long way to proving such an approach by the gardaí is a reality."
The report, published last month and based on a survey carried out in 2008, warns that "even where perceptions of (racial) profiling cannot be proven, the fact that significant numbers of minorities believe they are victims of profiling is evidence that work needs to be done to improve police relations and interaction with minority communities."
Anti-profiling measures are an integral part of the training of the Garda Síochána’s over 600 ethnic liaison officers. Sergeant David McInerney of the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office said he was concerned by the survey findings as "anti-profiling measures are a key focus for us.
"If a member stops somebody without reasonable grounds to believe they have committed an offence there is something wrong and we won’t tolerate it. That we are working with, and must cater for the needs, of a rapidly changing population is something we are very aware of that." more...
2009
Evening Echo, September 2009
‘Nasc Speakers to offer insights on foreign cultures’
Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre will host a very special launch later this week.
Nasc’s Speakers’ Panel and Development Education Programme will launch an information pack on it’s work, and also country of origin information sheets, on Friday.
The Speakers’ Panel will also present pieces of artwork, completed with Mayfield Community Arts Centre.
The launch will be officially opened by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Laura McGonigle, at Nasc’s premises at Enterprise House, 35 Mary Street, at 4pm and admittance is free.
Nasc’s Speakers’ Panel is a sub-group of Nasc and its Development Education Programme. The panel is made up of Nasc members from a broad range of countries, who are interested in raising awareness of their country of origin.
The speakers aim to develop people’s understandings of the background, culture and development issues from their country of origin. Through participation in training, events and projects, the speakers themselves also develop their capabilities and skills.
Irish Aid, Trocaire and the Community Foundation fund Nasc’s Development Education and Speakers’ Panel programme.....
Examiner June 18. 2009
Xenophobic incidents increasing here
By Jennifer Hough
RACISM against foreign nationals is starting to manifest itself in communities around the country, according to the head of an
immigrant support network. .....
......Meanwhile the head of Cork-based Immigrant Support Centre Nasc expressed concern over the lack of reporting of racist incidents.
Gertrude Cotter said staff were concerned that people were not telling anyone about what might be going on.
'Sometimes people are afraid or they don’t know where to go. We would encourage people to report any incidents, if they do not it is not recorded and that makes it very difficult to do anything.’
Ms Cotter added that there had been a "significant" change in the attitude of the Department of Justice in its immigration and Integration policy
She said it had become apparent from dealing with the department that it was taking a much harder line on a variety of issues which affected immigrants living in Ireland
"They might not sound significant, but for the people involved it makes life much more difficult."
One example, said Ms Cotter is that it is getting harder for spouses of Irish citizens to get a spouse visa.
For example, an Irish national trying to bring a married spouse into the country has to prove the history relationship in much more detail than before and people trying to bring children in is also a problem, she said....
Examiner, 5th May, 2009
Immigrants to raise issues with election candidates
By Eoin English
IMMIGRANTS will raise their election issues at a special meet-and-greet event with candidates in Cork today.
Migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees are expected to raise concerns about access to housing, English language tuition, difficulty in dealing with some public service bodies and the living conditions of asylum seekers. The event is organised by Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, as part of the Make Your Mark campaign which has been running since September 2008.
The campaign aims to raise migrant participation in elections and facilitate
dialogue with candidates. Nasc's director Gertrude Cotter said it is hoped that through greater participation in the election process, these issues can come to the fore in the local context so that councillors can actively engage with them. "We have facilitated a lot of people to register and I also think we have
Engaged with councillors and got them thinking about migrants in their
community," she said. "Hopefully, this will translate into getting migrant
issues onto the agenda in Cork."
Candidates from all the main political parties will be hoping their stance on
migrant issues will be enough to attract votes from what is now a significant
migrant population. The city’s migrant population has been rising steadily since the 1990s but has increased dramatically since the ten accession countries joined the European Union in 2004.
The event will take place in the Clarion Hotel on Lapp's Quay from 2.30pm to 4pm....
Friday, 3rd April 2009 Irish Examiner, Letter to Editor
It’s time to finally stamp out racism
NASC, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre Cork, would like to express our deep concern about the ongoing treatment of black and other non-Irish taxi drivers in Cork.
Nasc, has over the past few years received many complaints by black taxi drivers who report systematic discrimination and unfair treatment in the taxi service in Cork. This problem exists for years. If there is a problem with the issuing of taxi licences then the problem is a structural one and needs to be addressed as such. Scapegoating and targeting one group of people because of their skin colour or nationality is racism.
Derry Coughlan’s (chair of Cork Taxi Federation) statement that this federation can only take local Cork men and does not allow “non-national members” is almost inconceivable.
At a time when the US has elected an African-American president, Cork is in this embarrassing position. Other allegations he makes that there are complaints about foreign national taxi drivers regarding their “attitude and manners” does not deserve comment.
Let me remind the Cork Taxi Federation of a case a 1994 ruling by the British Commission for Racial Equality which gave a strong message that racist work- place culture which is not acceptable. A Northern Irishman has been driven from his job because he refused to laugh along with Irish jokes.
In this case the comments referred to a “typical thick Paddy”. Or the comment of an Irish person in 1997 in England after the Birmingham bombs, who was refused service in a shop and was made to “feel being Irish is a bad thing. I tried to hide my accent. I was made to feel I don’t belong”.
Apart from legal and human rights responsibilities, let us not forget our own history.
Nasc applauds Minister Billy Kelleher’s response that the law is “colour blind” and that “anyone living legally in this country, and who is working here legally should be entitled to membership of a trade union or association”.
Our equally legislation is there to protect people from this type of exclusion. It is critical that other politicians and civic leaders take a strong stand in stamping out racism. Gertrude Cotter, Director, Nasc the Irish Immigrant Support Centre.
2008
Mon. 17 November 2008, Irish Examiner:
A new play, What dreams May Come, uses a dream as a device to debate immigration
I have a dream………….of refugee justice
A PLAY aimed at raising awareness of refugees being staged for one night only at the Triskel Arts Centre, in Cork, on January 16. The play, What Dreams May Come……., is produced by Nascarama, a theatre group that is part of NASC, The Irish Immigrant Support Centre, a Cork-based non-governmental organisation that responds to the need of immigrants......
What Dreams May Come……will be preformed at the Triskel Arts Centre on January 16. Admission is free and there will be music by Niwel Tsumbu.
Mon. 17 November 2008, Irish Examiner:
Immigrant support groups ‘refused entry to hostels’
IMMIGRANT support groups are increasingly being prevented from entering direct provision accommodation by managers, it has been claimed......
.........A spokesperson for Nasc, a Cork-based immigrant support group, said on one hand the Department of Justice Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) funded support groups, while on the other hand it did not allow them access to the people they are trying to help. more
Mon. 17 November 2008, Irish Examiner:
Immigrant girl, 14, kept in hospital for six months
A 14-YEAR-OLD African girl, who arrived unaccompanied into the country, was kept for six months in the children’s ward of Cork University Hospital (CUH) because there was no where else to put her............
..........Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, said the case “clearly illustrates that the systems are not in place to facilitate children arriving into Ireland in this situation”. ......... more
Wed. 29 October 2008, The Irish Times:
Letters, Gertrude Cotter, Director, Nasc, (Irish Immigrant Support Centre), Mary Street, Cork
Madam, - We are concerned about the impact of the cessation of government funding to the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI). We are led to believe by the Government that this body has been incorporated into the office of the Minister for Integration. But the reality is that all 12 staff of the NCCRI will lose their jobs. Their experience cannot be replaced by others and in any case the ministry is itself under-funded.........more (scroll to bottom of page)
Sat. 11 October 2008, Evening Echo:
Nasc manuals set to tackle racism
TWO publications to help increase understanding of migrants and promote integration have been launched.
North Meets South and In Our Own Words are training guides based on the experiences of people who are immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers living in Cork..........
..........Nasc Director Gertrude Cotter said: “Nasc has developed these manuals because of the constant requests for training from a wide variety of organisations, schools and colleges in Cork. “We hope they will contribute to the development of increased understandings of migrants and promote integration.”........
Wed. 10 September 2008, Evening Echo:
Country of Origin Series: I came here in search of freedom yet I’m not even allowed to work…
Following months of brutal persecution and a life lived in fear, Burmese refugee Koko Latt arrived in this country in 2002 with the hope of starting a new life.......
............ In Ireland, Koko shares a small room with several other asylum hopefuls at an accommodation centre in Cork – unable to work as he awaits a decision on his asylum application here. “I am here now six years. It is a very long time. I am a human being but I have no rights to work, study or travel. It is very hard".....
.......... He is still actively involved in many voluntary groups in the city.
These include Nasc, the Cork-based immigrant support centre; the Cork division of Amnesty International and Burma Action Ireland.....
Top of page
Evening Echo, Monday, September 8, 2008.
Country of Origin Series: Monika loves her adopted Cork city “The more I live in Cork, the less I feel like going home”
Monika Nowakowska moved to Cork from Krakow in July 2004
A friend has already moved to Cork, so Monika followed, but was surprise at what she found. “Cork was a lot less developed than I had expected. It was much smaller than Krakow and it was expensive".....
.......... Finding fulfilling employment was one of Monika’s biggest difficulties. Getting a job was easy, but finding a career remains difficult. “In Poland I worked as a supervisor in a folk art gallery. When I came to Cork I had a range of jobs before I settled. I worked in the English Market, as a waitress in a casino, in a tanning shop and then in an internet café, where we were paid below the minimum wage- it’s since closed down"......
........... She said the goal of this ‘Countries of Origin’ project for her is to make people of Cork more benevolent to immigrants.
Evening Echo, Monday, September 11, 2008.
Country of Origin Series :‘I feel at home in Ireland, a kind of peace’
Fearing for his life and fleeing political persecution Patrick Mutombo was forced to leave his beloved African homeland for the uncertain shores of Ireland. Four years later the fate of this man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo still lies in the hands of the Irish Government .......
....... “When I arrived in Ireland I got the strangest sensation, like I was home. I did not know anybody, but I felt at peace,” he said.....
............. He found it extremely difficult to adapt to life in an accommodation centre. “It is very hard sharing one room with three of four people. You have to wait if you want to use the bathroom. You have to be very tolerant of each other". “The food is terrible, and you have no privacy at all. You can get moved around without notice to Killarney or Bantry. You come to your room one day and find a letter from the Department of Justice saying you are being moved. People get very depressed" ......
Evening Echo, Monday, September 9, 2008.
Country of Origin Series : ‘I was pregnant on the streets with my son” A few years back ‘Felicity’ fled Nigeria and her Ibos culture.
She was pregnant with her first child and she was dreading her baby may have to undergo the brutal ordeal of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Felicity, which is not her real name, managed to find a passage to Ireland, but without her husband. After arriving she had her first child, which turned out to be a boy.......
.....
“I talk to NGOs and students. I’ve been to more than 20 schools in Cork to talk about what it is like to loose your family and come to Ireland. I came here because of my fear of FGM, and I believe my being here and talking about it is the only way that will stop it. If I went back to Nigeria it would be insisted upon by my tribe that my daughter have FGM”.......
.......
Felicity is an active member of Nasc, The Irish Immigrant Support Centre.
“Trying to get asylum is an extremely slow process. I’d like my daughter to have the right to stay here with my son where she will be safe from any attempts of FGM and have access to life-saving medical care.”.......
Thurs. 10 July 2008, The Cork Independent:
MULTI-CULTURAL CORK
A new column addressing integration and multi-cultural issues in Cork. This week’s column has been written by NASC Policy & Campaigning Officer, Paul Dunbar
Statio Bene Fide Carinis –‘A safe harbour for ships’ is the motto on the coat of arms of Cork city. This exemplifies Cork’s tradition as a welcoming city. However, as a society we should be aware that not all of those who arrive in Cork feel welcome. This is particularly the case in relation to asylum seekers who feel excluded and marginalised from Ireland’s increasingly diverse society...
June 2008, The Cork Independent:
MULTI-CULTURAL CORK - A new column addressing integration and multi-cultural issues in Cork.
This week column is written by Gertrude Cotter, Director of Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, 35 Mary st, Cork.
This article is the first of a series of articles of integration and other issues which concern migrants in Ireland and in Cork. Nasc welcomes this opportunity to begin a discussion on what we mean by the term “Integration”. Future columns will be written by a variety of groups from around the city and county.
The National Action Plan Against Racism defines Integration as “a two-way process that places duties and obligations on both cultural and ethnics minorities and the State to create a more inclusive society”.
Nasc would add that integration as a two-ways process (adaptation by migrant and host society) places duties and obligations on the receiving society and on inward migrants. It also places responsibility on the state to create, fund and coordinate a more inclusive society.....
Fri.June 20th 2008, Press Release by Nasc, FLAC, Integrating Ireland and the Refugee Information Service:
On World Refugee Day, Organisations call for improved treatment of those seeking protection within Ireland
On World Refugee Day, groups working with people seeking asylum in Ireland are highlighting the need for better treatment of people seeking protection in this country including those who have fled from countries such as Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur and Palestine. more...
Asylum centres condemned as ‘open prisons’ - Civil rights group finds serious failings in how refugees are treated in State accommodation
By Ralph Riegel
Sunday April 13 2008
A MAJOR study by an Irish civil rights group has revealed alarming problems involving State asylum seeker accommodation centres with some described as little more than “open prisons”..... The independent study was commissioned by the Irish Immigrant Support Centre (Nasc)—and aimed to assess the experiences of asylum seekers in Ireland and their reaction to the national DP regime in operation.....
Tues. 8 April 2008, The Irish Examiner:
Asylum Centres 'Costly and Wasteful'
The Government's accommodation for asylum seekers is 'costly and wasteful' and 'tantamount to an open prison', a report has revealed. Almost 6,000 people are living in the state's direct provision centres around the country, at a cost of about €66 million per year, while awaiting a decision on their asylum applications. Many are experiencing poverty and isolation while depending on the state for all of their material needs.
That is according to research carried out by Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre in Cork, which yesterday launched a campaign for the reform of the asylum legal process.
One of the cornerstones of the campaign is to get the Government to allow asylum seekers to work, instead of depending on weekly social welfare allowances of €19.10 per adult and €9.50 per child....
Tues. 8 April 2008, The Irish Times:
Adviser on racism says diversity in schools neglected: Integration Minister 'must be' in Cabinet
The Chairwoman of the steering group of the Government's National Action Plan against Racism has criticised the Depatment of Education for faltering in its attempts to address diversity in schools......
Meanwhile, a psychologist told the launch of a campaign for the reform of the asylum process by Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre in Cork, that the State's 'direct provision' system for asylum seekers was causing demoralisation and preventing asylum seekers from integrating.
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Tony Humphreys said the system repeated the shortcomings of mental asylums-institutionalisation, depersonalisation, increased dependence and helplessness.
'The fact that asylum seekers are five times more likely to be diagnosed with psychiatric illness is evidence of the nature of the asylums provided', he said, adding that individuals needed to be treated with dignity whether they stay or eventually leave Ireland.......
Sat. 15 March 2008, The Irish Times: Letter to the editor by Gertrude Cotter:
Shortcomings in Immigration Bill
I welcome Carol Coulter’s article on the UNHCR’s recommendations regarding amendments to the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill currently before the Oreachtas (The Irish Times. March 13th). The UNHCR’s report is an excellent analysis of the legislation. It includes 76 groups of recommendations for change to the current Bill.
Similar points were made last year by the Irish Human Rights Commission in response to the Bill produced by the former minister for justice. This has been ignored to date by the officials and the Minister at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
It is important that bodies such as the UNHCR and the IHRC are listened to by the Government. For instance the powers and functions of the IHRC are set out in the Human Rights Commission Acts 2000 and 2001. The Human Rights Commission Act, 2000 confers a wide-ranging jurisdiction on the Commission to promote and protect human rights as defined both in international agreements to which Ireland is party and in the Irish Constitution. Its functions include making recommendations to government on measures to strengthen, protect and uphold human rights in the State and to keep under review the adequacy and effectiveness of law an practice relating to the protection of human rights.
It is therefore difficult to understand how the Department of Justice can ignore the report of a body established b an Act of parliament for the very purpose of making such recommendations.
As an NGO dealing every day with the consequences of poor government legislation and policies, we ask the Oireachtas committee to consider in detail the recommendations of the reports of the IHRC and the UNHCR, which we fully support.
Thu. 21 February 2008, The Irish Times: Letter to the editor by Gertrude Cotter:
Attitudes to immigrants
As director of an NGO working with immigrants I would like to express my dismay at recent comments by two Fianna Fáil politicians. Senator Donie Cassidy suggested that foreign drivers in Ireland be limited to a maximum speed of 80 km/h. This is not only completely impractical, but betrays an attitude that depicts immigrants as somehow less capable of controlling a motor vehicle than are Irish road users. Senator Cassidy proceeded to advance the idea that Ireland should switch to driving on the right-hand side of the road.
In this case, would the senator then advocate curtailing Irish drivers’ speeds while allowing immigrants to travel at the full speed limit?
I was further exercised by comments from the Louth County Council chairman, Cllr Jimmy Mulroy, who is advocating a reduced minimum wage for low-skilled foreign workers, arguing that the cost of living in their home countries is not as high as in Ireland. Not only would this contravene any number of employment and equality laws, but his sentiments appear to reflect a perception of migrants as mere “economic units”, as opposed to human beings.
In the context of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill which is currently before the Dáil, the above commets are unfortunate and indicate a complete lack of understanding of immigrant issues among some people in positions of power in this country.
Recent Press Releases on The Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill
Wed. 29 January 2008, Justice.ie:
Mr Brian Lenihan TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, today announced the publication of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008. The Bill replaces all of the present legislation on immigration, some of which dates back to 1935, and puts in place an integrated statutory framework for the development and implementation of Government immigration policies into the future. more..
Wed. 29 January 2008, GreenParty.ie:
Cuffe welcomes publication of immigration bill, Justice Spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD welcomed the Government's publication today of the immigration, residence and protection bill, which provides for an overhaul of existing immigration and asylum law, some of which dates back to the 1930s.
more..
Wed. 29 January 2008, Flac.ie:
FLAC reaction to Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill : In its first reaction to the Immigration Residence & Protection Bill which was published today, FLAC, the non-governmental organisation campaigning for equal access to justice, has raised concerns about the protection of the rights of immigrants to access fair and transparent procedures. more..
Wed. 29 January 2008, Mrci.ie:
New Immigration Bill has Serious Flaws: Changes Needed to Ensure Fairness and Due Process. “The Immigration Residence and Protection Bill introduced today by Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan has serious flaws,” said the Director of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, Siobhán O’Donoghue. “In Ireland we value fairness, transparency and due process. The Immigration Bill in its current form seriously lacks these basic principles and major changes in the Bill are needed to get this right now in order to meet everyone’s interests.”
more..
Tue. January 28, 2008.
Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill requires significant amendment to achieve a fair system: ICI: Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) chief executive Denise Charlton has warned that the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, published today by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, will require significant amendment if it is to achieve the Government’s stated aim of establishing fair and transparent immigration system.
2007
Examiner Media Friday, November 02, 2007
Integration plan for migrants Work started yesterday on an integration plan for Cork’s estimated 59,000 migrants that aims to improve their access to jobs and education. It is hoped the plan, which was unveiled during the city’s first immigration symposium, will provide a blueprint for the rest of the country. more..
November 2007, Irish Examiner features Nasc's Family Reunification Conference: Conference told of need to reunite migrant families.
Migrant workers and refugees are suffering the heartache of being denied the right to live with their children, partners or spouses due to the major inadequacies in Irish immigration policy and administration, a conference was told yesterday
Thu. 15 February 2007, Irish Examiner features launch of Nasc's Family Reunification Campaign: Urgent calls to change anti-family immigration policy. Heartless government policy has prevented an African mother living in Ireland from seeing her eldest daughter for four years.
Sat. 24 February 2007, Evening Echo features Nasc's Family Reunification Campaign: Heartache of separation that pains the new Irish . A campaign to reunite families of migrant people has shed light on the hardship endured by many living in this country .
Thu. 21 June 2007, Evening Echo features event organised by Cork Networking Committee - photos of Nasc staff, board and members: Dance troup serves up lunch treat. The Spiegeltent was the venue for a lunchtime dance show staged as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival earlier this week..
2006
Thu. 25 May 2006, Irish Examiner features Nasc's funding cuts: Immigrant centre hit by € 40,000 funding cut. A row has erupted after a government appointed committee cut € 40,000 of European funding from one of the largest immigrant support groups outside Dublin .
Tue. 20 December 2006, Irish Examiner quotes Nasc's Director: Comedian's Late Late Show 'gypsy' remarks condemned. An immigrant support group condemned a top English comedian yesterday for his 'derogatory' references to gypsies during the Late Late Show last Friday.
2005
Tue. 8 November 2005, Irish Examiner features opening of Nasc's new offices at Mary St.: Immigrant support centre to open new premises. Immigrant support centre NASC will officially open its new premises tonight.
Tue. 6 September 2005, Evening Echo features closure of North Quay Place and comment's by Nasc's Director on the way it was closed without consultation and on unpopular dispersal of residents: My whole life. The closure of a Cork hostel for asylum seekers will have a devastating effect on its residents.
