Mr. Andrew Holohan:

Can members imagine a father from a disadvantaged area who goes for multiple jobs interviews? He has all the qualifications, but he does not get the job because he is from this certain area - the accent and the postcode. Can members imagine the mental torture he is going through? All he wants to do is provide for his young family but he is not being given the chance. This all leads to stress and a lack of sleep. Basically, you are in a mental prison. Today, men feel they need to provide for their families and they put on a mask to the effect that everything is all right when it is not. When my wife was in hospital giving birth to our first child, the first person to visit her was a social worker. Due to the fact that we had a history of addiction, the social worker came down on us pretty hard. This really made my wife afraid our baby would be taken away. In the end, the social worker visited our home and everything was fine, but should this be the way you bring your first child into the world, with fear and discrimination instead of support? Last week, we asked my seven-year-old daughter what she wants to be when she grows up. She replied that she wants to be a chef. We then asked if she thought it would be fair if she did not get a job because of where she is from. She replied that it would be unfair. This is my fear, and this is why I fight for this. It needs to be gone.

These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a pattern of deep-rooted discrimination in Irish society that continues to deny people dignity, opportunity and fairness. Individuals affected by socioeconomic discrimination have shared their stories with ATD Ireland through many platforms. Members can see this on our socioeconomic discrimination resource page. Discrimination must end. For the sake of the next generation, I ask members to please add the tenth.