Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Fáiltím roimh an deis cúpla focal a rá ar an ábhar seo. Tá breis is dhá nóiméad agam, agus laistigh den dá nóiméad sin ba mhaith liom díriú isteach ar an tuarascáil ón Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Níl a fhios agam ar luaigh an tAire é. B'fhéidir gur luaigh ach níor chuala mé é. We speak here today because of the murder of George Floyd. I wish we were speaking because of the submission the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission made to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in December 2019. That would be very helpful.

Before I come to that, we talk about racism as a disease and a cancer. That is not helpful. I did not say the Minister said it but I have heard it repeated many times. Racism is not a disease or a cancer; it is deliberate unacceptable behaviour, prejudice, discrimination, violence and murder, as we have seen in America, against a particular group or one person or people because of their race or colour. We rightly condemn what is happening in America, and the American ambassador should be called in and left under no illusion as to what we think of the behaviour of the police.

In doing that, however, we must hold a mirror up to ourselves. If we are doing that today, I welcome it. We certainly need to hold that mirror up if we look at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, an independent body, and its report. The Minister will see that the report states: "Several areas identified by the Committee in its 2011 Concluding Observations have not seen sufficient progress in the intervening period." It points out how much Ireland has changed and how we now have more than 535,475 people, 11.6% of the population, whose nationality is other than Irish. In Galway city, where we had an anti-racism strategy, which has since lapsed, it is almost 20% of the population, or one in five. Then we have the undocumented, to whom reference has been made. We have the audacity to go to America and talk about the undocumented there while ignoring 20,000 to 26,000 undocumented here.

In the few seconds I have left, I will draw the Minister's attention to the following matter. The commission tells us that we have failed to ratify a number of protocols and treaties and recommends that we proceed to ratify them. It refers to the absence of data such that we cannot really see what is happening or the existence of discrimination and disadvantage. It tells us there is extensive research demonstrating "consistent and significant levels of discrimination against minority ethnic groups in Ireland". It tells us there is "a demonstrable history of chronic racism [this is December 2019] and discrimination against Travellers in Ireland". Galway city has distinguished itself as one of the councils that spent nothing on Traveller accommodation. It goes on to tell us about what Deputy Denis Naughten referred to, human trafficking. The Minister might read it. The commission has significant concern about human trafficking and that Ireland is both a destination and a source country for it - and this is what is interesting - including people trafficked for sexual exploitation, domestic work, fishing, agricultural work, the restaurant industry, waste management work and car washing services. The report highlights many more things, including direct provision. It highlights that the commission remains very seriously concerned about significant human rights issues relating to Ireland's international protection system. It refers to the admissions policy for schools and the lack of protection for and over-policing of minority ethnic communities as a result of racial profiling. It also highlights some of the good things and some of the initiatives taken by the Garda.

It seems, however, that we should stop talking and should look at this report and the expertise in it. The commission has produced its results and given the good and the bad. We should ask what we are doing about it and what steps we need to take. At the very least, the Minister should tell us why these protocols and the various conventions have not been ratified. They have been highlighted, with very little progress made since 2011, although I do welcome the progress that has been made on certain issues.

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