Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. It is very difficult to encapsulate in a single definition the scourge that is homophobic bullying, and the devastating impact it has on LGBT people, particularly young LGBT people. Senator Moran cited the words of Ban Ki Moon which come close to describing it. Mary Robinson has said that homophobic bullying continues to be a society wide issue, and a link between it and suicide sends a clear message that this trend must be reversed.

Everybody in this Chamber agrees that homophobic bullying is a very serious issue. Like many, I am alarmed by the national and international studies that show homophobic bullying is endemic in schools. However, it is also an area in which much dedicated and targeted work is being done, both at governmental and non-governmental levels.

That does not mean we should be complacent; there is much more that needs to be done.

We should also be proud that Ireland is at the forefront internationally of efforts to eliminate homophobic and transphobic bullying from schools. The working group on tackling bullying, including homophobic bullying, cyber bullying and racist bullying, established by the Minister for Education and Skills in May 2012, is due to publish its report in the coming months. I commend the Leader for facilitating debates called for by Senators but, frustratingly, when preparing for today, I had to question the timeliness of the debate, and why we could not have waited for the report of the working group to be produced in order that we could debate its recommendations. I say that as a Senator who wants us to have a debate, but it should be on the recommendations when they are produced. Never one to waste a good opportunity, however, I will use this chance to say more about homophobic bullying.

A key objective of the working group is to help draft a roadmap towards the elimination of homophobic bullying from our schools and, as such, I will reserve my comments about how best to move forward until I have seen the report and heard from the Department about how it intends to implement the recommendations. The Seanad has an important role to play there.

I hope the recommendations coming from the report of the working group speak of the need for effective structural changes in curriculum policy, in support services and in teaching practices. The elimination of homophobic and transphobic bullying is an issue about which I feel strongly. I was delighted to be a member of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee when it produced its guidelines for the youth sector in Ireland, "Addressing Homophobia" in 2010. Tremendous work is also being done by NGOs and advocacy groups on behalf of LGBT young people in Ireland and I welcome the members of BeLonGTo and GLEN who are in the Visitors Gallery.

BeLonGTo is the national youth service for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people in Ireland. In addition to providing vital nationwide youth work services, BeLonGTo runs a number of excellent and innovative initiatives. The most recent is the LGBT mental health initiative, which the Minister of State launched earlier this month. It is supported by the HSE's national office for suicide prevention, which I welcome, given the direct correlation between homophobic bullying and suicidal behaviour among LGBT young people. BeLonGTo was behind the hugely effective "Stand Up!" video campaign, which had 1 million views on YouTube, the most successful Irish charity video ever. I am not remotely surprised by this. I stood up for Jen back in March and I will never forget the sadness I felt at having to do so but equally the sense of pride and empowerment I felt at being part of a movement standing united against homophobic and transphobic bullying. I was greatly moved by it and I recommend any of my fellow Senators who have not yet seen it to look for the video on YouTube.

BeLonGTo should be very proud that its work in this area has been cited in a UN report as an example of good practice in this area and will be included in the UNESCO toolkit. I also commend the work done by GLEN which has been centrally involved in the progress that has been made in recent years by the Department of Education and Skills and all the education partners in addressing LGBT issues in second level schools.

I would like to raise a deep concern I have about homophobic bullying and the fear of violence, discrimination and stigma felt by LGBT asylum seekers in Ireland. While the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service does not provide figures for the number of LGBT refugees seeking asylum in Ireland, anecdotal evidence from groups working directly with asylum seekers, such as the Irish Refugee Council, points to an acute fear on the part of asylum seekers about disclosing their sexual orientation and gender identity at the screening stage, even when the impetus for fleeing their country of origin was homophobic persecution. The Irish Refugee Council also has testimonies from LGBT asylum seekers about the immense stress they are under trying to conceal their sexual orientation and gender identities from fellow asylum seekers, with whom they are often sharing close living quarters in direct provision accommodation centres.

A common experience about which I have heard on numerous occasions involves a gay man who has fled his native country in which homosexuality is both illegal and subject to active persecution by his peers sharing a room in direct provision accommodation with four other men from the same country who is terrified they will uncover his sexual orientation and that he will be subjected to attack and persecution in the short term and if returned to his country of origin, where word would no doubt spread, his life would be in jeopardy. We have come far in many ways but these young men are being placed in accommodation where they have to continue to conceal their identity. That means Ireland is going backwards to a time to which we do not want to return. It must be ensured that support for protection against homophobic violence, discrimination and stigma are equally afforded to those living in direct provision. All asylum seekers entering Ireland should receive training, awareness and orientation about a wide range of issues, including LGBT rights and the principles of non-discrimination in the State. I encourage the Department of Justice and Equality to develop its work in this area, as further progress could be made.

I welcome the Minister of State's openness and look forward to the working group's report. She will witness following the input of Senators to the debate that the Seanad has a role to play. While I question the timing of the debate, it is a way for Members to stand up.