Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House and commend my Independent colleagues for tabling this motion and facilitating a debate on this matter. I understand the Minister of State will give consideration to a number of the issues raised in the motion, including the proposal for establishing a centralised database and the relationship such a database could have with PULSE. Late last year and early this year we were presented with a number of reports documenting an increase in racist incidents and behaviour. This matter was raised in the House on numerous occasions by my colleagues and I found the reports very disturbing. A key statistic provided by the Immigrant Council of Ireland, ICI, is that almost one in five cases of racial abuse is committed by people under the age of 18 years. I was shocked by that finding. The annual racist incident statistics for 2013 from the ICI found that school holidays were a peak period for racist abuse. In March, the ICI reported that it had been notified of 44 cases of discrimination and racism for the first two months of the year, representing an increase of 39 cases on the same period in 2013. Most worrying is that many of these cases occurred in the reporting individual's local community or home. Many people in society will condemn racist behaviour and acts of discrimination but, unfortunately, we continue to hear the comment: "I am not racist, but". Some people still begrudge the payment of social welfare benefits to immigrant families or people of a different ethnicity, race or religion. If people are entitled to such benefits, we should not begrudge them.
I thank Senator Mac Conghail for the briefing session he arranged in advance of this debate, although I apologise for being unable to attend it. A member of my staff attended the briefing, however, and was very impressed by it.
We have no idea of the experience or background of the immigrants who seek to live or are currently living in Ireland. I am aware of many individuals who wish they could return to their home countries but are unable to do so because of persecution, war or other valid reasons. During my time as a teacher, I dealt with a number of students who were very upset because they were at risk of female genital mutilation if they returned home. It was a major issue to ensure they could remain in Ireland. Many individuals who seek to build a new home in our country have been victims of unimaginable atrocities and witness to unbelievable horrors.
There are many resources at our disposal to deal with the reported increase in racial abuse. One of the most powerful tools is education but the Garda racial, intercultural and diversity office, relevant NGOs and the cross-departmental office for the promotion of migrant integration, to name but a few, also have a part to play. I am aware of the excellent work done by the Garda racial, intercultural and diversity office and, by extension, the trained ethnic liaison officers in providing a sensitive and co-ordinated monitoring function in communities across the country.

These officers connect with sections of our society that, at times, can be overlooked or feel uncomfortable in reporting racially motivated behaviours or actions. The Garda racial, intercultural and diversity office, GRIDO, and ethnic liaison officers play an important role in our diverse society. It would be useful to see their work enhanced, given the increases evidenced in the 2012 CSO figures. NGOs and various partners have been excellent in promoting awareness and working with the Garda in ensuring that cases of racial abuse are reported.

The Department of Justice and Equality's office for the promotion of migrant integration is cross-departmental in its policy development and co-ordination and monitors trends in racist incidents. One of the office's functions is the provision of funding to organisations that work with the migrant community. In 2013, €1.78 million was spent on initiatives that promoted integration and anti-racism measures.

This House could do more to provide a proper platform for minority groups and allow their voices to be heard more clearly. This suggestion could be investigated further in terms of Seanad reform. It would provide the House with a necessary and new perspective on the important issues being faced.

We all search for the happiest lives that we can provide for ourselves and our families. Families from other cultures, countries, religions and backgrounds are no different and should be embraced and included in our country's vision. We need to hammer home the idea that it is not "us" versus "them". Unfortunately, some people in our society still need to shake off this mentality. It is crucial that we continue to debate and remain vigilant on this issue. If it ceases to be a topic of discussion, I fear that we will end up discussing a much larger problem.