Written answers

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Human Rights Issues

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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539. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he or his Department have made any representations to the ambassador of the People's Republic of China, or to any other Chinese officials, regarding the continuing detention of persons (details supplied), members of a women's rights activist group who were arrested prior to International Women's Day on 8 March 2015 to prevent them from protesting on women's rights issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13000/15]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Ireland continues to raise Human Rights issues with other countries including with the People’s Republic of China. Exchanges take place periodically at high levels of state and government and through official channels. The EU and China also have a continuing Human Rights Dialogue, to which Ireland contributes in Europe and in China, alongside its EU partners. On 8-9 December 2014 the 33rd round of this Dialogue was held in Brussels. This allowed the two sides to have a detailed exchange of views on a wide range of human rights issues. Women’s rights were one of the issues discussed. Individual cases were raised in the context of the discussion about China's human rights situation. The cases to which the Deputy refers were raised directly with the Chinese authorities by the EU delegation in Beijing, acting on behalf of all EU Member States, including Ireland.

On 12 March 2015, a spokesperson for the EU urged the Chinese authorities to release these women’s rights activists immediately. The statement went on to say that the Union urges China not to restrict the activities of human rights defenders promoting the human rights of women.

Most recently on 23 March 2015, an EU spokesperson stated that as the UN is preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women,the European Union urges China not to restrict the activities of human rights defenders promoting the human rights of women.

Ireland is committed to advancing gender equality and women’s rights and is an active participant in the work of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the principal global policy-making body on gender equality. In 2010, Ireland played a key role in the establishment of UN Women, the UN body to promote gender equality.

Ireland works to integrate the human rights of women as well as a gender perspective, into the work of the UN Human Rights Council including the Council’s programme of work and when considering the content of resolutions and special mandates. Ireland also uses the mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review to advance the rights of women. During the second cycle of the UPR, Ireland has made recommendations to States on a number of women’s rights issues including female genital mutilation, gender-based and sexual violence, marital rape, trafficking and discrimination against women including in the judicial system.

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