Report: Victorian ‘lunatic’ laws deny basic human rights to thousands

An Oireachtas committee has demanded that Victorian “lunatic” laws from the 19th century be urgently updated to protect the basic human rights of people with intellectual disabilities.

The Oireachtas justice committee said thousands of people were being denied fundamental rights — such as the right to vote, manage their own money or have sexual relations — based on laws from the 1870s.

While Ireland was one of the first countries to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities five years ago, it has still not ratified it.