Parliamentary body set up to examine human rights

A parliamentary body has been set up to help promote and protect human rights.

It comes just days after the Irish Examiner revealed that Ireland is eight years late in submitting a major report to the UN on tackling discrimination against women.

This newspaper also published a detailed overview of the gaps in Ireland’s respect for international human rights standards by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL).

The UN has repeatedly criticised Ireland’s record on human rights and government inaction on several fronts, including the treatment of women and children, the rights of disabled people, victims of symphysiotomy; the recognition of Travellers as an ethnic group, and the rights of transgender people.

The Oireachtas joint sub-committee on human rights relative to justice and equality matters met for the first time yesterday, and agreed to progress discussion in a range of areas.

These include a review of the 2009 Charities Act with regard to its omission of human rights organisations to apply for charitable status. It will investigate the introduction of a regularisation scheme for undocumented migrants, examine the ratification by Ireland of international human rights treaties, and the support for public bodies to prepare for their “positive duty” obligation to ensure a regard for promoting equality and human rights.

The group is chaired by Fine Gael TD David Stanton and its rapporteur is independent senator Katherine Zappone.

ICCL director Mark Kelly said the new mechanism “augers well for the closing of some of the human rights and equality compliance gaps highlighted by the ICCL earlier this week, especially the failure by Ireland to ratify human rights treaties”.

Mr Stanton said the committee will try to ensure any new legislation is human rights “proofed”.