Disability discrimination tops human rights cases

The 2021 annual report from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) showed that disability discrimination represented 46% of contacts related to services and 36% of contacts related to employment. File photo: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Discrimination against people with a disability prompted the most contacts to the country's human rights watchdog last year, and also topped the list of concerns in cases involving employment issues.

The 2021 annual report from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) showed that disability discrimination represented 46% of contacts related to services and 36% of contacts related to employment.

Under the Equal Status Acts, concerns raised over housing assistance (16%) and race (13%) came behind disability. Regarding concerns raised by the public under the Employment Equality Acts, discrimination in employment and job-seeking on the grounds of disability (34%) was the most common issue, followed by discrimination on grounds of gender (25%) and on race grounds (14%).

The top public concerns in relation to human rights focused on health and bodily integrity (28%), and the right to work and decent work (14%).

Overall, IHREC received 1811 individual queries, compared to 1,732 in the previous year.

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IHREC also intervened legally in certain cases, including helping asylum seekers and those seeking international protection to be able to open bank accounts and apply for driving licences.

It also carried out 33 equality reviews — its highest annual tally ever — including 31 with all local authorities in the country on the provision of Traveller Specific Accommodation.

It also contributed in the courts to Mary Harney and Philomena Lee’s successful challenge of the Final Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.

Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of IHREC said: “We’ve continued to witness a steady stream of rights and equality issues, which threaten people’s individual dignity, open routes to discrimination, and stifle people’s potential. As we emerge from the pandemic, the problems it partially masked rise again."