Two in five international students have experienced racism in Ireland

The ICOS conference heard calls for Government leadership to address the issue. File picture: Maura Hickey

Two in five international students studying in Ireland have experienced or witnessed racism during their time here, with the majority of incidents going unreported.

The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) said racism was a major issue for international students and academics studying and working here.

ICOS executive director Laura Harmon said her organisation was "very concerned" about the figures, which are drawn from its own research. 

760 international students from 75 countries participated in the ICOS research, which was conducted using an online survey in several languages, and two focus groups.

58% of survey participants indicated that they were students at an Irish higher education institute (HEI). The remaining 42% were students at English language schools. 

Overall, 40% of respondents said they had encountered racism here, but just 5% of said they reported it to gardaí.

Speaking at the organisation's 'Speak Out Against Racism' conference on Thursday, Ms Harmon called for the national action plan against racism to be prioritised by the Government, and for "more supports for colleges to develop strategies, training and clear reporting procedures for those who experience racism".

The event, hosted by ICOS to mark International Students’ Day, heard from speakers from academia and civil society organisations. 

UCC lecturer Dr Amanullah De Sondy, who chaired the conference, said the voices of those who have experienced racism and discrimination here need to be listened to.

"We must empower this interaction by listening to minority voices who are discriminated against and strengthen our institutional structures for minorities to feel safe and strong," he said.

The time is now to have critical conversations on the realities of racism in Ireland.’’ 

The ICOS event was chaired by senior lecturer in Contemporary Islam at UCC Dr Amanullah De Sondy. File Picture: Dan Linehan

International human right lawyer and policy lead at the Irish Network Against Racism Patricia Munatsi noted racism was a persistent problem facing minorities in all aspects of life.

“Now is the time for action in addressing racism, in its violent manifestations, in discriminatory patterns, and at its systemic roots," she said.

Ms Munatsi said the Government needed to "step up and show leadership" to tackle the issue.

"We urgently need hate crime legislation so that all minorities can feel safe," she added.

"At the same time, we also need a comprehensive national action plan against racism across all aspects of life in Ireland, so that we can tackle racism systemically.’’