Winter 2009/2010 About the ICCL Message from the Director MONITORING HUMAN RIGHTS
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Winter 2009/2010 ABout thE ICCL mEssagE From thE DirEctor MONITORING HUMAN RIGHTS The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) 2009 has been quite a year. Twelve is Ireland’s leading independent human months ago, the Minister for Justice, rights watchdog, which monitors, educates Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern and campaigns in order to secure full TD, informed the Dáil that he had enjoyment of human rights for everyone. “decided to focus on some of the more Founded in 1976 by Mary Robinson and soft issues in the Department to achieve a significant reduction” in costs. His “soft others, the ICCL has played a leading role issues” included slashing the budgets in some of the most successful human of the Irish Human Rights Commission rights campaigns in Ireland. These have and the Equality Authority and closing included establishing an independent the National Consultative Committee on Garda Ombudsman Commission, legalising Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI). We have extended and bolstered our the right to divorce, securing more effective This December, the Human Rights network of support in the legal profession, protection of children’s rights, decriminalis- Commission remains “open for business”, both through traditional ICCL work such ing homosexuality and the introduction of but with a greatly-diminished capacity, and as campaigning against regressive criminal enhanced equality legislation. We believe the Equality Authority has been starved of justice measures and by fundraising in a society which protects and promotes the funds that it needs to carry out its vital activities to replenish our depleted coffers. human rights, justice and equality. awareness-raising work. The support that we have received from Know Your Rights – Coming Soon The ICCL is currently working on a new set of public information Justice information pack, which for years has been the most requested The ICCL has been able to take a small sponsors, supporters, members and What we do friends has strengthened both our finances packs, which are due to be rolled out in the coming months under the of the ICCL’s publications. This pack has been generously sponsored amount of the strain, by assuming the banner ‘Know Your Rights’. by Garrett Sheehan Solicitors. • We advocate for positive changes “RAXEN” function of reporting on racism and our resolve. The Irish Council for The Know Your Rights project will inform a wide public, in clear and Packs on the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003 and on in the area of human rights. to the European Union’s Fundamental Civil Liberties will not allow the protection of human rights to be dismissed as a soft accessible language, of their rights under various identified areas of Privacy Rights will follow in 2010. These will be available online, and • We monitor government policy and Rights Agency (a task performed by the the law. distributed to libraries and citizens’ information centres nationwide. NCCRI before its perfunctory closure last issue, nor will it permit the economic legislation to make sure that it complies The first rights pack deals with criminal justice and Garda powers. This For further updates, please visit the ICCL website, which will soon December), but our equality and rights downturn to deflect it from the need to with international standards. is an updated and redesigned edition of the ICCL’s 2003 Criminal feature a dedicated Know Your Rights section. landscape remains decimated. bring rights-based messages to the widest • We conduct original research and publish possible audience. reports on issues as diverse as equal Of course, these are difficult economic Our newest project, which is featured on rights for all families, the right to privacy, times for everyone but – in a mature Make the Gift of a Lifetime policy reform and judicial accountability. democracy – the effective protection of the cover of this issue, is a series of ICCL Know Your Rights packs. The generous At the very core of what we do is the belief that we can make a • We run campaigns to raise public and rights should not be treated as an optional sponsorship of Garrett Sheehan Solicitors difference and have an impact where it matters most – on the political awareness of human rights, extra and it is certainly not a “soft issue”. will allow the first of these packs – on the lives of vulnerable and marginalised individuals and communities. justice and equality issues. The ICCL will continue to campaign, both Criminal Justice System and Garda Powers You can help us to continue this work for generations to come by • We work closely with other key in its own right and through other strategic remembering us in your Will. partnerships and alliances, against the – to be launched in early 2010. stakeholders in the human rights, After your family and loved ones, please consider making this deeply long-term damage being done to Ireland’s Next year will bring greater challenges, justice and equality sectors. meaningful gift to the Irish Civil Liberties Trust.* Your contribution, capacity to protect the most vulnerable. but also new opportunities. Your support regardless of the amount, will help us to ensure that the ICCL How you can help I am very proud of the awareness-raising for our work will help to ensure that the remains strong and continues to protect and promote the rights of work that the ICCL has accomplished ICCL is ready to confront the challenges everyone living in Ireland . You can help us to continue our work to and to grasp emerging opportunities to during this difficult period. We have For further information, please contact the office on 01 799 4504 or monitor, train, conduct research, cam- contribute to the more effective protection held our first, and launched our second email [email protected]. You can also visit www.iccl.ie to learn more about of rights in Ireland. paign and lobby for changes in legislation national human rights film competition, how you can leave a lasting legacy for human rights. to ensure our rights are protected and bringing rights-based messages to a very To those of you who have already expressed your wishes to promoted. wide audience. Every second-level school Mark Kelly remember us in your Will, we would like to take this opportunity to in the country has received a copy of our Please visit our website: www.iccl.ie or phone Director extend our most sincere thanks to you. Your support is invaluable. us on 01 799 4504 to make a donation. new teaching resource on internet privacy for young people, Think Before You Click. Irish Civil Liberties Trust Registered Charity Number 11460 Contact us: Many thousands of people have signed up *The ICLT is an independent charitable trust, with the key objective ICCL, 9-13 Blackhall Place, Dublin 7 to the LOVEACTION campaign message, of the advancement of education in the areas of civil liberties, T:+ 353 1 799 4504 F:+ 353 1 799 4512 developed in partnership with our friends human rights and fundamental freedoms. It collects and distributes E: [email protected] W: www.iccl.ie in the LGBT community, and calling for full funds which can be used to support the work of the Irish Council for equality for same sex couples – now. Civil Liberties (ICCL). MONITORING HUMAN RIGHTS SECURING EQUALITY Update on Legislation – Recent ICCL Submissions ICCL Kicks off its RAXEN National awareness-raising context in Ireland in the area of racism, xenophobia and discrimination. Deirdre Duffy | ICCL Research & Policy Officer Focus Point Work Karla’s current focus is on the Complementary Data Collection Karla Charles | ICCL Researcher report which provides information for the relevant sections of the In August 2009, the ICCL, in conjunction with Fundamental Rights Agency’s 2010 Annual Report 2010. This report is UCD School of Social Justice, was appointed as made up of secondary research on areas including: the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s RAXEN · the Equality Bodies’ work on complaints data on racial or ethnic National Focal Point on racism, xenophobia, The Communications (Retention of Data) discrimination and any important case law on racial or ethnic Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Ireland. discrimination; Bill 2009 Since then, ICCL researcher Karla Charles has The Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009, which gives effect been carrying out work to meet the various · statistical data on racist and related crime; in Irish law to the EU Data Retention Directive, is currently passing report deadlines that the ICCL is now required to · employment, housing and health care, including data, incidents, through the Oireachtas. At present, Irish law only provides for the meet in this important new monitoring role. research findings and good practice; retention of telephone data. The Data Retention Directive requires A ‘Rapid Response Report’ was completed on the human rights issues · education, including data, exemplary cases of discrimination, governments to retain both telephone and internet data for assistance and debates in the print media during the 2009 EU Parliamentary restrictions of access to education and good practice; in the investigation, detection and prosecution of serious crime. Both election and the Lisbon referendum in October. The focus of the report call logs and location information will be monitored; however, it will not · the participation of minorities in public life. This covers respecting was on the accession of Turkey to the EU and the wider immigration apply to the content of the telephone and internet communications. the right to identity and promoting mutual understanding, debate, but it also noted that much of the debate in Ireland on these promoting the public use of language spoken by minorities, and Nonetheless, the ICCL is concerned about the privacy implications issues occurred on the airwaves as opposed to in the print media.