In this submission, we set out our concerns with the proposed General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to introduce the use of facial recognition technology by An Garda Síochána. The highly intrusive nature of facial recognition technology requires strong rules and justifications, heightened protection in law, and robust safeguards...
If we are to advance equality, it is crucial that we amend our equality laws to include socio-economic status as a ground of discrimination. This is a central message from a conference held today by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, in Dublin Castle, on Achieving Equality at Work: Promoting Socio-Economic Equality in Employment....
Focusing on how we promote socio-economic equality in accessing and progressing in work, this conference highlights the manner in which socio-economic discrimination can affect a person’s ability to secure decent work
Economic Inequality a Barrier to Realising Fundamental Rights The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) has today called on the State to urgently update equality law, during the life of this Government, to make it illegal to discriminate against a person based on their socio-economic status. In a policy paper published today; ‘Policy...
Download word version of Policy Statement on Socio-Economic Status as a ground of discrimination under the Equality Acts
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) has today been granted leave from the High Court to exercise its amicus curiae (‘friend of the court’) function in a significant case focused on redress for survivors of historic child sexual abuse in schools. As amicus curiae in this case [KW v the Minister for Education, the...
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (“the Commission”) has provided legal assistance to a man in a discrimination claim under the Employment Equality Acts. The man commenced employment with the respondent employer over a decade ago and on reaching the age of 66 was made to retire. He had alleged that his contract of...
Significant public investment had protective and stabilising role, study finds, but inequality persists A new study from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), published today, explores the equality impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the labour market, comparing the situation pre- and post-pandemic. Findings...
We have repeatedly called on the State to examine the impact of its COVID-19 response with regard to structurally vulnerable groups. This report provides a meaningful contribution to that evidence-base in the context of the labour market. The evidence demonstrates that employment levels rose for all groups analysed post-pandemic, while unemployment and labour market inactivity...
In this correspondence, IHREC conveys a letter from ENNHRI in which it calls on the Member States to support the proposed EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in the final stages of its legislative process.