Ireland: Serious gaps in human rights protection
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) published its report to the United Nations (UN) on Ireland’s overall human rights record, calling for immediate action to address serious gaps in human rights protections.
Ireland will be examined for the first time on its record on all of its human rights obligations under a new UN process called the Universal Periodic Review, in October 2011. In advance of that examination, the IHRC has issued its own ‘report card' on Ireland's human rights record. The IHRC makes over 35 recommendations aimed at addressing Ireland's human rights deficit.In relation to people with disabilities, Dr Manning, President of the IHRC, stated:
"In addition to urgently ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities should be moved from psychiatric institutions to appropriate community settings and specific timeframes should be put in place to ensure this occurs. The Mental Health Act 2001 should be amended to satisfy the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and mental capacity legislation should be introduced immediately and thus remove the last barrier to the ratification of this Convention. The State must meet its commitments to provide resources to educate children with disabilities in mainstream education."
Source: Irish Human Rights Commission