Cuan Cinnte Campaign

To:  Irish Government

By signing this petition I support Nasc’s ‘Cuan Cinnte?’ (‘A Safe Harbour?’) campaign for fair and just treatment of asylum seekers and protection applicants in Ireland. I ask the Minister for Justice to seriously consider the 6 Key Messages of this campaign.

• Airport Monitoring
Nasc is calling on the Government to set up an independent human rights monitoring body which will be present at the key points of entry to the state. We would envisage the Garda Ombudsman as an agency which could serve as an example of how this body might be constituted.

• Fair and Transparent System
Nasc wishes to see the implementation of a system which has improved translation/interpretation services, high quality Country of Origin Information (COI), access to improved legal advice, and timely processing of applications. Expediency should not take precedence over quality.

• Independent Appeals Body
Nasc has serious concerns regarding the mechanism whereby all decisions related to asylum/protection claims are referred. Nasc is calling on the Government to implement an appeals mechanism which is independent, fair and transparent.

• Right to Work
The Right to Work, as set down in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is an inalienable right. Nasc believe, as is the case in most other EU countries, that asylum seekers should be permitted to take up employment.

• Social Welfare Increase
The weekly allowance paid to asylum seekers is currently €19.10 per adult and €9.60 per child and is intended to cover everything outside of accommodation and meals. Nasc argues that this payment, which has not increased since 2000, is wholly inadequate to meet the needs of asylum seekers and should be substantially increased as a matter of urgency, and reviewed each year to keep it in line with inflation and other social welfare increases. In addition, the children of asylum seekers should be automatically entitled to child benefit, a right which was removed in 2004.

• Self-Catering
The issues of food quality, privacy, and overcrowding are recurring problems for those living in Direct Provision. Therefore, Nasc is calling for a system of accommodation which affords asylum seekers greater autonomy over their day-to-day lives.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Cuan Cinnte Campaign Petition to Irish Government was created by and written by Paul Dunbar (pauldunb@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.