The United Nations Committee Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) has published its findings following the examination of Ireland before UNCAT on 27 and 28 July 2017 in Geneva.

UN report

In compiling its findings, UNCAT heard from twenty Irish NGOs who provided reports regarding Ireland’s compliance with the UN Convention against Torture. The Committee identified a number of improvements made by Ireland since their first examination in 2011. These included:

• Establishing, resourcing and ensuring the independence of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
• Providing additional protections for victims of crime.
• Developing a new strategy on domestic violence.
• Reforming the law on international protection.
• Adopting legislation in a number of areas including capacity and female genital mutilation.

Outstanding areas

UNCAT highlighted a number of outstanding areas of concern and recommendations on foot of these. These included.

• Ireland ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention (OPCAT) and establishing a national preventive mechanism.
• Enshrining detention as a last resort for asylum seekers and separate from remand and convicted prisoners.
• Various improvements to conditions of detention including establishing a completely independent mechanism for the consideration of prisoner complaints.

It recommended strengthening the independence and effectiveness of the Garda Síochaná Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) and undertaking thorough, impartial investigations into allegations of ill treatment of women at the Magdalen Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes, as well as Symphysiotomy sufferers.

UNCAT also requested that Ireland provide, by 11 August 2018, information to follow-up on its recommendations on the ratification of OPCAT, strengthening the independence of GSOC and investigating allegations of ill-treatment of women in the Magdalen Laundries, and ensuring that all victims obtain redress.

The Committee concluded their observations by calling on the Irish Government to ratify the core United Nations human rights treaties to which it is not currently party, and invited it to submit its third periodic report under Article 19 of the Convention by 11 August 2021.

• View the full text of the concluding observations 

Annual Human Rights Conference

This year’s Annual Human Rights Conference, “Inside Out: the Human Implications of Imprisonment” takes place at the Law Society at 10am on Saturday 7 October, 2017 and will explore some of the issues raised by UNCAT’s recommendations. The conference is free to attend but please book your place.

eNewsletters

This article originally appeared in the Law Society eZine. For more information on the eZine and other online publications, visit the eNewsletters page.