State Sanctioned Child Poverty and Exclusion

Over one-third of the residents in State accommodation for asylum-seekers—known as Direct Provision—are children. With the length of time in the asylum process ranging from less than a year to more than seven years, these children spend a significant proportion of their childhood in Direct Provision accommodation. Children living in these centres are not necessarily applying for asylum themselves, but are the children of asylum-seekers and may have been born and lived their whole lives in Ireland.

This report from the Irish Refugee Council, an Atlantic grantee, asks if the sustained and prolonged restriction of human rights and civil liberties inherent in the Direct Provision system amounts to child abuse. It calls on the Irish Government to establish an independent inquiry to acknowledge and investigate the long list of complaints, grievances and child protection concerns reported by the residents, children, non-governmental organisations and support agencies. 

The video below shows Samantha Arnold, author of the report, speaking at the report launch.

Media Coverage

> Asylum children go hungry, says report, The Irish Times, 19 September 2012

> Amendment will do nothing for hungry asylum children, The Irish Times, 22 September 2012

> Asylum children living in ‘extreme poverty’ conditions, Sligo Today, 19 September 2012

 

Irish Refugee Council is an Atlantic grantee.