The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) has released its 2012 report. RIA is a unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), part of the Department of Justice. It is responsible for providing asylum seekers with accommodation, meals and a small allowance every week (€19.10 per adult and €9.60 per child), known as “Direct Provision”.
The report revealed that RIA accommodated 4841 asylum seekers in 2012, a decrease of 11% from 2011. The average length of stay for asylum seekers at the end of 2012 was 45 months. 59.4% of asylum seekers had been in Direct Provision for more than 36 months.
According to the report there were 7 incidents of physical abuse of children, 11 reports of neglect and 7 of inappropriate sexualised behaviour. With regards to parents, 5 incidents of domestic violence were recorded and 5 significant maternal mental health concerns were raised.
Direct Provision has come under sustained criticism in Ireland in recent months. Bulletin readers may recall that outgoing Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly publicly criticised the system of Direct Provision, questioning whether it violates Ireland’s human rights obligations, particularly in light of the impact it has on children.
Meanwhile a family of asylum seekers are challenging the legality of Direct Provision before the High Court. The claimants will argue that there is no lawful basis for Direct Provision, and that their exclusion for any social assistance payments (apart from Urgent Needs payments) is unconstitutional and violates their rights to privacy and family life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case has been put back for mention to September.
Click here to read the report in full.
Click here to read an article on the Irish Human Rights Blog.
Click here to read an article in the Irish Times.