Our Advocacy Work

Our Advocacy Work

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30 September 2023

Parents’ rights in schools should not depend on surveying the views of their neighbours

The Department of Eduction is continuing the fiction that the government is transferring patronage of Catholic primary schools in any meaningful way. The Department is also complicating the matter by saying that parents of pupils at Catholic primary schools are to be surveyed to assess...

17 September 2023

Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression – United Nations Human Rights 75 Pledge by Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland has made a pledge to the United Nations Human Rights 75 initiative to oppose laws against blasphemy and promote freedom of expression. 1. Background to Atheist Ireland Atheist Ireland is a voluntary advocacy group based in Ireland. We have Special Consultative Status at...

10 September 2023

Freedom of Religion or Belief – UN Human Rights 75 Pledge by Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland has made a pledge to the United Nations Human Rights 75 initiative to promote the consistent use of the full phrase ‘Freedom of Religion or Belief’ instead of the incomplete phrase ‘Freedom of Religion.’ 1. Background to Atheist Ireland Atheist Ireland is a...

20 July 2023

Secular schools would treat everyone equally

In Ireland, religious discrimination in education has become part of our culture. That is because of the deference of successive governments to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has no issue with discriminating against minorities on the basis of religion in order to control the...

15 July 2023

Atheist Ireland meets INTO about religious discrimination against students and teachers

Atheist Ireland met the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation this week about religious discrimination in Irish schools against students and teachers, and how the INTO can help to counter that discrimination. We discussed the recent UNCRC Concluding Observations to Ireland about the rights of the child,...

8 July 2023

New guidelines for Catholic sex education during curriculum SPHE – Atheist Ireland writes to Minister

The Catholic Education Partnership has issued Guidelines and Resources for Boards of Management and teachers regarding the teaching Catholic sex education during curriculum SPHE in second level schools. You can access their Guidelines and Resources here. Guidance for Catholic Post-Primary Schools: Republic of Ireland Living...

1 July 2023

Why publicly funded schools are ‘organs of the state’ under human rights law

Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to to The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on the Draft Code of Practice on the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty. 4. The purpose of the draft code is to reflect the relevant law and...

16 June 2023

What qualifies under the right to freedom of philosophical belief?

Atheist Ireland met Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman last week. Afterwards, we wrote the following to the Minister about the right to freedom of ‘religion or belief’. Dear Minister O’Gorman, we discussed at our meeting what test should be used to determine what...

16 June 2023

The right to objective sex education, not delivered through Catholic ethos

Atheist Ireland met Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman last week. Afterwards, we wrote the following to the Minister about the right to objective sex education. Dear Minister O’Gorman, the right to objective sex education is infringed by allowing Catholic schools to deliver the...

9 June 2023

Atheist Ireland, Evangelicals, and Ahmadis meet Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman

Atheist Ireland, along with our colleagues from the Evangelical Alliance and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, met Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman this week. It was a very constructive meeting at which we discussed: The concept of freedom of religion or belief in human...