It is increasingly clear that the Catholic Church will not divest any schools to other patron bodies unless they are forced to do so. In fact they have reinforced their position of opposing human rights standards in education, by rejecting the Toledo Guiding Principles. Even...
In September 2013 the government published a Draft General Scheme for an Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, as well as Draft Regulations. The proposed Education (Admission to Schools) Bill will not remove religious discrimination in access to schools or provide non discriminatory exemptions that would...
Atheist Ireland today sent this submission to the Children’s Rights Alliance on the UN Convention on Rights of the Child. It is part of the process of briefing the UN before the UN questions Ireland about fulfilling its obligations under this Convention. Contents 1. Article...
The International Humanist and Ethical Union has released its Freedom of Thought Report 2014, which is an annual global report on discrimination against humanists, atheists, and the non-religious, and their human rights and legal status. Atheist Ireland contributed information about religious discrimination in Ireland to...
Michael Nugent and Jane Donnelly attended the Irish Youth Councils’ national showcase event in Croke Park yesterday, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on Rights of the Child. Comhairle na nÓg are Youth Councils in the 34 City and County Development...
Michael Nugent and Jane Donnelly attended the launch yesterday of the FLAC report on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Ireland. The report will be forwarded to the United Nations as part of Ireland’s questioning about its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic,...
Michael Nugent and Jane Donnelly attended the launch of the Catherine McGuinness Fellowship on Children’s Rights and Child Law yesterday. The fellowship is a one-year position for newly qualified barristers, who will work with the Children’s Rights Alliance Legal and Policy Team. Atheist Ireland...
Yesterday Michael Nugent represented Atheist Ireland at a consultation meeting of the Irish Children’s Rights Alliance, to kick-start the process of briefing the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child before it questions Ireland about its obligations under the most widely accepted...
Last July in their Concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of Ireland, the UN Human Rights Committee under the International Covenant on Civil and & Political Rights stated the following: “The State party should take concrete steps to amend articles 12, 31 and 34...
This is video and text of Michael Nugent’s contributions to the annual OSCE human rights meeting in Warsaw, Poland, earlier this week. Contribution to Session on Discrimination The OSCE Guidelines for reviewing laws about freedom of religion or belief, stress the ‘or belief’ part of...