Women from minority ethnic groups have been silenced and made invisible by the Government's failure to support their communities, a conference has been told.
Salome Mbugua, chairwoman of the African Woman's Network in Ireland, called for more resources to support the work of migrant-led organisations and the delivery of "culturally-appropriate" services.
Ms Mbugua also told the conference organised by AkiDwA, a group representing African women in Ireland, that gender-based violence should be explicitly recognised in Irish law.
"I believe it is unfair that such violence is depicted usually as happening in Africa, when it also occurs here."
Catherine Joyce of the Blanchardstown Traveller Development Project said the media, when reporting on people from minority ethnic groups, should concentrate on the issues involved rather than their ethnic identity.
It was time for Travellers to raise with the National Union of Journalists the media's use of collective terms instead of personal descriptions. She said a headline such as "Traveller ordered to move caravans" gave the impression an entire community was involved in an incident.
Salma Iqbal of the Lucan Muslim Women's Community said there were many "misconceptions" about women from ethnic minority groups, who needed a "positive context" in which to flourish.
She said more ethnic minority women should go forward for positions on boards and as spokeswomen on issues in which they have expertise.
