THE CHAIRWOMAN of the Government’s anti-racism strategy is “extremely concerned” that organisations working on social integration are among the first victims of spending cutbacks.
In her foreword to the final report of the National Action Plan Against Racism, which is due to be published this week, Lucy Gaffney warned it would be a “disaster” if the work it had done over its four-year term was not built upon.
“I am extremely concerned that in the midst of an economic crisis . . . on a scale few of us anticipated, organisations working in the area of integration and interculturalism are the first victims of Government cutbacks,” Ms Gaffney wrote.
“A decision has clearly been made that we can no longer afford to confront the potential for racism, precisely at the time when many immigrants living in Ireland are at their most vulnerable.”
She said it was imperative to continue investing in initiatives aimed at improving social cohesion to avoid the sort of tensions that emerged between immigrants and native populations in other European countries.
While welcoming the creation of an Office of Integration run by a Minister of State, Ms Gaffney said anti-racism and integration were matters for all arms of Government and should remain at the heart of national policy.
The report recommends that Government should maintain progress in straitened times by setting down short, medium and long-term priorities in dealing with racism. A new “public driver and champion of anti-racism” is required to ensure co-ordination between the variety of departments and bodies responsible for the agenda, it stated.
The steering group behind the plan also warned that its brief could not simply be absorbed by the office of the Minister for Integration, because groups such as asylum seekers and Travellers lie outside the Minister’s remit.
Among the achievements of the plan, according to the report, were considerable progress by the gardaí through the appointment of ethnic liaison officers and recruitment from minorities, production by many local authorities of anti-racism and diversity plans and the deepening involvement of the private sector in diversity planning.
In other areas, the report indicates more progress is required. On the media, it suggests developing measures to encourage more programming focusing on cultural diversity, as well as to encourage increased minority representation in the industry.
The report also calls for measures to ensure equal opportunities for minorities in accessing childcare, and suggests that more practical guidance on dealing with cultural diversity is required for childcare workers.
While it praises the Garda, the group urges other organisations in the justice area – including the Prison Service, the Courts Service and the Probation and Welfare Service – to develop diversity strategies.
The report was circulated to the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Integration last week, and is expected to be published in the coming days.
