The first task of the newly-formed Human Rights Commission should be combating racism, according to Mr Michael Farrell, former co-chairman of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and a member of the commission.
He was speaking at a conference on human rights commissions organised in Dublin by the ICCL at the weekend.
"How would we feel if our family members were taunted in the streets, treated contemptuously by officialdom and put in prison if there was a small problem with their papers?"
The commission should also publicly identify itself with the Travelling community, which had suffered, and continued to suffer, appalling discrimination, he said.
Stressing he was outlining his personal priorities for the commission, he said it should also consider the rights of those accused of crimes. A large number of people not associated with "subversive" crime appeared before the Special Criminal Court, he said. The commission should carry out its own review of the operations of the Offences Against the State Act if the report of the committee working on this review did not appear soon.
He stressed the importance of the joint committee of human rights commissions, to be set up between the commissions in Northern Ireland and the Republic under the Belfast Agreement.
"With a common charter of human rights we can develop a common platform of rights which can be enforceable in every part of Ireland."
Referring to recent controversy over the composition of the commission, Mr Farrell said this had left it stronger. Those appointed following an outcry over their initial exclusion had recently met the Minister, he said. He had assured them he would find a way to use the standing and abilities of the two who had not been appointed.
Mr Justice Donal Barrington, president-designate of the commission, stressed the importance of it being independent of government, and of finding unity in its diversity. He also said it needed to have adequate resources if it was to carry out its mandate.
Opening the conference, ICCL director Mr Donncha O'Connell said: "There must be no pussy-footing around the issue of social and economic rights. The myth of the neutral liberal democratic state must be challenged and not perpetuated by the new commission."
He urged the Government to introduce a specific amendment Bill for the Human Rights Commission, which would be necessary to allow expansion of membership. This should include putting the selection committee on a statutory footing. He said the amendment should not be part of the Bill incorporating the European Convention of Human Rights, which would entail a separate debate.