Refugees and asylum-seekers should be supported to exercise their rights under equality legislation, the chief executive of the Equality Authority has said.
Mr Niall Crowley said racial discrimination was emerging slowly in the casework of the authority, which gives advice on equal rights in employment in the marketplace.
There had been complaints of racial discrimination in 13 per cent of employment-related casework and 3 per cent of cases relating to access to goods and services. These figures did not reflect the scale of the problem of racism, he added.
Mr Crowley was speaking at the publication yesterday of the annual report of the Vincentian Refugee Centre in St Peter's Church, Phibsboro, Dublin, which offers information and help to asylum-seekers and refugees. It shows that 60 per cent of the centre's clients last year experienced racism when seeking accommodation.
Mr Crowley said the report "reminds us of the isolation and vulnerability of refugees and asylum-seekers" and provides stark evidence of racism.
"It challenges us all to ensure that refugees and asylum-seekers know their rights under equality legislation and are supported to exercise these rights." Almost two-thirds of the queries dealt with last year by the centre related to accommodation. The report said its clients face continuing problems with spiralling rents and house prices, landlords who prefer cash-paying tenants, and racism.
The centre helped 63 separated child asylum-seekers last year, many of whom live in shared rooms in hostels and have to cook their own meals or eat in restaurants.
Often they have had trauma tic experiences in their countries of origin and need professional psychological help and support, the report states.
The centre's administrator, Father Brian Moore, said "house-parents" should be appointed to support such children to integrate and help them with their studies.
Meanwhile, a number of initiatives have been announced in advance of European and world anti-racism days next week. They include an activity pack for schools and youth groups, an internship for journalists from minority ethnic backgrounds at RTE and a UNHCR video for schools.