The case of Mrs Ebi Ojoh, who is facing deportation to Nigeria because her application for refugee status has been turned down, should be looked at very sympathetically, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said.
Mrs Mary Robinson, who met Mrs Ojoh at an event in Dublin at the weekend, said she was aware of the "real concern" that the Nigerian mother of two had to leave her country in very difficult circumstances. Mrs Robinson said Mrs Ojoh "just wanted to convey her worries and fears for herself and her children to me, and obviously this is a case that has to be looked at from the point of view of the criteria for seeking asylum and being categorised as a refugee. I can't superimpose as High Commissioner, but it does seem to me that it should be looked at very sympathetically."
Asked whether she would raise the case with the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, when they meet this week, Mrs Robinson said: "I tend to try to take opportunities when they present themselves."
The two women met briefly in the Hugh Lane Gallery after Mrs Robinson launched a Refugee Solidarity Badge that sells for u £1 in Body Shop outlets, with proceeds to the Irish Refugee Council.
Afterwards Mrs Ojoh said Mrs Robinson "wished me well and said they will do anything they can to help".
Mrs Ojoh, who lives in Tramore, Co Waterford, has applied to Mr O'Donoghue for "humanitarian" leave to stay in Ireland. She said she was very happy that Mrs Robinson had taken an interest in her case, and "just a little sympathy from the Minister is all I'm asking, to temper justice with mercy", she added. Mrs Ojoh was in Dublin with members of the Tramore Pro-Refugee Group who helped to organise a recent rally to support her case. She arrived in Ireland with her children in June and has said she is a member of a tribe being oppressed by other tribes in Nigeria. Mrs Ojoh said her life would be in danger if she was forced to return home.
The Refugee Solidarity Badge launched by Mrs Robinson was designed by pupils at Castle knock Community College in Dublin, and shows a black and a white hand clasped together.
Mr Nasser Diaby, chairman of the African Refugee Network, told the audience that refugees and asylum-seekers in Ireland are aware that Irish people are accepting Ireland as a multicultural society. Mr Diaby said he and his girlfriend were attacked by five men on Parnell Street in Dublin recently. "It's good to see there are people who care and who are really welcoming us," he said.
A series of advertisements to be displayed in the Body Shop's 10 branches from today until January 3rd were previewed at Saturday's event.
The placards highlight the fact that the majority of asylum-seekers are not allowed to work while their claims to remain in Ireland as refugees are processed.