The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that protects the rights of people affected by displacement.

History

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) was founded as a non-governmental, membership organisation in 1992. It brings together organisations and individuals working with asylum seekers and refugees. Over its history, it has received funding from the Irish government.

Core activities

The aims of the IRC are to make sure that the asylum policy and practice in Ireland are in full accordance with international law and ensure the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers. It also seeks to promote awareness and understanding of the issues facing refugee and asylum seekers in Ireland. They provide a number of supports for refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland, including a drop-in service, a legal consultation service, and run campaigns. The IRC have called for the ending of

direct provision Direct provision () is a system of asylum seeker accommodation used in the Republic of Ireland. It has been criticised by human rights organisations as illegal, inhuman and degrading. Operated by the International Protection Accommodation Servic ...

, as well as calling for more humane deportations and only after all other legal routes have been exhausted. They have also highlighted the issues around the ability and feasibility of newly arrived refugees to Ireland successfully completing the long forms required for their registration. IRC is one of 7 not-for-profit organisations in Ireland which provide free legal advice, alongside Mercy Law Resource Centre, Ballymun Community Law Centre, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, the Free Legal Advice Centres, the Irish Traveller Movement, and Northside Community Law Centre. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, IRC alongside Nasc, the

Sanctuary Runners A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be ...

Doras ''Doras'' is a genus of thorny catfishes native to tropical South America. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus (three species - ''D. eigenmanni'', ''D. fimbriatus'' and ''D. punctatus'' have recently been moved t ...

Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) is an Irish advocacy group for those seeking international protection in Ireland, with the goals of ending direct provision and deportation. History MASI was founded in 2014 after the protests ...

, and the Immigrant Council of Ireland, called for all vulnerable and at-risk migrants be removed from direct provision centres.

References

{{reflist Right of asylum in the Republic of Ireland Development charities based in the Republic of Ireland Human rights organisations based in Ireland Organizations established in 1992 Refugee aid organizations in Europe