About Rights Monitor

Rights Monitor is a website bringing you information about human rights in Ireland under international law brought to you by three Ireland-based NGOs: Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), and the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT). The site’s current focus is on Ireland’s examination by the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Who are we?

• Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) is an independent human rights organisation dedicated to the realisation of equal access to justice for all. It campaigns through advocacy, strategic litigation and authoritative analysis for the eradication of social and economic exclusion.

• The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is the leading independent, non-governmental membership organisation working to defend and promote human rights and civil liberties in Ireland. It was founded in 1976 by, amongst others, Mary Robinson, Kader Asmal, and Justice Donal Barrington. Over the past three decades, the ICCL has campaigned in the sphere of civil liberties and human rights reform, using international human rights standards to assess State law and policy. The ICCL does not seek or accept Government funding for its work.

• The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) is Ireland’s leading non-governmental organisation campaigning for the rights of people in prison and the progressive reform of Irish penal policy. The IPRT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

In late 2006, FLAC, ICCL and IPRT came together to work on the shadow reporting process to Ireland’s third periodic report under the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  Recognising that Ireland would soon be called for its examination under the Covenant and given the range of important human rights related developments that had occurred since Ireland’s previous review in 2000, the group decided to pool their expertise and resources in order to coordinate the best possible joint response, in consultation with a range of Irish civil society organisations.

The Shadow Report itself was launched in Dublin to coincide with the examination of Ireland on 14 July 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland. Australian High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Michael Kirby launched the report to a packed room at the Westbury Hotel. The launch received wide coverage in both print and broadcast media. Click here for photos of the event.

Rights Monitor’s role

Rights Monitor showcases our Shadow Report, promoting it online, and making it, and related materials, available for download to the public. Having brought together updates, press releases and commentary from all participating NGOs from events in Dublin and Geneva over 14 and 15 July 2008, the site will now provide comprehensive coverage of our follow-up conference on the Ireland’s Implementation of the UN Human Rights Committee’s Concluding Observations, taking place on 6 April 2009 in the Radisson Hotel, Dublin.

A demonstration of firm collaboration between groups across the Irish NGO sector, Rights Monitor is your first port of call for updates on a crucial period for human rights in Ireland.

Please see the homepage for updates. For more details, or for contact details, please browse our site using the main menu bar above. To download the Shadow Report, and related documents, please avail of our download service on the right hand column of each page.