European Court of Human Rights Archives | Page 2 of 3

August 9, 2014 No Comments admin

How Irish law effectively prohibits non-denominational secular schools based on human rights

Irish law bans non-denominational schools - state forces education "religious ethos" control Irish law effectively prohibits non-denominational secular schools based on human rights, despite the Irish Government telling the UN Human Rights Committee last month that there are no obstacles to establishing such schools in Ireland. The Government did outline ...

August 3, 2014 3 Comments admin

Educate Together is undermining the duty of the Irish State to provide non-denominational schools

Educate Together multi-denominational schools don't relieve Irish State of UN Human Rights Committee duty to secular education Educate Together has made two statements recently that undermine the duty of the Irish Government to provide secular education though new non-denominational schools, as required by the UN Human Rights Committee. Educate Together is ...

July 1, 2014 No Comments Jane Donnelly

Atheist Ireland to brief UN Human Rights Committee about Ireland’s failure to protect rights of Atheists and Secularists

Irish Education, Denominational Schools, Religious Oaths, Blasphemy enshine religious discrimination & are not equality before the law - submission to UN HCR This July Ireland will be examined by the UN Human Rights Committee under the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights. By ratifying this UN Treaty Ireland has guaranteed ...

March 6, 2014 No Comments Michael Nugent

Oireachtas Committee calls for integration not segregation in schools, as proposed by Atheist Ireland

The Oireachtas joint Committee on Education has concluded that multiple patronage and ethos as a basis for policy can lead to segregation and inequality in the education system, and that the objectives of admission policy should be equality and integration. This reflects the arguments made by Atheist Ireland to the ...

February 20, 2014 3 Comments Jane Donnelly

Home schooling is not a valid option to release the state from its human rights obligations.

Home schooling not solution to Irish education religious discrimination of denominational ethos schools - European Court When secular parents complain about discrimination in National schools they are sometimes met with the response that they can home school their children. The European Court has stated that this is not a valid ...

January 31, 2014 No Comments Michael Nugent

The Louise O’Keeffe judgment could begin the end of state-supported religious discrimination in Irish schools

This week’s European Court judgment in the Louise O’Keeffe case changes everything in the campaign for secular education in Ireland. The State was arguing that it was not responsible for protecting Louise O’Keeffe’s human rights while she was in school, because the State did not run the school directly. The ...

December 2, 2013 No Comments Jane Donnelly

CASE OF KJELDSEN, BUSK MADSEN AND PEDERSEN v. DENMARK – European Court of Human Rights “Religious Instruction” – (Application no. 5095/71; 5920/72; 5926/72) – 17th December 1976.

In this case at the European Court of Human Rights, the court makes clear that the rights of all parents and their children under Article II of Protocol 1 (the right to education) is not confined to having their children exempted from classes offering "religious instruction of a denominational character". ...

October 4, 2013 2 Comments Jane Donnelly

How to let Ruairi Quinn know your concerns about inclusive schools.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, is seeking submissions on promoting greater inclusiveness in primary schools. Information on the process can be accessed here http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Conferences/Patronage-and-Pluralism-in-the-Primary-Sector/Call-for-Submissions-on-the-Recommendations-of-the-Advisory-Group-to-the-Forum-on-Patronage-and-Pluralism-in-the-Primary-Sector.pdf The majority of schools in Ireland are religious and the United Nations Human Rights Committee has raised concern regarding the human rights of ...

September 19, 2013 No Comments Jane Donnelly

The state has a positive obligation to respect the philosophical convictions of secular parents.

In Lautsi v Italy ((App No. 30814/06) 18th March 2011) the European Court found that secularism is a conviction within the meaning of Article 9 (the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion) and Article II of Protocol 1 (the right to education). The Court stated that:- “58. Secondly, ...

July 9, 2013 2 Comments Jane Donnelly

The Irish Education System: A failure to protect human rights.

Freedom of religion in the Irish primary school system: a failure to protect human rights? The above link is to a paper called ; Freedom of religion in the Irish primary school system: A failure to protect human rights? The research is by Dr. Alison Mawhinney, Lecturer in Law, School ...