Home schooling is not a valid option to release the state from its human rights obligations.
February 20, 2014 3 Comments

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 ...

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Parents, please speak out about religious discrimination and indoctrination in your school.
February 17, 2014 7 Comments

Parents, please speak out about religious discrimination and indoctrination in your school.

Parents, please speak out about religious discrimination and indoctrination in your school. Another account of religious discrimination in schools. This time from Northern Ireland in an integrated school. When they speak of integrated schools they mean either Catholic or Protestant and they simply don't include secularists. Atheist Ireland is starting ...

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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.
December 2, 2013 No Comments

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". ...

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Atheist Ireland submission to Equality Authority on Employment Equality Act
November 19, 2013 1 Comment

Atheist Ireland submission to Equality Authority on Employment Equality Act

Atheist Ireland has sent the following submission to the Equality Authority, regarding a proposed amendment to Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998-2011. This is the Section that allows religious, educational or medical institutions to discriminate against employees or potential employees who do not share the religious values and ...

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How to let Ruairi Quinn know your concerns about inclusive schools.
October 4, 2013 2 Comments

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 ...

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Atheist Ireland to develop first Irish course about atheism for primary schools
September 22, 2013 No Comments

Atheist Ireland to develop first Irish course about atheism for primary schools

Atheist Ireland launched an important initiatives at our AGM on Saturday 21 September, in the Harbour Hotel in Galway. We will be working with Educate Together to develop Ireland’s first ever course about atheism for primary schools. The lessons will be based on the Toledo guiding principles and will be ...

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The state has a positive obligation to respect the philosophical convictions of secular parents.
September 19, 2013 No Comments

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, ...

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Ruairi Quinn refuses to implement UN Recommendations on the rights of the child.
September 3, 2013 2 Comments

Ruairi Quinn refuses to implement UN Recommendations on the rights of the child.

Yesterday the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn published a draft Admission to Schools bill to regulate the admission of children to primary and post primary schools. While the proposed measures in the bill are to be welcomed the Minister has done nothing about removing religious discrimination in access to education. ...

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Religious discrimination in access to education to continue.
September 2, 2013 No Comments

Religious discrimination in access to education to continue.

Proposed legislation and draft regulations due to be published today will not outlaw religious discrimination in access to education. The legislation is aimed at removing concerns that schools are cherry-picking students but does not deal with the issue of religious discrimination in access to education. The consultation process for the ...

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Does the Government believe that the level of protection afforded to a human right – such as the right to freedom of religion – should depend on the preference of the majority in a particular area?
August 30, 2013 3 Comments

Does the Government believe that the level of protection afforded to a human right – such as the right to freedom of religion – should depend on the preference of the majority in a particular area?

The Following is an extract from the Submission by Dr. Alison Mawhinney (Bangor University) to the UN Human Rights Committee with respect to the Adoption of the List of Issues related to Ireland’s fourth periodic report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In 2008 the UN Human ...

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