• "'Shame'rock for Trump - Not in our name"
    An Taoiseach is our representative abroad. When he accepts prejudice, racism and bigotry, it shames the people of our country. We feel that such an alliance is not good for our country's reputation and undermines our relationship with other countries. Trump is a despicable human being. A point must be reached where falling at the foot of a powerful man, at the expense of our values and morals and international reputation is not acceptable! "'Shame'rock for Trump: Not in our Name"
    13 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Concerned Citizen
  • Adequate Funding for Homelessness Shelter in Athlone
    As per the Irish Times article on November 29th by Kitty Holland, homelessness among single adults is up 44% in the Midlands in the year since October 2016 and this shelter, having already cut its staffing is now facing closure (1). The assertion by the Department of Housing that "the needs of regions are kept under review on an ongoing basis" and "it will help to meet the costs faced by housing bodies." is clearly not of any value here. This shelter which also serves the needs of people in Laois, Longford and Offaly needs to be kept open and Midlands Simon has to be given concrete assurances that it will receive adequate funding as a matter of urgency. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/sole-westmeath-homeless-shelter-likely-to-close-over-funding-1.3308697
    205 of 300 Signatures
    Created by John Madden
  • A Youth Work Strategy that Tackles Racism
    The current National Youth StrAtegy 'Brighter Futures -Better Outcomes' does not include any intercultural focus. This therefore neglects hundreds of youth in Ireland. Groups affected Intercultural youth groups, international students, migrant youth, children born from migrant parents, mixed ethnicity youth, ethnic minorities excluding Traveller &Roma communities.
    225 of 300 Signatures
    Created by TASUMUDZWA CHIMBGANDA
  • Secure Hours Now
    I’ve been working for Dunnes Stores for 8 years now, and I still don’t know what my wages will be from week-to-week. On any payday, a Dunnes workers' wages can be slashed by up to 60% (more than €200). This makes it impossible for my family and I to plan our lives, and we’re not alone. There are almost 10,000 workers in Dunnes Stores who have the same worries I do. Most of us are low paid. Most of us are women. And most of us are on 15 hour contracts. So some weeks we will work 40 hours, but when a local manager takes a dislike to us, they can slash our hours to 15. And there are hundreds of thousands of workers across the country in a similar position. We don’t know from week-to-week whether we will be able to pay our bills. We can’t get loans or mortgages because the banks look at the lowest hours on our contracts and see how insecure our wages are. It’s impossible to have peace of mind. That’s why in April 2015, two and a half years ago, 6,000 of us went on strike to win secure hour contracts. After the strike, management targeted us. They sacked some of us, slashed the hours of others, changed our working patterns and generally made our lives hell. They use the allocation of hours as a control mechanism over us. So we now have to rely on politicians to legislate in order to make sure every worker in Ireland is protected from zero hour and “If and When” contracts. There have been several opportunities to pass legislation in recent years, which would have ended zero hours and ‘If and When’ contracts, but the government has delayed and postponed and are now preparing their own legislation which we believe will not benefit low hour workers. Our Union, Mandate, believes the government are going to leave loopholes open so that employers can still exploit workers like me. But if all TD’s commit to support the Secure Hours – Better Future charter, we can make sure no worker is exploited and workers like us can plan our day-to-day lives, provide for our families and pay our bills. Please sign this petition and call on your local representatives to support the Secure Hours – Better Future charter today.
    4,188 of 5,000 Signatures
    Created by Muireann Dalton
  • Safe and appropriate Emergency and Private Rental Accommodation
    In the light of the recent RTE Prime Time Program "Nightmare to Rent". It is now obvious to all of us that the inspection regime who the County Councils are responsible for is not working. Tenants are being forced to live in unsafe and sub-standard accommodation in Co Meath and all over the country. Meath County Council and all its councillors have a duty of care to all tenants especially those in emergency accommodation to ensure their safety and that their accommodation is not sub-standard.
    75 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Alan Lawes
  • Our Roadmap for Social Inclusion: Walking as One for an Inclusive Society
    The year 2017 marked twenty years since Ireland’s first comprehensive plan to address poverty: the National Anti-Poverty Strategy 1997-2006. The year 2018 marked key anniversary for End Poverty activists and for the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights! The 30th anniversary of the death of Joseph Wresinski, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela (who launched the Make Poverty History Campaign) and the 70 years of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The year 2019 is starting with the Centenary of the first meeting of Dáil Éireann which occurred on 21 January 1919 in the Round Room of the Dublin Mansion House. In this first and highly symbolic meeting, the proceedings of the Dáil were conducted for the only time entirely in the Irish language, except for previously drafted declarations including the proclamation of the "Democratic Programme" including the following pledge: "It shall be the first duty of the Government of the Republic to make provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children, to secure that no child shall suffer hunger or cold from lack of food, clothing, or shelter, but that all shall be provided with the means and facilities requisite for their proper education and training as Citizens of a Free and Gaelic Ireland." On the day of the Centenary, the Irish Times in partnership with the Children Rights' Alliance launched the #NoChild2020 campaign! No Child 2020 is an initiative by Fintan O'Toole and other Irish Times' journalists aiming to provide a sustained focus on child welfare and children’s issues over the coming year. We believe that Ireland needs a new Integrated Framework for Social Inclusion, to tackle inequality and poverty. We know Ireland faces major challenges: - to end the Housing Crisis - to deliver the SlainteCare’s vision for a better and fairer health system - to tackle Child Poverty and the poverty faced by the children's families - to implement the 17 Global Goals set down in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including action to limit climate change with a strong concern for climate justice - to become a society with communities ready to leave no one behind, the promise of the UN 2030 Agenda If we are serious about tackling these issues, and serious about lifting people out of poverty and eliminating its causes, we must have a consistent, comprehensive plan to address poverty and social exclusion. Such a plan will only succeed if it is owned by civil society at large and also by the people experiencing poverty, not just politicians and the organisations that work to combat inequality and exclusion. Our call to action: let's walk as one to end poverty! In the follow-up of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 2018), as Ireland marks the Centenary of the Democratic Programme, strengthened by the launch of the "No Child 2020" initiative, inspired by the "End Poverty" legacies of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, inspired also by the pledge of Joseph Wresinski: "To come together is our solemn duty," and following the call by Mary Robinson and the Elders to "Walk Together", we seek a new approach. Let's bring everyone who wants to make a difference together! All stakeholders: public bodies, teachers, trainers and researchers, corporates and services, youth groups and pensioners, and the people who fight against the poverty and stigma that they experience. Let's say: "We – citizens, workers, leaders, managers, carers, parents, activists or professionals or both – are ready to be part of the End Poverty plan. We all need to own this plan: to know the goals and own them. Together we wish to take part in a strong participatory process to make the next Anti-Poverty Plan the best ever. Those who live with poverty and social exclusion deserve it. They also should have the opportunity help develop this new plan. And when the plan is in place they should be able to play their part to ensure it is implemented. I have a role to play and I support this call to action and would like to be involve in the design, implementation and monitoring of our common plan!” Let us leave no one behind! All together in dignity!"
    42 of 100 Signatures
    Created by All Together in Dignity Ireland Picture
  • Social Hubs instead of rural post offices
    We seem to be allowing a continuous stripping of services from rural Ireland, this would be a start of a serious opportunity to reverse this trend and offer a genuine service to elderly people who want to remain in their homes. We could customise these hubs to suit each village or location, eg combine this service with the local community centre, a cafe a local business or a stand alone unit. This hub could be staffed by locals and would offer all the services of a post office, plus access for the elderly to a government services help desk, environmental help, grants, tourist info etc, it could also be a start of decentralisation from Dublin.
    7 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Sean Collins
  • Ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
    We have to end the inconceivable injustices and degrading treatment of disabled people here in Ireland. Too many disabled children and adults are living in forced institutions, separated from our families and communities, with no control over our lives, bodily integrity, often afraid, abused and unheard. Ireland is the last country in the European Union to ratify the convention. Ratifying the Convention will mean formal recognition of our rights and enable independent living and freedom from discrimination. 11 years after the UN adopted the Convention, Ireland is the only county in the EU that has failed to ratify it. We are asking all of you, to help us to shine a spotlight on our government’s inaction. It is NOT okay that disabled people have no control over our lives. We, disabled people, need your support and cannot do it alone. We need everyone to please support the legal protection of Disabled people's rights. By signing this important petition to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, your support will help to positively change our country and the lives of many for the better. Thank you very much!
    8,482 of 9,000 Signatures
    Created by Ann Marie Flanagan
  • We ask that ALL members of the 8th Committee read the Citizens Assembly report in full.
    Our lives depend on it. Our physical and mental health depends on it. Our bodily autonomy depends on it.
    479 of 500 Signatures
    Created by Carly Bailey
  • Hold a Competition For A New Rebel Flag
    After the attacks in America by racists wielding the confederate flag, it's important that Irish sports fans don't seem to be endorsing the racism long associated with the confederate flag. But, Cork's history as the rebel county should be celebrated, and this is a great opportunity to do it!
    31 of 100 Signatures
  • Prevent The Mistreatment of People in Detention
    The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is an international human rights treaty designed to prevent torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in all places of detention. It introduces a combined system of national (NPM) and international (SPT) monitoring of all places of detention. Ireland signed the OPCAT in October 2007, but has yet to ratify it. The OPCAT recognises the central importance of inspection as a way of preventing human rights violations. These inspections create transparency and accountability, which in turn act as a deterrent against future cruel treatment. Places of detention are not limited to prisons. The OPCAT applies to anywhere where people are deprived of their liberty. The ratification of OPCAT would positively impact the lives of many people in vulnerable positions. Examples of places of detention could include, but are not limited to: • Psychiatric units • Children detention schools • Nursing homes • Social care units • Special Care Units • Immigration detention centres • Direct provision • Pre-trial detention facilities • Garda stations OPCAT applies to anywhere people are deprived of their liberty. Pushing for the ratification of OPCAT might one day benefit a friend, neighbour, family member, or maybe even yourself. For Ireland to meet its international obligations, we must put in place sufficient and effective safeguards to ensure that vulnerable individuals are not victimised. The Convention recognizes that it is in closed spaces where the most serious violations of human rights can take place. Ireland has a troubling history of failing to protect those we have placed in closed spaces. The historical abuse of those in child institutions and other historical places of detention has shown the need for ongoing inspection. By failing to ratify OPCAT, Ireland perpetuates a situation that increases the vulnerability of all persons currently in detention. It is essential that Ireland moves towards the creation of an NPM which can ensure that no place of detention – prison, Garda station, hospital or care home – is beyond the reach of comprehensive and rigorous inspection. _________ To learn more about OPCAT: http://www.apt.ch/en/what-is-the-opcat/ To learn more about NPMs: http://www.apt.ch/en/national-preventive-mechanisms-npms/ To learn more about the SPT: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/OPCATIntro.aspx To see which countries have ratified OPCAT: http://www.apt.ch/en/opcat-database/
    46 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT)
  • Women Should Not Be Locked Up Because They Want An Abortion
    The misuse of the mental health act as a means to deny women and young girls the medical care they need is not acceptable. It's time for real choice, it's time for a referendum on the eighth amendment that offers real choice to the Irish public.
    15,861 of 20,000 Signatures
    Created by Siobhan O'Donoghue