Ben and Bernie have provided invaluable support to asylum seekers in Direct Provision over the years, particularly those in emergency Direct Provision centres without adequate material supports. They have been collecting donated items from members of the public and distributing them to asylum seekers. Ben and Bernie are longtime Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland supporters. They have stood with us and now it is time for everyone to stand with them. Benjamin Akhile received a deportation order on the 16th March 2020. He has been residing in Ireland for 14 years. Seven of those years he has been in a relationship with Bernie D'Arcy. During his time in Ireland Ben has completed many courses right up to Fetac 6 and told to apply for university next. His chosen profession was journalism and he has a degree in Mass communication. To be deported means that he would be sent back to a country where he has neither family or friends left. But he has the support and love of his partner Bernie and a wide circle of friends here in Ireland. As he suffers from diabetes 2, hypertension and high blood pressure Ben needs adequate access to medical care equivalent to the access here in Ireland. If deported back to Sierra Leone at 54 he will suffer greatly. He has enriched lives here in Ireland through his daily life and he's has been enriched. Revoke the deportation order Minister Helen McEntee

This is a major challenge to the health well being of all our communities. It is crucial to stop the spread of the infection. It is recognizing the right of all to health and life.

Because of restrictions which are required to save lives, during this emergency, many businesses and employees will face unprecedented strain on their finances, with businesses forced to shut and employees suddenly laid off. The proposed moratorium is aimed at preventing the health emergency becoming a long term economic emergency and adding to the homeless crisis. The key is that it needs to be not just a moratorium on payment, but a moratorium on the rent and interest being incurred. Otherwise at the end of the moratorium landlords/banks could come looking for, say, 3 months arrears resulting in a spate of people getting evicted and businesses closing down. It is recognised that this proposal interferes with property rights, but is proportionate to the unprecedented situation and to the restrictions being placed on people and the use of their property, so would be constitutional. This is an extreme measure, but a necessary one.

A toxic combination of being cut off from family and friends, shut refuges, financial hardship, loss of work, closed schools and community services means women experiencing violence are in great danger because of Covid19. The Courts are barely open and even though they say they'll continue to hear emergency domestic violence cases, it's clear that it victims won't be able to get emergency barring orders because all other services they need - from childcare, support workers, transport, legal advice will be either non-existent or too hard to access. Its not clear what will happen if we are ordered to go into full lockdown. Women and children experiencing violence will effectively be locked in with violent partners - and no support system. The Istanbul Convention to which Ireland is a signatory requires for special measures to be taken to prevent and protect women from gender-based violence. 22 other European Countries that are signatories to the Istanbul Convention have already granted special powers to police to make Emergency Barring Orders Regions that have already seen large numbers of Covid-19 cases such as China and have taken measures to reduce the spread by confining people to their homes have reported significant increases in incidents of domestic violence. The time to act is now. About Sisi Sisi is a collective of survivors of intimate abuse in Ireland. It formed in Aug 2018 as an action group and voice for women. This is a unique survivor led platform in Ireland, and is a highly innovative way to bring lived survivor experience to inform state institutions and policies. Our vision is an Ireland where women are free from violence, including sexual abuse and coercive control. Our mission is to support women survivors of violence, including domestic abuse and coercive control, to be leaders, and to grow and develop utilizing their lived experiences and by taking collective action in the pursuit of freedom, equality and structural change.

The Covid-19 epidemic has affected 100 countries worldwide, and has already killed several thousand people, and the WHO have stated the threat of a pandemic is very real. It is an unprecedented public health and economic event in the era of global travel and data sharing. Ireland is in a position of having the benefit of other countries' hindsight. We are in the early stages of an outbreak at under 100 cases (which is widely recognised as the tipping point between containment and mitigation). How we act now determines whether this outbreak spreads exponentially immediately and overwhelms our already problematic health service, or whether we manage to slow the rate of infection and spread out the impact on our health service over time, avoiding bottlenecks in patient care and resources that will prove more fatal than the illness itself, and avoiding widespread panic that can be more contagious than the virus. The WHO posits a possible doubling rate of 4 days, making it two weeks until the outbreak is too widespread to contain. It is stating the obvious to say that we cannot stop this infection from spreading. However we can slow it down and buy important time to make preparations, and eventually to develop a vaccination or sufficient herd immunity to protect the vulnerable (or in a more optimistic scenario to get to the end of the Flu season when it might abate). Comparing the outbreaks in different countries and rates of spread, together with their testing and containment measures, it is clear that countries like China, Singapore and South Korea that have managed to reduce infection rates through strong action on movement and aggressive testing protocol. It is widely recognised that in countries where containment failed, testing protocol was inadequate. It is now an acknowledged feature of Covid-19 that there are a large number of symptomless/mild symptom cases (estimated by the WHO to be up to 80%). This allows for subterranean community spreading under the radar in young healthy populations, which only becomes apparent when a spike in severe symptoms and pneumonia cases among the vulnerable appear. In Singapore broad testing criteria using a combination of PCR and antibody testing have enabled much more effective tracking of routes of infection and breaking of infection patterns. The HSE’s current testing criteria are when a person has symptoms of a fever, cough, shortness of breath/breathing difficulties AND the person has been to “an affected area” OR has been in contact with a confirmed case. https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html This is dangerously narrow now that we have at least six cases of community transmission in Ireland not linked to travel or confirmed cases Reasonable restrictions on large gatherings such as those implemented in France (over 1000 people), together with broadening of testing protocol to a much greater degree than being operated currently would go a long way to get a better picture of low symptom or asymptomatic cases. Testing should be made widely available, even to people with only mild symptoms. Also antibody testing should be carried out to reverse engineer routes of infection. Testing protocol should be expanded to include anyone with a fever OR with respiratory symptoms without a requirement for known contacts or travel to affected areas. This is more in line with the strategy recommended by the WHO in their WHO-China Joint Mission on Covid-19 on pg.19 where they emphasise the urgent need for non-pharmaceutical measures in the early stages of an outbreak of the virus: “Fundamental to these measures is extremely proactive surveillance to immediately detect cases, very rapid diagnosis and immediate case isolation, rigorous tracking and quarantine of close contacts, and an exceptionally high degree of population understanding and acceptance of these measures.” https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf We call on the Minister for Health Simon Harris to act now to minimise the immediate lethality of this outbreak and thereby mitigating also its economic impact in the long term in Ireland.

No basis to unfairly discriminate one sector of society just because they are not married? Getting married is a choice not everyone is lucky enough or in a position to be in a couple. Why are our government penalising a part of society and reward another for getting married. This is legal discrimination and created inequality.

This is Sankar Palaniyappan from India and currently living in Ireland for almost five years. Been here as asylum seeker. I spent all my time in Longford direct provision centre. I was very much hopeful to be granted leave to remain. Unfortunately dept of justice issued deportation against me. Now my life is completely broken. During my stay here I been involved various volunteers and tidy towns in Longford and helping out elderly people those who are in need. I have great connection with local community here. I got graduated MBA in human resources and MA in marketing and innovation. I am not here to burden for the state. Well able to find a job and to make positive contribution to the state and also give me an opportunity to stay in this beautiful country. I didn’t ask for anything else except stay and work legally. Rest I will make it everything myself. Here I have attached some reference and education transcript for the credibility. Sankar has fears of death threats if sent back home to India.

The USA has become the world's foremost violator of all International laws regarding war crimes, torture, human rights abuses etc. Time to hold them accountable.

David Nesengani came to Ireland with his wife Fortunate after receiving death threats in South Africa in 2016. Their family home was burned down for standing with other African nationals who were attacked in South Africa. The International Protection Appeals Tribunal in the Department of Justice and Equality has previously granted refugee status to South Africans in David's situation as recently as last year. But there is lack of consistency in the decisions made by the tribunal as they seem to depend on which tribunal member you get since they all reach different conclusions when empirical evidence remains the same. All this undermines the principle of non-refoulement as the couple stands to be deported to a country that has been found by several members of the appeals tribunal to be unsafe for people who are in the same position as David and Fortunate. Fortunate and her husband have spent years in Direct Provision before being served with a deportation order. That is cruel considering that David and Fortunate will not get the years lost in Direct Provision back. David is currently doing his second year of the BA - Applied Social Studies in Social Care at the Athlone Institute of Technology. The couple has been doing voluntary work in Athlone since their right to work is restricted. Let David and Fortunate stay!!!

Three Wise Men Three Pakistani men who have given their all to be part of Irish society are at imminent risk of deportation to Pakistan, where life for them will be dangerous to their health and wellbeing. The three won the hearts of their Longford neighbours, when they volunteered as the Three Wise Men for the Christmas pageant in 2017, even though two are Muslim. Vicky, one of the three, who was working locally as a nurse in a retirement home was forced to return to Pakistan in 2018, despite a petition of over 6000 signatures and the two remaining men, having exhausted all appeals await their fate after 4 years enduring the Direct Provision system in Ireland. Malik has had several exhibitions of his paintings in Longford and elsewhere and Abdul’s photography has documented cultural events in Longford, Dublin and Kerry. They have both performed in several shows around the country with Catherine Young Dance. Their hospitality and sense of community has been a gift to everyone who has come to know them. They are cherished by their local community and the arts community in Ireland but are about to be forced to leave. Can you sign this letter to the minister for Justice asking for compassionate leave to remain for the two remaining men?

Over the last 4 years 222 homeless people died on our streets. The Government and all local authorities have a duty of care to the most vulnerable people in our society the homeless. At present Meath County Council only provide assistance if homelessness is caused by fire or flood. Or is due to an adverse weather event. Or at Christmas time. The service in place is not fit for purpose at any time, but its an absolute disgrace that this is all Meath County Council can offer during a housing emergency. Please sign share and like this petition with all your family and friends and help me ensure that the next homeless death, No 223 does not happen on the streets of Co Meath.

We now have less than 10 years to reverse the climate emergency. The solutions to climate change are good for all our other issues with * cleaner air * warmer homes * smaller energy bills *better public transport * localised economies * organic food * biodiverse gardens * rich wildlife areas * seas teaming with fish and other marine animals * a more equal society. Let Ireland lead the world on this.