ICI News Bulletin - Issue 64

Thursday, 01 April 2010

1.    Roundtable discussion looks to see if social welfare is “nationality blind”
2.    Government to respond to ICI trafficking research this year
3.    Limited tickets available for ICI fundraiser in Michelin Star restaurant
4.    Chief Executive meets new Minister for Equality, Human Rights and Integration
5.    Green Party conference told of need to tackle prostitution and sex trafficking
6.    European integration website project gets underway
7.    Pathways to Work transnational committee meets in Poland
8.    Pathways to Parental Leadership project advisory committee meets
9.    ICI attends European Programme for Integration and Migration fundraising workshop
10.  Outreach sessions on Citizenship and Permanency ongoing
11.  ICI seeks legal volunteers

Roundtable discussion looks to see if social welfare is “nationality blind”
The ICI attended a roundtable discussion, hosted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ERSI) on the rate of receipt of social welfare by immigrants across EU countries. Speakers at the discussion gave a number of differing views on the subject of social welfare and whether immigrants are being excluded from it as well as whether the system is “nationality-blind”.

This research is part of a project which has been commissioned by the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission. As part of the study, a number of country-specific reports are being prepared looking at the extent to which immigrants receive social welfare payments and the reasons behind any differences in the proportions of immigrants and the native populations in receipt of payments. One of the countries being looked at is Ireland.

The ICI has previously expressed concern about the rhetoric linking the strain on our social welfare system to migrants accessing social welfare and stories which give a break down of welfare recipients by nationality.  While it is true that our social welfare system is under pressure this is because of the parlous state of the Irish economy which has resulted in so many people, both migrants and Irish, requiring assistance.

Government to respond to ICI trafficking research this year
Executive Director of the Government’s Anti Human Trafficking Unit Marion Walsh has confirmed that the Government will respond to the ICI’s research on sex trafficking in Ireland in 2010.  Last April, the ICI published, “Globalisation, Sex Trafficking and Prostitution – The Experiences of Migrant Women in Ireland”, which identified more than 100 women and girls who had been trafficked into or through this country over a 20-month period. 

Ms Walsh was one of the speakers at a lecture discussion on human trafficking and its links to sexual exploitation and prostitution which was held at the University of Limerick last week.  ICI Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Nusha Yonkova also spoke at the lecture, along with Pablo Rojas Coppari of the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland.

Ms Walsh also announced a mid-term review of the National Action Plan on human trafficking would take place in early 2011. For more information, please contact Nusha – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Limited tickets available for ICI fundraiser in Michelin Star restaurant
A limited number of tickets remain available for the ICI fundraiser to be held in Chapter One, a Michelin Star restaurant in Dublin on Monday April 19.  Money raised from the event will also be used to develop a training course for those exploited in the sex industry to assist them to exit prostitution and gain access to employment.

The event will start with a wine reception at 7pm, followed by a three-course dinner prepared by award-winning head chef Ross Lewis. Entertainment on the night will be provided by Japanese Harpist, Junshi Murakami.

Tickets cost €150 and are available from Fundraising Intern Maretta O’Driscoll – 01 645 8160 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chief Executive meets new Minister for Equality, Human Rights and Integration
Chief Executive Denise Charlton met newly appointed Minister of State for Equality, Human Rights and Integration Mary White at the Green Party Annual Conference last week. The Minister was enthusiastic about her new position and indicated that she would be working closely with the relevant NGOs in the area of integration and immigration matters and that she was willing to discuss ways in which to further the cause of migrants living in Ireland. 

Ms White has said she is looking forward to developing integration policy in Ireland, pointing out that as we have become increasingly diverse, it is vital that we continue to work for greater inclusiveness in society. The ICI hopes to work closely with Ms White in advocating for the rights of migrants in Ireland.

Green Party conference told of need to tackle prostitution and sex trafficking
Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Nusha Yonkova told delegates at the Green Party Annual Conference last week that tackling demand for paid sex was central to combating the trafficking of women and girls into Ireland’s prostitution industry.  Newly appointed Minster of State Ciarán Cuffe hosted the ICI’s presentation entitled “Effective Ways to Combat Sex Trafficking”.

Nusha spoke of the need to change attitudes to purchasing sex and to address the growth of the Irish sex industry in order to eliminate sex trafficking into Ireland. Nusha spoke about the need to criminalise the purchase of sex and to create awareness of the intrinsic harm of prostitution to women.

For more information, please contact Nusha – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

European integration website project gets underway 
Chief Executive Denise Charlton attended a meeting for the EU-funded European Website on Integration project in Brussels last week.  The ICI has been appointed a member of the project’s editorial board and is the national focal point for Ireland. The ICI also holds the role of country coordinator for the website. 

The European Website on Integration was developed by the European Commission with the aim of developing an online toolkit for NGOs engaging with migrants.  The website enables people to connect with members of the EU integration community, discoverer funding opportunities and project partners, find examples of good practice, collaborate and share ideas and read news articles from multiple EU sources. 

Information can be submitted to the website through the ICI or downloaded directly from the site on www.integration.eu. For more information, please contact Social Media Intern Maros Karabinos – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Pathways to Work transnational committee meets in Poland
Research and Integration Officer Fidèle Mutwarasibo attended a transnational committee meeting for the Pathways to Work project in Poland last week. The project is looking at ways to aid the employment prospects of young migrants through access to training, better jobs and lifecycle career plans. Organisations from Greece, Italy, Northern Ireland, Poland and Spain are also taking part in the project.

At the meeting, hosted by the University of Szczecin, Fidèle gave an overview of progress on the dissemination package which the ICI is developing as part of its involvement in the project. This dissemination package aims to provide information the project and communicate its findings across the EU. The meeting also discussed the preliminary findings of a needs analysis of young migrants seeking employment in the partner countries. The Pathways to Work initiative is funded by the European Commission under the Leonardo da Vinci, Transfer of Innovation grant scheme. For more information, please contact Fidèle – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    

Pathways to Parental Leadership project advisory committee meets
A draft toolkit for enhancing migrants’ involvement in their children’s school lives was presented to an advisory committee meeting for the ICI’s Pathways to Parental Leadership project at the Carmelite Centre in Dublin last week. Members of the committee include a representative of the Department of Education and Skills, migrants, teachers, academics, trade unions members and other stakeholders.

For more information please contact Research and Integration Intern Lucy Jessel – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ICI attends European Programme for Integration and Migration fundraising workshop
Chief Finance Officer Geraldine Hegarty took part in training on evaluation and fundraising issues at a workshop in Lisbon recently. This was the third of four joint learning initiative sessions organised by the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM). The Workshop was also attended by representatives of partner organisations from France, Estonia and Portugal.

The Director of Transform Management Consultancy John Tierney delivered the informative programme comprising of three half day modules on the principles of monitoring and evaluation. The fourth and final module was delivered by Jana Ledvinova from The Resource Alliance in the Czech Republic on fundraising for eastern countries. The issues addressed in this session were also applicable to Western Europe and it was a particularly lively and practical session. For more information, please contact Geraldine – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Outreach sessions on Citizenship and Permanency ongoing
More than 60 people have taken part in the most recent ICI outreach session on citizenship and permanency held in Waterford city. The session was organised jointly by ICI and Brother Kevin Mascarenhas of the Waterford Integration Network.

The aim of the sessions is to provide information about the naturalisation process and to gather feedback from people who have applied for citizenship on their experience of the process and any difficulties they may have encountered.  Many people spoke about frustration with the length of time taken to process applications.

Attendees were asked to provide information about their motivation for applying to become an Irish citizen and common reasons given were a desire to be seen to belong in Ireland, to enjoy a sense of permanency and to be able to vote in national elections. Others spoke about being given no reason for their application being refused and the difficulties that posed for them.

Further sessions are planned for the south-west, north-west and midland regions in the coming months. For more information please contact Education and Training Officer Gillian Kennedy – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ICI seeks legal volunteers
The ICI is currently recruiting for our panel of volunteers for the Information and Referral Service. The Information and Referral Service has benefited significantly from the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of volunteers who provide information to migrants over the telephone.

We are specifically looking for people a legal background to work with ICI staff to help resource the information and advice helplines, including the ICI’s dedicated information line to staff and volunteers of Citizens’ Information Centres regionally.  Volunteers are required to provide clear, up-to-date and appropriate information on immigration policies and procedures in Ireland. People interested in applying should contact Information and Referral Service Coordinator Brian Killoran on 01 645 8044 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it