‘A Woman’s Place is in the World’: Joint major conference on Women’s Rights

Published: Friday, February 20, 2015

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the National Women’s Council of Ireland will host a joint conference ‘A Woman’s Place is in the World’ to highlight the need for the State to keep the protection of women’s human rights and the achievement of equality between women and men in Ireland as a top policy priority. 

The conference which takes place in Dublin Castle on 20th February 2015 coincides with a review of progress on the commitments to advance women’s human rights and equality set out in the United Nations Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.  The Irish Government will take part in that review by the UN Commission on the Status of Women from 9-20 March 2015.

Emily Logan, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said “Twenty years ago in 1995, 189 countries – including Ireland – gathered in China for the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women and the United Nations Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was born. Twenty years on, questions on how far we have come in realising women’s human rights, achieving gender equality and supporting women’s empowerment, are what bring us all together at this conference. In the lead up to the 20-year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, this conference is one of a collection of global, regional and national events taking place in all parts of the world to recommit to the advancement of women rights and equality between women and men.”

Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland said “Women – and men - are coming together at events across the globe to mark this occasion. This conference is a celebration of what we have attained for women in Ireland and across the world over the past 20 years. And it is an opportunity to set out a new path and increase the pace for achieving full equality for all women.
If we want Ireland to be a different place for women - and men -, we must take a proactive role to ensure that women’s equality is at the centre of change. We want to create a society where all women and men can participate equally in political, economic and social life and be free from violence, discrimination and sexism.”                  

There are still gaps in equality between women and men that need to be addressed:

• Women TDs make up 16% of the Dáil (CSO, 2013)
• 63% of lone parents experienced enforced deprivation (SILC, 2013)
• 50% of women earning €20,000 or less (CSO)
• Women in Ireland are paid almost 14% less than men (genderequality.ie)
• Ireland has the highest childcare cost of 34 European countries in OECD
• Census 2011 reveals that out of a total labour force of 4,144 Traveller women 2% were without work
• 7% of men between the ages of 25 and 34 have a third level qualification. 55.3% of women do (CSO, 2013)
• Over one quarter of women surveyed in Ireland have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or non-partner since the age of 15 (EU Fundamental Rights Agency Survey)
• A Traveller woman will live 11 years less than a member of the general population (The All Ireland Traveller Health Study 2010).

The Conference will be addressed by President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins; Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director, UN Women; Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and President of The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice; Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Justice and Equality; Nóirín O’Sullivan, Garda Commissioner; Emily Logan, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) amongst a wide range of women and men addressing key women’s human rights concerns and calling on the Government to take action on critical issues which affect them.

For further information please contact: Silke Paasche (NWCI) Tel. 085 858 9104 or Niamh O’Carroll Tel. 087 628 6171 or Ruth Gallagher (IHREC) Tel. 087 2389644