Ireland’s national watchdog on women’s rights, the National Women’s Council of Ireland, is to have i

Published: Sunday, December 04, 2011

Ireland's national watchdog on women's rights, the National Women's Council of Ireland, is to have its funding slashed by 35%

"This cut is out of all proportion to cuts to other non- governmental organisations and shows a complete disregard for the equality which is essential if Ireland is to recover from this economic crisis," said NWCI chief executive, Susan McKay.
The NWCI expressed anger at the targeting of lone parents, 98% of whom are women, for income cuts. "Lone parents are already at high risk of poverty - this budget means that families with children over the age of 7 will be forced to seek work without education and training supports, without childcare and without opportunities for meaningful employment," said McKay. " Is this what Brendan Howlin means by protecting the most vulnerable?"
The NWCI welcomed the government's decision to maintain child benefit for first and second children, but cuts to payments to subsequent children will cause hardship to larger families. "By going for public expenditure cuts rather than taxes to high earners, the government has further disadvantaged women and children, at the same time as attempting to silence the organisation that speaks out on their behalf," said McKay. "This comes on top of the ransacking of funds for the National Women's Strategy over the past two years. This is all coming from a government which is 86% male and clearly neither understands nor cares about women's needs and rights."