Irish civil society organisations spotlight women’s rights concerns ahead of Ireland’s CEDAW examina
Published: Monday, June 16, 2025
Women continue to face systemic barriers to gender equality which particularly affect those from marginalised communities, the National Women’s Council (NWC) said today (Monday, 16th June) at the CEDAW (UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) NGO hearing in Geneva. The hearing took place ahead of Ireland’s examination by the CEDAW Committee on Friday, 20th June.
Joined by representatives from its almost 200 member groups, NWC highlighted key areas for action for the Irish Government which are contained in its CEDAW NWC Member Shadow Report.
The report covers women’s rights concerns in relation to healthcare and reproductive rights, economic equality, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, housing, access to justice, political representation, and climate justice. It shows how existing obstacles are often exacerbated by legislative and policy gaps, weak implementation, and chronic underinvestment in essential services.
Speaking ahead of the NGO hearing, Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC said,
“Achieving women’s human rights and equality is fundamental to the creation of a fair and just society where everyone thrives. It is imperative that the Irish Government takes decisive action and systematically addresses the barriers that in particular marginalised women and girls face.
“This means tackling the childcare crisis which is a key obstacle to women’s full and equal participation by investing in a public system of early childhood education and care. It also means introducing a gender quota for local election candidates to ensure women’s equal representation in politics and increase the current number of TDs (25%) and local Councillors (28 %) to at least 40 %. And it involves investing in crucial health services, such as women’s perinatal mental health. One in five women in Ireland will experience mental health difficulties during pregnancy or after birth. A key priority must be the delivery of a Mother and Baby Unit for the small number of women who require in-patient care and who are currently being separated from their babies.”
Dr Salome Mbugba, AkiDwA and member of the Irish NGO delegation said,
"Migrant women and girls face a unique intersection of challenges shaped by both gender and immigration status. In Ireland today, survivors of harmful practices like FGM are waiting up to ten months to access essential medical and psychological support. This is unacceptable. We urgently need responsive systems that address the realities of migrant women, systems that break down barriers to healthcare, protection, and economic opportunity."
Saoirse Brady, Irish Penal Reform Trust and member of the Irish NGO delegation said,
"Overcrowding in Irish prisons is at crisis point with the two closed women's prisons regularly and routinely the most overcrowded prisons in the State operating at unsafe levels of 125% capacity in Dublin and 154% in Limerick.
IPRT welcomes this unique opportunity to shine an international spotlight in the dark corners of these institutions which continue to hold some of the most marginalised women in Ireland in unacceptable and degrading conditions, often on short sentences which wholly disrupt their lives. These include women who have themselves been victims of violence and trauma, an increasing number of pregnant women, new mothers and their babies as well as a disproportionate number of Irish Traveller women.
IPRT is calling on the State to provide answers to the Committee on the treatment of women in the criminal justice system, particularly given its repeated refusal to publish a number of significant investigation reports on the Dóchas Centre".
The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the core international treaty on the human rights of women and girls. Ireland ratified CEDAW in 1985, committing to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
Ireland will be reviewed by the CEDAW Committee on 20 June in Geneva, with concluding observations and recommendations of the Committee expected in July. These will provide a vital roadmap for advancing women's rights and gender equality.
Read NWC’s CEDAW Shadow Report 2025 here: https://www.nwci.ie/images/uploads/NWC_CEDAW_Shadow_Report_June_2025.pdf