Children involved in the asylum process in Ireland are growing up in a form of institutionalisation and in poverty, according to a submission by the Irish Refugee Council.
In its submission to the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance, a human rights body of the Council of Europe, the refugee group said the State is maintaining systems that are time consuming, costly and damaging to asylum seekers.
Chief executive of the refugee council Sue Conlan said in 2006 the Council of Europe body recommended the length of the asylum process be shortened and the appeals process altered to improve transparency and accountability.
“Almost six years later, little has changed and there are significant safeguards and procedural protections missing from the Irish asylum system that place those claiming asylum at a disadvantage,” she said. The Council of Europe body will carry out a monitoring visit to Ireland next year.