“Poverty is a societal issue and it needs to be tackled systemically. Socio-economic discrimination is as real and as painful as all other types of discrimination, and needs to be stopped. Why should someone who is already struggling with poverty, debt, isolation, lack of opportunities, shame, stigma, reduced access to healthcare, then on top of that be discriminated? It is inhumane. This is a denial of basic human rights and highlights the issue of socio- economic discrimination as a non-existent ground in Irish equality legislation. “The reality that people in poverty need to campaign to have the legal right not to be discriminated against is a sad reflection on our society”. People who know this type of discrimination first hand can clearer define how hurtful it can be: “People treating us differently because of how we look, how we speak, where we live and our wealth…it is hurtful, toxic and it impacts our quality of life”- Breaking Barriers participant “People from disadvantaged communities are seen as bad people. But that’s not true.”. There is clear evidence that this type of discrimination is hindering participation of so many in our society, therefore a barrier in reaching their full potential. This is type of injustice has a negative effect on all of us…… Yet it feels that after many years of asking for justice and recognition of this discrimination many face based on their socio-economic status, things might be progressing at last. ATD Ireland alongside many other organisations have campaigned to have a new ground enshrined in the Irish Equality Legislation to protect people from socio-economic discrimination through our #Addthe10th campaign.”- Dann Kenningham National Co- Ordination
“Now more than ever we need the security of our families and communities well being being protected by legislation. This protection will come from adding the tenth ground to Irish equality legislation. #Addthe10th”- Paul Team member and Community Activist
“To discriminate against someone because of their socio-economic status is to disrespect them as a person, I didn’t ask to be born from this area but I’m still making the most out of my life by standing up to make a change. If anyone sees me speaking and feels as though they don’t have a voice let me tell you this, everyone has a voice especially those who have gone through poverty”. Andrew Community Activist
On Thursday May 9th Community Activist Andrew addressed the IHREC conference ‘Promoting Socio- Economic equality in employment’. This conference involved those with lived experience of labour market exclusion, NGO representatives, members of government and those from the business sector. After an opening from IHREC director speaking on the importance for socio- economic status to be recognized in equality legislation, the link between poverty and discrimination and the need to celebrate difference. Andrew first addressed the conference and spoke about the way people living in poverty experience discrimination within the recruitment process and can face mistreatment and exclusion while in the workplace.
“Can you imagine a father from a disadvantaged area goes for multiple jobs interviews, he has all the qualifications but doesn’t get the job because he is from this certain area, can you imagine the mental torture that he is going through. All that he wants to do is provide for his young family but he’s not being given the chance. This all leads to stress, lack of sleep and basically, you’re in a mental prison because he’s not been given a chance. Now in today’s society men feel they need to provide for their family and they put this mask on that everything is alright when it actually isn’t. This is just one side that when the 10th ground gets added in that it will help so much”.
This conference took place as IHREC released a new policy statement on socio- economic status as a ground of discrimination under the Equality Acts.
“The Commission reaffirms its position that Irish equality law should be amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of socio-economic status”.
This report outlines the large body evidence which exists showcasing the experience of SED, points to Ireland’s international obligations and sets out how the addition of SES into the equality legislation would “further protect and advance the equality legislation”.
The publication of this policy has brought a welcomed public and media focus on socio- economic discrimination and the #Addthe10th campaign. This has included an opinion piece written by Jim Clarke, Commissioner of IHREC and Olivier De Schutter UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. “Poverty will never be eradicated while povertyism exists. There is a dangerous and pervasive myth that poverty is a result of some kind of moral failure by the individual, rather than serious structural disadvantages”. Correspondent Emmett Malone also wrote about the policy paper for the Irish times “the organisation says governments have given repeated commitments to examine the issue and hinted at possible actions but, despite more than 20 years of debate, no meaningful measures have been introduced”.
We appreciate the attention the media is giving this issue and hope it will result in a renewed public awareness and understanding of the existence of SED and the campaign.
This is now more pertinent than ever as we are heading into the local and European elections in June. Further, as the next general election will be taking place by March 2025- there is now a limited amount of time left for the government to progress on the review of the equality legislation as promised in the 2020 programme for government.
The conference highlighted the vulnerability of people who suffer from socio economic discrimination as a form of violence that isn’t obvious. In addressing this aspect of socioeconomic status we talk about the hidden dimensions of poverty. This invisibility relies on the shame, the stigma, and marginalisation which were pointed out by the right holders and are inherent to socio economic discrimination and poverty. Much of this discrimination and unemployment as highlighted by the conference, doesn’t show in the data we use to talk about employment. Today, the figures can act as a cover up for these inequalities and do not reflect the reality of socio-economic discrimination which impacts specific communities and groups, revealing these discriminations as systemic.
During the conference this was highlighted multiple times and denounced by a representative of the Traveller and Roma Organisation Pavee Point.
As revealed in the National Roma Needs Assessment in 2018 and the research undertaken by Pavee Point in partnership with the Department of Justice and Equality, data shows that more than 83% of Roma surveyed were unemployed. (https://www.paveepoint.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Access-to-Fair-Decent-Work-AF-LR-FINAL-1.pdf p12)
The answer to this is inclusion as the conference illustrated it today inviting right’s activists who can bring attention to these inequalities overlooked by Irish legislation.
Alongside the #Addthe10th alliance, we have been consistently campaigning for socio- economic status to be recognised within the equality legislation. Over 2000 people have taken part in our social media campaign in which ask people to post a photo with the ‘missing piece’ of the equality legislation. This has included people from all across Ireland and beyond, including well known members of government, NGO’s, the UN and society.
In particular, ATD Ireland have worked to ensure that those with lived experience of socio- economic discrimination have been at the heart of the campaign. We have carried out several projects, building a large body of evidence surrounding the experience of SED. This began with the 2019 research report, ‘Does it only happen to me: Living in the shadows of socio- economic discrimination’, In 2021 we held our art exhibition, ‘socio- economic discrimination: Through the creative lens’, which involved exploring the theme of SED through clay art workshops. In 2022 we created a film, ‘Through our lens at last: The stories of socio- economic discrimination untold’, which aimed to understand in particular how young people experience socio- economic discrimination and how discrimination is faced by those from so certain areas. Finally, in 2023, we published our report, ‘Breaking Barriers: A participatory approach to defining socio- economic discrimination- in real terms’. The aim of this report was to define socio- economic discrimination and break it down into understandable terms. We embraced the public in conversations about SED during our ‘Breaking Barriers’ public exhibition in the EPIC CHQ building. Team member and Community Activist Paul also addressed socio- economic discrimination on the most recent Social Justice Ireland podcast.
Alongside this, ATD Ireland Community Activists have taken part in numerous advocacy events over the past number of years. In 2019, Community Activists from the Unity in the Community Youth Group at the time spoke about SED at the 15th ‘European ATD People’s University’ which took place at the European Parliament in Brussels. In October 2021, Community Activist Andrew first spoke to Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman, before the review of the equality acts were announced. In November Andrew and Community Activist Gavin spoke at a European event titled “Listen to the Cry of the Poor in the context of Covid- 19 and its recovery organised by the COMECE Social Affairs Commission”. In November 2022 they both spoke at and #Addthe10th Alliance presentation at the Leinster House AV room. In February 2023, Community Activist Lorraine attended a meeting with the EU Fundamental Rights Agency along with representatives from ATD teams from across Europe on the topic of institutional maltreatment and socio- economic discrimination. In May 2023 a group from ATD Ireland and Bradog Youth Service spoke on the theme of ‘Discrimination and Harassment’ at a youth study session at the council of Europe in Strasbourg. In June 2023 community activists Andrew and Christina took part in a webinar ‘Building an Inclusive Europe: Combatting socio- economic discrimination’ organised by ATD Fourth World Europe with the support of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Fighting against Poverty. In February of this year Community Activists Jimmy and Lorraine presented at UN Webinar on “Eliminating Inequity and Systemic Exclusion: A Rights based approach to Social and Economic Policy Justice”. This was a side event to the 62nd Commission on Social Development, organized by Maryann Broxton, ATD Fourth World’s Representative at the United Nations. Later in February national co- Ordinator Dann contributed to a World Bank/IMF conference ‘Addressing the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty in Knowledge and Policies’ where discrimination shame and stigma was addressed. In April, the #Addthe10th alliance met again with Minister Roderic O Gorman three years after their first meeting, with another intervention from Andrew, which brings us to the point of the IHREC Equality at work conference.
One of the main pushbacks surrounding the implementation of socio- economic status has been that there are difficulties in defining socio- economic status. Both IHREC and the #Addthe10th alliance have done work in this regard, advocating for a definition which is ‘asymmetric’, only protecting those at risk of disadvantage due to their SES, and with clear indicators.
As IHREC have pointed out in their policy paper and the #Addthe10th alliance in its submission to the review of the equality acts, Ireland has international obligations toward providing more comprehensive anti- discrimination legislation. This includes the international covenant on civil and political rights and the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights. In February 2024, the Irish delegation were asked by members of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights whether it plans to recognise socio- economic status in the equality legislation. Ireland has also signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Guiding Principles on extreme poverty and human rights, and in 1999, Ireland ratified the the International Labour Organisation Convention Number 111.
There is also evidence of legislation protecting against socio- economic status in countries internationally and across Europe, although it may be defined in different terms. For example, in 2016, France banned discrimination on the grounds of social condition, which partly resulted from campaigning from ATD Fourth World.
We recognise, as was a clear take away from the equality at work conference, that achieving #Addthe10th is only the first step. It needs to make a tangible impact, to be a legal instrument which is accessible to those who need it. Beyond this we need to embed respect, tolerance and inclusion into our society, into healthcare systems, in our schools, social services and in our workplaces.
We need to acknowledge the need for this change in legislation, the implementations of tools and measures to honour it and as the senator Lynn Ruane advocated for: there’s a need for inclusion. The integration of people impacted by socio economic discrimination in the workplace should not go against their community and systems. For this to be possible she explained the need for employers to provide environments compatible with the experience of poverty. (concept of social currency: time, service to others from community not allowed by work and employers because not recognised).
Olivier De Schutter highlighted some of the concrete steps needed to ensure that this change in legislation and the promise it implies is respected. We need to work against against discriminatory practices such as the exclusion of long term unemployment profiles or inequalities in opportunities according to social capital there are measures the state should take.
Olivier De Schutter points out the need for child care service, for recognition of qualifications based on practical experiences, acknowledging and addressing the trauma or past bad experiences in searching for employment and providing good accommodations such as internet connections and transport. To provide these supports and provide employment he suggests we invest in areas where social and community needs are unmet by promoting employment in these fields. He points out the need for child care services, for recognition of qualifications based on practical experiences, acknowledging and addressing the trauma of past bad experiences in searching for employment and providing good accommodations such as internet connections and transport. To provide these supports and provide employment he suggests we invest in areas where social and community needs are unmet by promoting employment in these fields.
Thank you so much to Andrew and all the Community Activists who continue to put so much strength into this campaign. Thank you to IHREC for organising this insightful conference and inviting Andrew to take part. Thank you also to all the other speakers and contributors on the day who we learned so much from. Thank you so much to all our partners and those who support the #Addthe10th campaign.
