UNHCR Welcomes High Court Judgment Upholding The Human Rights of Homeless Asylum Seekers

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes today’s High Court decision which finds that the State’s failure to provide for the basic needs of homeless asylum seekers is a breach of their fundamental rights, and in particular of their human dignity.

In delivering his judgment Mr. Justice O’Donnell found that central to upholding their human rights is the provision of “….an adequate standard of living which guarantees their subsistence and protects their physical and mental health where they do not have the means to provide for themselves”. It is clear that this “….adequate standard of living” is not being met for those who have not yet been offered accommodation since their arrival into the State.

In light of the High Court’s declaration that Ireland is in breach of its legal obligations, UNHCR calls on the Irish Government to take immediate action to provide accommodation to all asylum seekers. The latest available figures (July 30^th) indicate that 2353 recently arrived asylum seekers remain without an offer of accommodation; some are sleeping on the streets, without adequate access to hygiene or sanitary facilities.

As was pointed out in the High Court judgment, these individuals are “…left in a deeply vulnerable and frightening position that undermines their human dignity”.

ENDS