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LAST UPDATE | 17 Aug 2021
THE GOVERNMENT HAS announced €1 million in humanitarian funding to support the people of Afghanistan.
The funding will be provided to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide urgent support to people in Afghanistan, as well as to those who have fled into neighbouring countries.
The UNHCR has issued a global appeal for $62.8m to respond to the current crisis in Afghanistan.
Ireland’s contribution to the UNHCR appeal will support emergency response programmes in Afghanistan, as well as supporting Afghan refugees in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
“The situation in the country is incredibly worrying. Even before the events of the last few weeks there were already almost three million Afghans displaced from their homes by insecurity. That figure is now rising,” Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said today as he announced the funding.
“Ireland will continue to engage, including at the UN Security Council, to support peace in Afghanistan and to protect and promote the human rights of all Afghans, especially for women and girls,” he said.
“Ireland has also called for full and safe humanitarian access to allow life-saving support to reach all Afghans, including to respond to the urgent needs of families forced to flee their homes.”
EU declaration
This evening Coveney participated in an emergency meeting of EU Foreign Ministers today to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Affairs Council issued a Declaration after the meeting, reiterating the EU’s commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights in Afghanistan, in particular those of women and girls, and of minorities.
It also said that Afghanistan must honour its international obligations under the UN Charter. They also discussed the coordination of evacuation efforts, to ensure that EU citizens seeking to leave Afghanistan are facilitated to do so as soon as possible.
Coveney said: “I welcome the EU Declaration which we were able to agree at today’s meeting. In the discussion with my European colleagues I expressed Ireland’s grave concern at the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan, as we also made clear at the UN Security Council yesterday.
“EU Member States are coordinating intensively on the evacuation of EU citizens, as well as on Afghan staff working with EU Embassies and organisations. Good progress was made in today’s discussion, although the situation on the ground in Kabul remains fluid, including in relation to access to the airport.”
Human rights
Meanwhile, a number of human rights organisations have called on the Government to increase the number of resettlement places for Afghan refugees and to expedite international protection applications amid the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
The Irish Refugee Council, Amnesty International and the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (Masi) among others have called for Ireland to commit to resettling a minimum of 1,000 Afghan refugees and to participate in a wider EU relocation scheme.
The calls come after it was confirmed Ireland will provide up to 150 additional humanitarian visas for Afghans under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).
This is in addition to 45 visas already approved in recent days for Afghans in similar circumstances.
The Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman said the people who will receive these visas have been identified and work is underway to get them out of Afghanistan.
Speaking to RTÉ radio’s News at One, O’Gorman said the individuals include vulnerable groups, those working in human rights and “frontline defenders”.
“We have identified these individuals and we’re working to get them out of the country,” O’Gorman said.
“We’ll be working to get them onto flights maybe coming from EU partners and also any chartered flights that are exiting the country in the next number of days and weeks.”
These people will be accompanied by their immediate families, the minister said.
They will undergo hotel quarantine upon their arrival and then proceed under the IRPP. They will not stay in Direct Provision centres, O’Gorman added.
The human rights groups groups today called on the Government to increase staff and support for the Community Sponsorship programme which they said “can lead the response in this crisis”.
Ireland set itself a target of 1,350 resettled refugees in 2020 and 2021 but due to Covid-19 only approximately 250 people have been resettled leaving 1,100 places on the programme unfilled, they said.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees there are around 96,000 Afghan people in need of resettlement around the world but in particular in neighbouring countries.
The organisations also called on the Department of Justice and the International Protection Office to provide protection to Afghan applicants currently in Ireland.
Approximately 70 Afghan people have applied for international protection in Ireland this year, according to the organisations, with 211 Afghan nationals currently living in Direct Provision.
Afghan nationals are already on the prioritisation lists given the circumstances in the country, however projected waiting times are currently 19.5 months for prioritised applications, as reported by The Journal last week.
In addition to this, the organisations today called on Ireland to “proactively identify people who have worked with the EU, humanitarian organisations and their partners and women and girls at risk of persecution” and to fast-track family reunification applications.
They also have asked the Government to introduce an Irish Humanitarian Admission Programme (IHAP) to enable Afghans living in Ireland to apply for extended family members such as parents and siblings.
🆕
— Irish Refugee Council (@IrishRefugeeCo) August 17, 2021
Letter from @IrishRefugeeCo @Cultur_Meath @masi_asylum @immigrationIRL @ICCLtweet @NascIreland @MigrantRightsIr @POSIrl @DorasIRL @OxfamIreland @AmnestyIreland
To @MichealMartinTD and Government on #Afghanistan
Welcome commitments made, but emphasise further action needed. pic.twitter.com/L0G5Kw1Fzh
Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin today said Ireland needs to take an “appropriate” number of refugees from Afghanistan in the coming weeks and months.
“We absolutely have to take an appropriate number of refugees in the same way as we do with Syria,” Ó Broin said.
“The exact number I think that has to be negotiated,” he said.
“It is a humanitarian crisis on a scale I don’t think any of us were expecting to see.”
He called on the Government to ensure that no Afghan national currently in Ireland will be deported to Afghanistan or any other country.
“People from Afghanistan, in the asylum process, have to be guaranteed a right to stay,” he added.
Negotiations
Today in Afghanistan, a senior Taliban leader is said to be in the capital Kabul negotiating with the city’s political leadership.
Those involved in the talks include Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country’s negotiating council, and former president Hamid Karzai, opposite Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Taliban.
An official said the talks are aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into a new government.
In a statement last night, the Government said Ireland “will play its part in providing practical support to some of those under threat from the Taliban by providing for their resettlement in Ireland.
“Priority will be given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.”
Speaking on behalf of the signatories of today’s letter, Nick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council said: “We believe, through membership of the Security Council, and other diplomatic channels, Ireland can continue to show strong humanitarian leadership on this issue. However, this needs to be backed up by concrete actions, domestically and internationally.”
Henderson also said that family reunification can also be fast tracked so family members, many of whom are likely to be in danger, can leave.
He added: “Approximately 97 Afghan people were refused leave to land in Ireland between 1 January 2020 and 31 May 2021, people in this situation need to be given access to the protection process if needed.”
With reporting by Hayley Halpin, Niall O’Connor and Press Association
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The sentence should be the maximum you can receive if do not participate in these courses. What they are telling us is that they do not want to be cured if they refuse to do these courses . This guy gets early release for not doing the courses what lesson does this teach him .The judges are to lenient on these crimes.
@Donal Carey: Well said.
@Donal Carey: Well he didn’t get early release. He served every day of his sentence minus the remission which is automatically given to every prisoner. But sex offenders do not qualify for early release. Early release is separate to remission. Also you cant have prisoners taking part in sex offender treatment against their will for two reasons. Firstly it will adversely affect the participant’s who are genuinely trying to correct their behaviour if they have a disruptive individual in the group. It’s pretty much all group work. Secondly they have to talk about their offence etc so if someone is claiming that they’re innocent they obviously can’t do that. Personally I think there should be some sort of extra monitoring or something done when they are released if they haven’t taken part.
@Donal Carey: I see your point but it is probably also better that the people doing the course are the ones who genuinely want to be cured. Having the participation diluted by people faking it wouldn’t be good. It would waste a lot of professionals time. If there is a group element with others who actually want to be better than it would be unfair to them too.
I’m not saying I’m happy with unrepentant peadophiles getting the same sentence as repentant ones but it’s not straight forward
@Donal Carey: reopen spike island, dont renovate just reopen with armed guards
@Donal Carey: There is no evidence that paedophilia can be “cured” in fact most therapy sessions are based on getting them to refrain from there actions .I have heard the view its would be akin to asking to cure people of Heterosexuality
Give them the snip
@Oisin Curry: or snip them everyday with a hedge shears..where it hurts most..
@Oisin Curry: give them the rope, dont deserve anything less
@Oisin Curry: A rusty secateurs for pruning should keep things under control.
A team of psychologists and 60 therapy sessions how many children could do with them services no wonder the waiting list is so long for child services in this country being wasted on this sh@t.
@Faixa Roxa: Go away you nut case! Ffs you need help, find it elsewhere, or tell your story!
@GerryCummins: Look “Gerry” your fake Twitter account literally has no info on who you really are. Another troll & another spineless twit.
@Faixa Roxa: fine glass house you’re in there
@stephen bracken: really a ridiculous comment
He has done his time , leave him alone, he will be watched, if he re offends then he is —- whatever, . We have to stop being paranoid about prisoners being released.
@Eugene Comaskey: people need proper justice not this soft BS from a weak government
@Eugene Comaskey: Would you be happy if he was living near you and you had children ?
@Eugene Comaskey: the problem is if he reoffends it’s too late, another innocent child is destroyed. When he didn’t engage with services in prison he should have served his full sentence, which was light anyway. That needs to be built into sentences.
@Eugene Comaskey: ah yeah, we’re far too paranoid about sex offenders who refuse to engage in rehabilitation.
@Eugene Comaskey: you really are an idiot
@Eugene Comaskey: will he be watched if he emigrates to Spain? And then returns to UK or back to Ireland?
@Alan Scott: the chances are if Humpheries and his ilk are living in a neighbourhood and a child gets sexually assaulted, it will be by someone known to the child (& not to the community) who will have offended. We have to stop thinking if we punish known offenders and isolate them.. we are making things safer for our children… we aren’t…
I’d much prefer having a known offender as a neighbour than one who hasn’t been convicted (the latter being a much greater number).
@Eugene Comaskey: yeah all those stories of serial offenders and repeat offenders. And then this lad is clearly completely in denial about his crime. But yeah. You’re right. We’re paranoid for nothing.
Target practice, at best!
@Willie Murphy: What Humphreys is he is a evil B who at best should be still in behind bars the fact that he did cooperate in any of the courses and I bet he would go after children the minute he got the chance .
@Alan Scott: he will come to notice again
@Alan Scott: That’s why he & “they” should be deleted. Too much money d “rehabilitation” wasted on these vermin.
Why was this joker released early , he refused to participate in any sex offender courses whilst in prison, he is as much a danger now as he was before he was jailed. Sentences by out of touch judges are destroying people’s faith in the justice system.
@Gus Sheridan: why was his sentence only 22 months in the first place. Disgraceful
There should be a sex offenders register which is made public. Every parent has the right to know what type of individual is living in their area.
@Dwayne Jordan: most sex offenders never get justice. 9 out of 10 sex crimes are never reported
There should be some kind of a system like in the US where you’re notified if there’s anyone on the sex offender register moving into or living in your area. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know but I was told you can find out if they’re living near you
@Alex Nevin: What happens if the wrong person is targeted.
Oooohhhhh….look at me, I’m outraged.
As much as I hate to say this but in the eyes of the law he was punished and served his sentence and has a right to be left alone
Great article, well done Michelle, much needed. We must never loose our capacity to have empathy for each other. The victim should always come first its true but until we are prepared to consider the abuser as a human being, things can only get worse. Imagine for a moment, you are the abuser or one of your children has abused. Think about that for a moment. Of course what abusers do is heinous but that is the point. The damage they cause through their actions destroys lives and we have to be open to trying anything to prevent that happening and if we are so full of hatred and rage nothing will change. Things will get worse and we wont be able to break this awful cycle of abuse thats destroying our lives.
@June Kelly: life behind bars in an adult only prison would be just as effective. I don’t feel any empathy for a man that groomed and raped a child.
@June Kelly: I disagree I think it a ridiculous article. Sex offenders come out if prison every day. Tom Humphreys is no different to the sex offender released yesterday or the one tomorrow. He was sentenced in the basis of the information provided to the sitting judge.
His risk of re-offending is very low. These crimes happened 2010/11 he has spent a large portion of that time before he went to prison in a mental hospital. He has suffered enough. Why do people want to keep punishing him.
So much crap in this Article and I know from personal experience.
HOPE I BUMP INTO THIS FILTH
@STOIC SAVAGE: and what will you do?
@Paul O’Sullivan: that’s none of your concern Paul.
@STOIC SAVAGE: you are worse than him
@Paul O’Sullivan: hahaha cop yourself on pal…. You seem extremely sympathetic to paedos… Sicko yourself by the sounds of it
That programme sounds incredibly light handed, it isn’t like they were caught with a bit of hash, these are sick predators! Sorry, I don’t support this programme at all. If you’re wondering why it’s easy to get money for prisons it’s because these paedophiles should never get the opportunity to offend again, and this isn’t unique to any one party, across the board none of us want to see Tom Humphries or people like him to be free again.
Choose a life as a sex offender!! Out before 70% of other offenders! Don’t be stupid, choose SEX OFFENDER
A person becomes homeless…can’t find a place to live, it’s a hard life!!!… Another one defiles a child and on release is given accomodation???? Really!
Best way to cure these sick f_€ks is to burn them slowly
Paedophiles find minors sexually attractive in the same way I find mature women attractive and gays find their own gender attractive. We have the issue with it, not the paedophile. In the past, people made homosexuality illegal and tried curing it; we now know it doesn’t work and accept same sex couples as normal. If we can’t accept paedophilia as normal, we should at least accept it can’t be cured. For the record, it is possible for an adult to legally have sex with a minor in this country; a person is a minor until age 18, the age of consent is 17; try figuring that anomaly out.
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