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The system of #directprovision is twenty years old today. #directprovision didn't always exist, Ireland didn't always institutionalise asylum applicants https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2685035
The @ExploringDP project makes available twenty years + of government planning, policy & practice in establishing & embedding #directprovision Documenting twenty years of rights violations, cruelty and heartlessness at heart of State bureaucracy https://exploringdirectprovision.ie/2019/11/01/exploring-direct-provision-why-now/
In 2010, I noted that the core reason #directprovision developed is due to the weaknesses inherent within legalistic concepts of 'rights'. Human rights law, like all law, is deeply political. https://www.google.com/amp/s/humanrightsinireland.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/liam-thornton-the-culture-of-control-and-reception-conditions-for-asylum-seekers-in-ireland/amp/
State institutionalisation of people in #directprovision has been justified by all political parties in Govt over the last 20 years @fiannafailparty @FineGael @labour @greenparty_ie & independents (as well as one half of collective leadership of @SocDems ) https://liamthornton.ie/2013/02/06/the-state-we-are-currently-in-institutionalisation-of-asylum-seekers-in-the-direct-provision-system/
The massive disappointment of the McMahon Report (whose recommendations were weak but did offer some improvement) failed to actually address State approaches to institutionalise people claiming protection. It embembedded #directprovision as 'the only way' https://liamthornton.ie/2015/06/30/the-direct-provision-report-a-missed-opportunity/
But there have been greenshoots also. @JillianvT was the first politician to put #directprovision on the agenda in the Oireachtas!
Freedom to work, as imperfect as the current system is, has finally been achieved. Due to the Supreme Court decision- but if challenge had come just a few short years earlier- it would have failed #directprovision https://www.google.com/amp/s/liamthornton.ie/2017/05/30/asylum-seekers-the-right-to-work-the-supreme-court-decision/amp/
There was finally movement on increasing #directprovision weekly payments by @ReginaDo in 2019 https://www.google.com/amp/s/liamthornton.ie/2018/10/10/enhancing-the-rights-of-asylum-seekers-in-budget-2019/amp/ to McMahon Report rates
Which brings us to #Covid_19ireland - some very NB changes in last while, at least for duration of crisis. Far from ideal #directprovision but it at least allows us to see what suddenly can be done, and provides a path to what can be further done. In sum: #EndDirectProvision
The #Covid19_ireland Unemployment Payment made to protection seekers who lost work, where they are not in #directprovision centres. Those in #directprovision centres not entitled to the payment. Really unclear why this distinction. Hardly justified by @welfare_ie in this email
Many people in #directprovision simply cannot abide by best medical and Govt advice on social distancing. Some, albeit limited, recognition of this of late, and planning on this-less people sharing rooms, movement between centres and hotels. #covidー19ireland
But significant issues remain- see @masi_asylum tweets on #Covid_19ireland and #directprovision. And comments in recent days (Bertie Ahern first used this excuse in May 2000) from Min for Justice of "nobody forced to remain in DP"....
