Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Praise Ireland for Increasing Women’s Representation in Decision-Making, Raise Issues Concerning Historic Rights Violations and Sexual Violence
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the eighth periodic report of Ireland, with Committee Experts praising the State’s efforts to increase women’s representation in decision-making and raising questions concerning redress for historic rights violations and measures to address sexual and gender-based violence.
In the dialogue, several Committee Experts commended Ireland’s achievements in promoting women’s representation in decision-making, including its 40 per cent quota for female candidates in national elections. Jelena Pia-Comella, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Ireland, said statistics on Irish women’s participation in diplomacy were outstanding.
Ms. Pia-Comella said the Committee was deeply concerned that there had yet to be recognition that women and girls of the Magdalene Laundries had experienced degrading treatment and gender-based discrimination; that arbitrary barriers to redress persisted within the Mother and Baby Institutions payment scheme; and that the State had failed to adequately implement the 2014 O’Keeffe judgment. How would these issues be addressed?
Another Committee Expert said one in five women in Ireland reportedly experienced non-consensual sex in their lifetimes. There was insufficient funding for measures to address sexual offences. What measures would the State party take to increase protection for women victims of sexual violence?
Introducing the report, Colm Brophy, Minister of State for Migration of Ireland and head of the delegation, said the national strategy for women and girls 2017-2021 put a spotlight on promoting greater gender balance in decision-making. Ireland’s largest listed companies had now reached the key milestone of 40 per cent female directors overall. Legislation was also introduced in 2012 requiring political parties to meet gender quotas for candidates in parliamentary elections or face financial penalties. The quota for the most recent elections in 2024 was 40 per cent.
The delegation added that women made up 49 per cent of senior management of Ireland’s Foreign Service, and 54 per cent of heads of foreign missions.
In the context of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, Mr. Brophy said the State repeatedly failed to protect vulnerable citizens, and to uphold their most fundamental rights. The delegation added that the redress scheme established in 2013 regarding Magdalene Laundries was accessible for women living abroad. The payment scheme was one of a large suite of actions implemented to redress the harms caused. It was expected that legislation to implement the European Court of Human Rights decision on the O’Keeffe case would be implemented in coming weeks.
Mr. Brophy also said the national strategy for women and girls prioritised action to combat domestic and gender-based violence. Launched in 2022, the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence instituted fundamental structural reforms to Ireland’s approach to tackling the issue. A new agency, Cuan, was established in 2024 to deliver services to victims.
In closing remarks, Mr. Brophy said the Committee had invested significant time in understanding the issues facing women and girls in Ireland. The State would develop measures in response to the Committee’s concluding observations. Ireland was committed to its obligations under the Convention and to the United Nations.
Nahla Haidar, Committee Chair, in concluding remarks, thanked the State party for its support to the treaty bodies, international law and the rule of law. The dialogue had provided the Committee with further insight into the efforts made by Ireland to implement the Convention for the benefit of women and girls in the State.
The delegation of Ireland consisted of representatives from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality; Department of Education and Youth; Department of Health; Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration; Office of the Attorney General; Department of Social Protection; Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment; and the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Ireland at the end of its ninety-first session on 4 July. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 3 p.m. on Monday, 23 June to meet with representatives from non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions who will brief the Committee on the situation of women in Afghanistan, San Marino, Chad and Botswana, the reports of which the Committee will review next week.
Report
The Committee has before it the eighth periodic report of Ireland (CEDAW/C/IRL/8).
Presentation of Report
COLM BROPHY, Minister of State for Migration of Ireland and head of the delegation, said Ireland had worked actively over the period since 2017 to promote equality for women and to address issues facing them. A national strategy for women and girls was launched in 2017 as the whole of Government framework for action on gender equality. Women’s organizations participated in the strategy committee, chaired at Ministerial level, which monitored implementation. A successor strategy was currently being finalised, in consultation with women across Ireland.
Travellers were recognised as an ethnic minority in a landmark decision of Ireland’s Parliament in March 2017, a decision supported by all political parties at the time. The Government was working on identifying and eliminating barriers to access to public services for Travellers. The Irish health system partnered with Traveller organizations to train Travellers to become community health peer workers. The success of these projects was reflected in higher rates of uptake of screening amongst Traveller women relative to the general population for breast and cervical cancers. In education, the Traveller and Roma education strategy 2024–2030 committed to supporting Traveller and Roma women on their educational journey.
The needs of migrant women were addressed through a combination of mainstream public services and a wide range of targeted supports, funded by grants from various national and European integration funds. These supports played a crucial role in improving outcomes for migrant women in areas of particular concern, including labour market access and housing. A national migration and integration strategy, due to be published next year, would provide a cohesive policy framework for recognising and addressing the integration challenges facing migrant women.
The national strategy for women and girls 2017-2021 put a spotlight on promoting greater gender balance in decision-making. The Government launched a business-led initiative entitled Balance for Better Business in 2018 which spearheaded a series of initiatives contributing to a significant improvement in the percentage of women on corporate boards, particularly of publicly listed companies. Ireland’s largest listed companies had now reached the key milestone of 40 per cent female directors overall, compared to 18 per cent in 2018. Ireland now ranked sixth in the European Union for female board representation and fifth for leadership teams.
Legislation was introduced in 2012 requiring political parties to meet gender quotas for candidates in parliamentary elections or face financial penalties. The quota for the most recent elections in 2024 was 40 per cent and this would apply for future national elections. Maternity leave entitlements were introduced for elected members of local authorities in 2022, and for members of both chambers of Ireland’s parliament in 2024. A funding scheme had also been in place since 2019 to incentivise political parties to increase the number of women candidates for local elections. The Government also provided funding for civil society organizations providing support for women candidates, and the new national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy 2024-2028 included a commitment to promote greater participation by Traveller and Roma women in political and public life, including in leadership positions.
During the period under review, the Government introduced major initiatives to enable parents to access childcare and had increased public funding of early learning and childcare to unprecedented levels. Government expenditure now exceeded 1.37 billion euros in 2025, a 200 per cent increase on investment since 2017. The early childhood care and education programme provided two years of pre-school without charge and enjoyed participation rates of 96 per cent each year. The national childcare scheme, introduced in 2019, provided targeted and universal subsidies to reduce the costs for parents. In addition, the equal start scheme introduced in 2024 was specifically targeted at enabling children from disadvantaged households to access early learning and childcare.
Mr. Brophy introduced Government measures to increase family leave entitlements, including extending parental leave to 26 weeks under the parental leave (amendment) act 2019; establishing a statutory right to flexible work arrangements; establishing the right to five days of paid sick leave through the sick leave act 2022; increasing the national minimum wage by 46 per cent, from 9.25 euros per hour in 2017 to 13.50 euros in 2025; and requiring relevant organizations to report on their gender pay gaps and transpose the European Union pay transparency directive. The Government had focused on promoting greater participation by women and girls in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects. Thanks to Government action, the number of female apprentices doubled between 2021 and 2025.
The national strategy for women and girls prioritised action to combat domestic violence and gender-based violence. This was reflected in Ireland’s decision to ratify the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in 2019. Ireland enacted the domestic violence act in 2018, which strengthened the protections available to those experiencing domestic violence and made coercive control a criminal offence.
Launched in 2022, the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence instituted fundamental structural reforms to Ireland’s approach to tackling the issue. A new agency, Cuan, was established in 2024 to deliver services to victims and implement awareness raising campaigns on such violence. Ireland also became one of the first countries to enable persons experiencing domestic violence to have five days of paid leave. The Government had also introduced significant measures to combat trafficking. The third national action plan to prevent and combat trafficking, launched in 2023, was working to implement a more victim-centred approach, while raising awareness among service providers of trafficking and providing appropriate training.
Mr. Brophy also presented measures to address women’s health needs, including the establishment of the Women’s Health Taskforce in 2019; the women’s health action plans for 2022-2023 and 2024-2025, which ensured a continued focus and delivery of key women’s health actions; the allocation of over 180 million euros since 2020 in additional funding, including funding for free contraception for women from 17 to 35 years, in vitro fertilisation treatment, and public menopause clinics.
Ireland was the first county in the world to decide by referendum in 2015 that same-sex couples should be able to marry. A referendum on removing the reference in article 41.2 of the Constitution to women’s place in the home was also held in March 2024, but this was defeated. The people of Ireland voted in a referendum in May 2018 to amend the Irish Constitution to permit Ireland’s parliament to legislate for abortion. All 19 maternity hospitals were now providing termination services, in accordance with legislation. There had also been a sustained increase in community providers, which now stood at 455.
In the context of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, the State repeatedly failed to protect vulnerable citizens, and to uphold their most fundamental rights. The Government was conscious of the terrible hurt and pain caused, and the impact that this had had, and continued to have on many individuals and their families. The Commission of Inquiry’s report, and the official State apology which followed, were a starting point for the further restorative measures now being progressed. Six of the seven major commitments made by the Government to survivors were in place, while the seventh, a National Centre for Research and Remembrance, was in progress.
Ireland enacted the landmark birth information and tracing act 2022, which had provided clear rights of access to birth and early life information, and a Mother and Baby Institutions payment scheme opened to applications in March 2024 and provided payments and health benefits to survivors. To date, more than 4,500 payments had been made totalling over 66 million euros. Last Monday, work began to excavate at the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home so as to ensure the dignified burial of any babies found to have been buried there. In addition, many women who spent time in Magdalen Laundries had now benefited from the Government’s redress scheme, which remained open for any further applications.
The Government aimed to make equality a lived reality for women and girls in all of their diversity. There were areas where further progress or change was needed, but the Government was committed to creating a better society for women and girls.
Statement by the National Human Rights Institution of Ireland
DEIRDRE MALONE, Director, Ireland’s Human Rights and Equality Commission, said Ireland played a leadership role in the global struggle for gender equality. However, its international ambition for gender equality was not always matched with domestic action on gender equality. There had been procrastination in ratifying key treaties and removing reservations; delay in incorporating international standards into national law; continuing failure to implement the recommendations of treaty bodies, including those of the Committee; and in the case of O’Keeffe, a continuing refusal to follow the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights regarding redress.
In areas such as the needs of Traveller and Roma women and access to abortion, Ireland had clear and comprehensive policies and strategies which were not being implemented. In those areas where there was progress, it was often frustratingly slow. While domestic, sexual and gender-based violence policy had seen several positive reforms in recent years, it was necessary to bridge the gap between the progressive policies and legislation that Ireland had enacted and the reality on the ground.
Women suffered disproportionately from an inadequate, arbitrary, and overly bureaucratic social welfare system, which was not benchmarked against the cost of living or indexed against national wages. Some 4.8 per cent of women lived in consistent poverty with lone parent households headed by women, and low-income families being more susceptible to poverty. The Gender Pay Gap and the Gender Pension Gap remained stark.
In areas including the treatment of women in prison and women’s participation in politics, there had been regression. Prison overcrowding worsened daily. Given the impact of prison on women and family life, Irish penal policy needed to be reformed in line with the Bangkok Rules.
More than 75 per cent of seats in parliament were held by men; only three out of 15 newly appointed cabinet Ministers were women. Ireland had made a commitment to the principles of the Convention but was not matching that commitment with action that transformed the lived realities of its women and girls. By investing in an equal future, the Irish State – one that prided itself on its adherence to human rights and rule of law – could show leadership to other nations, at a time when such leadership was so badly needed.
Questions by a Committee Expert
JELENA PIA-COMELLA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Ireland, congratulated Ireland on placing gender equality at the forefront of its agenda during its 2021-2022 tenure at the United Nations Security Council.
The Committee regretted that, despite its previous recommendation, the State party did not intend to remove its reservations to the Convention and remained concerned that the Irish Constitution’s outdated language on women’s duties at home continued to discriminate against women’s rights in the economic and social spheres. Did the State party intend to devise a plan to implement the relevant recommendations of the gender equality bodies of the Citizen’s Assembly and Parliamentary Committee? What was the status of review of the equality (miscellaneous provisions) bill of 2024?
The Committee welcomed that State apologies had been issued for past human rights violations. However, it was deeply concerned that there had yet to be recognition that women and girls of the Magdalene Laundries had experienced degrading treatment and gender-based discrimination; that arbitrary barriers to redress persisted within the Mother and Baby Institutions payment scheme; and that the State had failed to adequately implement the 2014 O’Keeffe judgment.
What steps was the State party taking to provide up-front payment to women residing abroad; and to comprehensively address concerns raised regarding the operation of commissions of investigation? Would the State overhaul the current model of investigations to embed human rights and equality principles in their operation? Would the proposed commission of investigation into sexual abuse in day and boarding schools include non-religious schools, including the school Louise O’Keeffe attended? What was the status of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance and how would it address the needs and views of affected persons?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said significant progress had been made in implementing the recommendations of the Citizen’s Assembly on Gender Equality. Of 205 actions, 190 had been completed or were in progress. The recommendations addressed sexual and gender-based violence, education in challenging gender stereotypes, and actions to improve the share of women in politics.
The redress scheme established in 2013 regarding the Magdalene Laundries was accessible for women living abroad. The State had worked actively to keep conditions under review. Persons under 66 were entitled to a symbolic payment, which had been increased to 120 euros per week. Women continued to receive payments under the scheme. The payment scheme was one of a large suite of actions made to redress the harms caused in Mother and Baby County Home Institutions, including measures to support access to information. Some 16,000 applications had been processed thus far. The National Remembrance Centre would be in Dublin. A steering committee for the Centre was established in 2022 and development permission was received in 2025.
To address shortcomings, a revised version of the O’Keeffe payment scheme was put in place in 2021, after which 128 applications were received. It was expected that legislation to implement the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on this case would be implemented in coming weeks. A report into incidents of sexual abuse in residential institutions was published in 2024, and the Government was preparing measures to implement the recommendations of the report.
A voluntary redress scheme had provided compensation to more than 375 women who had undergone symphysiotomy procedures. The Government had fulfilled its obligations to women who had suffered due to these procedures.
Equality legislation was currently being drafted and would be reviewed by a parliamentary committee over the summer.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert asked about the timeline for the adoption of the new national strategy on women and girls? How would it incorporate lessons from the previous cycle and align with Convention standards? Would Traveller women’s needs be addressed in the strategy? What measures were in place to monitor equality policies of Government bodies? What training on gender equality was provided to Government officials?
Ireland’s national human rights institution had “A” status under the Paris Principles and the appointment process for its commissioners was transparent. Did the institution promote international and regional human rights frameworks? Was the State party considering implementing the recommendation of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions to establish a fixed term for members?
The Committee welcomed that political parties would have their funding reduced by 50 per cent if they failed to present at least 40 per cent female candidates. It called for a quota of 50 per cent female representation to be established. Efforts to implement gender quotas had not produced meaningful representation of Traveller women. It was welcome that women represented 40 per cent of board members in the largest publicly listed companies. However, the share of female executive directors remained low, at 11 per cent. None of these companies had a female chief executive officer. How would this be addressed, and how would the State party increase the representation of Traveller women in Government?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said representatives from Government and civil society monitored the implementation of actions on gender equality. The forthcoming national strategy for women and girls was close to finalisation. Work was underway to embed a focus on Traveller women in the new strategy. It also included measures to strengthen training on gender equality for Government officials. Some 6,900 civil servants had enrolled in online training on gender equality. A professional diploma on human rights was offered for public officials, which covered gender equality.
The national human rights institution had its own dedicated budget, provided on an annual basis. Its funding allocations had been increased substantially in recent years – its allocation in 2025 was 3.5 million euros higher than in 2015. The Government did not play a role in the appointment of its commissioners.
The Balance for Better Business programme monitored gender representation on the boards of Irish companies. The average level of female representation on the boards of all publicly listed companies was now at 37 per cent. A new five-year strategy had been developed which set targets for more than 40 per cent female representation on the boards of all companies by 2028. It included measures to improve the recruitment of women and promote women’s career pathways.
Amendments were made to the electoral act of 1997 that improved the gender balance in political parties, with the introduction of 40 per cent quotas for women candidates in national elections. There were no plans to extend these quotas to local elections. Policies had been developed to promote the representation of Traveller women in politics, and the Women for Election organization, which was funded by the Government, was working toward this goal.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said that Ireland’s work towards gender equality on the boards of companies was very impressive.
One Committee Expert recognised progress in addressing gender-based violence, including the adoption of the Istanbul Protocol and the national strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. What further measures would be adopted to address gender stereotypes with an intersectional approach? Forced sterilisation of women with disabilities was still practiced and hate crimes against women had risen by four per cent over the reporting period. When would the State party develop a national action plan to address hate crimes and adopt measures to ban forced sterilisation? What measures were in place to ensure that victims of female genital mutilation had access to health services? Would it increase the number of specialised female genital mutilation clinics?
One in five women in Ireland reportedly experienced non-consensual sex in their lifetimes. There were delays in access to justice and insufficient funding for measures to address sexual offences. What measures would the State party take to increase access to legal aid and protection for women victims of sexual violence? What resources would be provided to strengthen support structures? Would the State party consolidate legislation on sexual violence into one law?
A Committee Expert said Ireland had made considerable efforts to combat trafficking, including by developing a national action plan to combat trafficking and establishing an independent monitoring mechanism. However, there were shortcomings in identifying victims, particularly girls. Only five children were identified as victims of trafficking in 2023, and the training of officials reportedly did not lead to effective prosecutions. How would the State party train the judiciary and increase the prosecution of trafficking offences? What steps had been taken to improve the identification of victims and ensure that no victims were excluded from support? The Committee welcomed that a trafficking specific shelter had been established in 2023, but it was not large enough; were there plans to extend it? There had only been 15 convictions of consumers of sex services in 2023; were there plans to increase prosecutions?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the national strategy for women and girls included measures to address gender stereotypes and to collect data on such stereotypes. Ireland had taken measures to address gender stereotypes in the media, including through a media forum held in 2025, and measures to promote gender balance in the media. A campaign on reporting harmful online content had also been developed.
Women’s health services were trained on responding to victims of female genital mutilation, and management guidelines had been developed on caring for victims, who had access to free counselling services. A project was underway to reduce waiting times for healthcare for victims of female genital mutilation. Ireland had ratified the Council of Europe Convention that prohibited forced sterilisation.
Work was ongoing to update legislation on hate crimes and to introduce a prohibition of the incitement of hatred online. The Government had also drafted legislation on removing the guardianship rights of parents who killed their partners. Ireland had comprehensive laws on sexual offences. There had been a three-fold increase in funding for support for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and a body had been established to promote the collection and accessibility of data on sexual violence.
Competent authorities, as well as non-governmental organizations, were now able to refer suspected victims of human trafficking. The Government was looking at expanding the shelter for victims of trafficking. It funded several non-governmental organizations to provide trauma-informed support to victims. The Irish police forces had worked to increase prosecutions of organised crime cases, which had proven effective in preventing trafficking. Ireland had recently decriminalised the sale of sex; there was no plan to change this legislation. The Government was planning to introduce on-the-spot fines and mobile phone searches to increase prosecutions for the consumption of sex services.
Questions by Committee Experts
JELENA PIA-COMELLA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Ireland, welcomed the State party’s proactive efforts to address coercive practices. Could it provide more information on the special measures it had developed to address rape?
Another Committee Expert asked if legislation was planned to address drink spiking? What services were provided to victims of gender-based violence in prisons?
A Committee Expert asked how the State party was promoting the meaningful participation of women, including marginalised women, in the Foreign Service? The Committee was concerned about online threats against women involved in politics and public life. What monitoring mechanisms were in place? There was no clear gender-responsive climate strategy. How did the State party ensure that women and girls were included in decision-making processes on climate action?
Another Committee Expert said there was no formal procedure for the determination of statelessness in Ireland. How would the State party amend this deficiency? What did the State party plan to do in response to the recent court decision on the right to guardianship for babies born through surrogacy?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Government was prioritising the drafting of legislation on coercive practices. The prison service provided support to persons who had experienced domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. An intervention model was also in place to prevent revictimisation upon release. Drink spiking was a criminal offence.
Last year, of the 67 persons identified as victims of human trafficking, 10 were children. The third national action plan on trafficking included measures to tackle trafficking in children. A series of training programmes had been developed for prosecutors on sexual offences.
Women made up 49 per cent of senior management in Ireland’s Foreign Service, and 54 per cent of heads of foreign missions. A code of conduct on countering online hate speech had been developed, as had guidance for candidates who faced online harassment on lodging complaints.
The Government was working to provide pathways to the parents of babies born through surrogacy to have their parental rights recognised.
Questions by Committee Experts
JELENA PIA-COMELLA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Ireland, said that the statics of female participation in diplomacy were outstanding. The Committee welcomed the State party’s higher education authority act. The primary curriculum did not address gender equality; would it do so in future? What measures were in place to promote equal access to education? How did the State party ensure that its sexual and reproductive health education addressed same-sex relationships, gender identity and abortion?
Another Committee Expert said the Committee welcomed the reduction of the gender pay gap to 9.6 per cent in 2022. What enforcement mechanisms were in place to ensure private sector compliance with equal pay mechanisms? Women constituted 60 per cent of low paid workers. How did the State party address the barriers faced by women in accessing decent work? Roma women had an estimated unemployment rate of 80 per cent; how was the State party addressing this issue? Were there plans to introduce a universal State pension to address the gender pension gap, which was currently at 36 per cent?
The Committee was concerned about the unequal distribution of unpaid care work. What measures were in place to ensure access to affordable childcare for all children and to encourage greater uptake of parental leave by men? How did the State party ensure effective redress in cases of workplace harassment?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the sexual and reproductive health education curriculum was being reviewed, and the updated curriculum would be introduced from 2027. It focused on promoting healthy relationships, gender equality and safety online, preventing harmful gender narratives, addressing the root causes of domestic and sexual violence, assessing responses to unplanned pregnancies and rape, and the harms of pornography.
The accessibility and affordability of early learning and childcare had been improved since 2017. Up to two years of preschool education was now offered at no cost. Universal subsidies were provided to families. More than two million children were covered by the national childcare scheme, which had a budget of 529 million euros in 2025. The equal start scheme provided targeted support in disadvantaged areas for Traveller, Roma and refugee children.
Reporting on the gender pay gap required employers to consider the reasons for the gap. Guidelines were being developed for different sectors on addressing gender pay gaps. Employees could lodge complaints when their employer did not report on gender pay gaps. Paid parental leave created individual, non-transferrable entitlements for each parent. The Government planned to increase awareness of parents’ entitlements.
One of the actions in the national Roma and Traveller strategy promoted their employment and participation in internships. The Government was reaching out to marginalised groups to encourage participation in voluntary employment services.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said Ireland had made significant progress in terms of women’s health. How did the State ensure free access to healthcare for marginalised women? How did the roadmap for digital health to 2030 address the needs of women and girls, including persons who had difficulties accessing digital services? Could the delegation provide data on women who had accessed legal abortions in 2023 and 2024? How many women had had to travel abroad to obtain abortions? How was the State party combatting stigma related to abortions and conscientious objections? Was the State party considering abolishing the mandatory three-day waiting period for abortions?
How was free, prior and informed consent guaranteed for medical interventions on institutionalised women and transgender persons? There were reported cases of forced sterilisations and forced abortions; how did the State sanction such harmful practices, and how many cases of such practices had been brought before the courts? How was the State party ensuring that mental health services were community-based and gender sensitive? What steps had been taken to ensure that victims of gender-based violence could benefit from free mental health services? Would the State prohibit the use of confidential health data of victims in court cases?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the parental leave scheme encouraged fathers to use it. In 2024, over 66,000 parents had received parental benefits, of which 32 per cent were men. Ireland’s State pension system recognised periods spent outside the workforce for caring requirements. The long-term carers’ contribution supported the pensions of women who provided full-time care for long periods of time; over 7,000 women had been added to this scheme last year. The difference in average pay to men and women was negligible in terms of the State pension. The proposal of a universal pension could undermine progress made in recognising time spent by women providing care and would not resolve the pension issue. Ireland was in the process of adopting an auto-enrolment process for pensions which would particularly benefit women.
The Government was considering ratifying International Labour Organization Conventions 156 and 183. The Workplace Relations Commission was responsible for deciding on workplace discrimination claims. Some 63 claims had been received in 2024. The Commission did not collect reasons for withdrawals of complaints. It assisted all parties to reach a suitable outcome for a claim.
The State party promoted collective bargaining to promote access to decent working conditions and wages. There was no legal impediment to collective bargaining. The Government supported the rights of all workers to join and form trade unions.
Ireland was committed to gender transformative climate action. Its delegation at the most recent Conference of the Parties in Baku was 50 per cent female. The Just Transition Commission had published a report that called for assessment of the gender implications of climate measures.
Free hormone replacement therapy was provided to women experiencing the symptoms of menopause. The Government was committed to ensuring safe and equitable access to pregnancy termination services for marginalised groups of society. In 2023, 10,033 women used termination services, while in 2022, 214 women went abroad to access such services. The free contraception scheme provided for the cost of contraception and related health consultations. More than 200,000 women benefited from the scheme last year. Since 2016, several million euros had been invested in maternity services, funding a large increase in maternity health staff.
Women’s mental health remained a key priority in the national mental health strategy. The State was providing mental health services to victims of violence that considered their gender and experience of trauma. The State party was not aware of cases of forced sterilisation and forced abortion.
Children could remain in the care of their mother in prison until 12 months of age. High quality antenatal care was provided to women in prisons and there were mother and baby units in the State’s two women’s prisons. Draft legislation had been developed that would limit the use of counselling records in court proceedings. Banning disclosure of such records entirely could affect the right to a fair trial. Measures were being developed to reduce revictimisation of survivors through disclosure hearings.
The State was rolling out campaigns to encourage victims of sexual and gender-based violence to come forward and access support services, and was working with partners to ensure that frontline staff were delivering trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care to victims of violence. The State was working to map the mental health needs of adolescent girls, which would inform the development of the national mental health strategy.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said Ireland had developed initiatives to promote the empowerment of women. Some 32 per cent of start-ups were headed by women in 2022. There was a risk of poverty and exclusion for single, women-headed families – there had been a 171 per cent increase in the number of women who were unable to access housing in 2023. How was the State party addressing this? What progress had been made in developing a second action plan on business and human rights? How did the State party ensure obligatory due diligence in human rights?
One Committee Expert said Traveller women were disproportionately represented in prisons. How were prison services aligned with the Bangkok Rules? The Traveller and Roma women national strategy did not address access to justice. Would this be rectified? How many women of colour were represented in decision-making bodies? How was Ireland promoting unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance to women and girls on the frontlines of conflict, and how did the State party encourage consideration of intersectionality globally?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said single parents were a target of social benefit schemes, including school meals programmes and the child benefit scheme, which had been extended to children up to age 18 in full-time education. Ireland had piloted equality budgeting measures, including for gender budgeting. It was designing a tagging framework that would ensure the recording of expenditure on equality issues.
Ireland was working to increase female participation in entrepreneurial activity through a six-year action plan, which included schemes for financial support for high potential start-ups led by women. Mentorship, training and networking programmes were offered to women entrepreneurs. There was double the number of women accessing such training compared to men.
Ireland’s first national action plan on business and human rights had concluded in 2023, and a consultation process for developing the second plan was currently underway. A working outline of the plan was presented in June 2024. The next plan was likely to finish in 2028 or 2029. The Government planned to include gender responsive due diligence in the plan.
The Government was committed to providing affordable social homes at scale. There were more than 20,000 social housing solutions delivered in 2024. Several million euros would be invested in programmes to address homelessness in 2025. Around 15,500 persons accessed emergency accommodation in April 2025, including 4,700 children. A national homelessness action committee was established in 2021 to address the issue; it had developed a national support framework.
The zero-tolerance strategy sought to increase the number of refuge units and safe homes for victims of violence. There were 141 refuge units at the outset of the strategy; the current number was 159. By the end of 2025, more than 200 would be established. There had been investments of over 100 million euros in Traveller-specific accommodation.
There was disproportionate representation of Travellers within the justice system. The family support model for Traveller women in prison provided intensive support at all judicial stages. Services were being extended to pre-sentencing and post-release stages. There were plans for the establishment of an open women’s prison.
Ireland was consistent in its participation in multilateral fora addressing lethal autonomous weapons. It was presenting a value-based message that addressed gender issues.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert asked why the findings of the independent review of the legal aid scheme of 2021 were not published. How could women who could not afford legal representation have access to justice? How was the right of access to justice of women with disabilities respected?
The Committee welcomed efforts to support women’s access to child maintenance payments. Could the State party provide statistics on fathers who did not pay child maintenance? Why had the State party decided not to establish a child maintenance agency? How did it respond to non-payment of maintenance? Would it publish the results of a study into the economic consequences of divorce on both parents? Women with disabilities were reportedly discriminated against in child custody decisions. Would the State party investigate this issue?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the child maintenance review group was established in 2020 to assess whether to establish a State child maintenance agency; it had decided that such an agency should not be established. Instead, it had called for a review of the enforcement of child maintenance orders to be undertaken and had issued 26 recommendations to ensure compliance with such orders. Guidelines on the implementation of the recommendations were being developed. There had been significant increases in child support and working family payments recently.
New legislation passed last year included provisions to make the family court process more accessible and less costly. The best interests of the child were a primary consideration in all family court proceedings.
Frontline professionals across the justice sector were trained on identifying risks of sexual and gender-based violence and responding to such violence effectively. Staff of the probation service were also trained on risk assessment and recognising cases of sexual and gender-based violence.
The civil legal aid review was completed in May 2025 and the Government was now considering its results. The judicial appointments act included provisions promoting equal numbers of men and women as members of the judiciary. The gender pay gap platform would allow for assessment of the pay gap in the legal sector.
Concluding Remarks
COLM BROPHY, Minister of State for Migration of Ireland and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue. The Committee had invested significant time in understanding the issues facing women and girls in Ireland. Ireland was committed to its obligations under the Convention and to the United Nations more broadly. The State would develop measures in response to the Committee’s concluding observations, and brief civil society on them. Mr. Brophy closed by thanking all those who had contributed to the dialogue.
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, thanked the State party for its responses and its support to the treaty bodies, international law and the rule of law. The dialogue had provided the Committee with further insight into the efforts made by Ireland to implement the Convention for the benefit of women and girls in the State. The Committee would develop concluding observations to strengthen the implementation of the Convention in Ireland, including recommendations for immediate follow-up. It looked forward to its next dialogue with the State party.
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CEDAW25.015E