For the first time we have some idea of the extent to which racism has infected our communities, and what ethnic minorities think of the Government's failure to tackle it. For the first time, people from a range of ethnic minorities living in Ireland have been asked for their views on racism here.
The Government did not ask them. It has never canvassed their opinions on a large scale, or put resources in to finding out what their experience of racism has been. Because of the abysmal lack of data in this area, Amnesty, in association with University College, Dublin, undertook a survey of ethnic minorities' views which was published yesterday.
Over 600 people from a wide range of ethnic minorities living all over the country were interviewed about their experiences. The results are surprising. We knew there were problems, but we didn't know things were this bad.
Almost four out of five people from ethnic minorities say they have been the victim of racism while living in Ireland, most often in public places like the street or in shops or pubs. More than 80 per cent say the Government is not doing enough to protect them, and while many frequently suffer racist abuse, few report the incidents to Government agencies.
Less surprising is the overwhelming view (84 per cent) that the Government is not doing enough to educate the public, and almost 60 per cent said that local political representatives do not represent them or their community. Racial abuse is a common hazard for many people and only one in 20 of those interviewed said enough is being done to educate schoolchildren about racism.
The Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, has wasted valuable time before confronting the problem. The Government's public awareness campaign is now due to begin in October, and we in Amnesty welcome this. But it is only the first step and much more is needed.
In his address to the UN World Conference on Racism in South Africa last weekend, the Minister said the Government's intention is "to ensure racism and racist tendencies do not gain a foothold". Unfortunately, this sort of empty rhetoric seems to be the sum total of our Government's concept of demonstrating leadership against racism. What does such a statement mean to the 78 per cent of people from ethnic minorities who say they have suffered racism in Ireland?
Racism clearly already has a foothold in Ireland, and complacency simply invites trouble.
Ireland is at a crossroads in how we develop diversity in our society. We still have a choice, a period where we can get it right or get it wrong - but this opportunity is rapidly shrinking. Who among our leaders is outlining their vision of Irish society in 2010 and beyond?
The Taoiseach's most significant statement on immigration has been to praise and aspire to emulate the shamefully discredited Australian approach. Mr O'Donoghue, rather than make a positive statement on his way to the World Conference on Racism - such as visiting one of the many Ireland Aid projects in Africa - instead opted to stop off in Nigeria to sign a deportation agreement.
These statements and actions by our leaders are not racist, but do they not realise the tone they are setting? How, exactly, does this complement our Government's stated aim to "promote an appreciation of the benefits of a diverse and multicultural society"?
Look at our nearest neighbours and see how bad things can get, with whole communities alienated from the police, and without faith in the fair administration of justice. It is very disturbing to discover that ethnic minority confidence in the Garda is dangerously weak.
Almost 70 per cent of those surveyed said the gardai are not doing enough to combat racism, and most did not feel comfortable about reporting racist incidents to them. Only 14 per cent said they believed that the gardai took racist incidents seriously, and over 60 per cent said people who commit racist acts were not likely to be brought to justice.
Perhaps more worryingly, there were also 155 incidents mentioned by those in the survey who said they had experienced racism at least once from a garda.
The Garda Racism and Intercultural Unit appears to be a genuine effort to seriously engage with the concerns of ethnic minorities. But its operation must be mainstreamed throughout all Garda structures and needs far greater resources.
The Government must take immediate action. It can ensure that mechanisms for reporting racial abuse are overhauled, that the gardai treat ethnic communities fairly and effectively in all areas of policing, and that an independent police complaints authority is established to investigate discrimination by gardai.
The Government must stop evading responsibility and use resources to gather proper data on ethnic minority views instead of leaving it to organisations like Amnesty. Including a question on ethnicity in the upcoming census would be a start. It must listen to what ethnic minorities are saying, and properly protect them.
Our survey is the first time that black and other ethnic minority experiences have been documented on such a scale, and now, for the first time, there is hard data on what ethnic minorities living in Ireland today are going through.
Mary Robinson, Nelson Mandela, Seamus Heaney and countless others have been quoted in this newspaper in the past few weeks calling on governments to demonstrate strong leadership and constructive action on racism. Let's hope our Government is paying attention.
The survey Racism in Ireland: The Views of Black and Ethnic Minorities was carried out by FAQs research in association with Dr Sean Love and Dr Aoghan Mulcahy of UCD for Amnesty International's Irish Section in June and July 2001.