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Human Rights Law

Mel Cousins

2015

Education

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Corporal Punishment In Ireland And The European Committee On Social Rights, Mel Cousins Dec 2014

Corporal Punishment In Ireland And The European Committee On Social Rights, Mel Cousins

Mel Cousins

This note examines the recent decision of the European Committee on Social Rights (ECSR) which found that that Irish law was in breach of Art. 17 of the European Social Charter as it does not prohibit and penalise all forms of violence against children within the family, in certain types of care or certain types of pre-school settings. While the Committee’s decision received considerable media attention in Ireland, the European Social Charter (ESC) is not, of course, binding in Irish law and the legal implications of the decision appear rather limited.

Note that s. 28 of the Children First Act, …


Education And The Equal Status Acts - Stokes -V- Christian Brothers High School Clonmel, Mel Cousins Dec 2014

Education And The Equal Status Acts - Stokes -V- Christian Brothers High School Clonmel, Mel Cousins

Mel Cousins

This case involved a challenge under the Equal Status Act (ESA) to the admissions rules of a Clonmel secondary school which, it was argued, indirectly discriminated against children from the Traveller community. At first instance (before the Equality Tribunal) and on appeal to the Circuit Court it had been held that this rule did have a disproportionate impact on Travellers but the Court and Tribunal differed as to whether this was objectively justified or not. On further appeal to the High Court, McCarthy J. held that there was no disproportionate impact as, adopting a dictionary definition of the term ‘particular’, …