Refugees in Ireland are being moved and put in accommodation by a migration organisation that doesn’t require garda vetting of its staff and makes allegedly insufficient checks of pledged accommodation.
This comes following allegations of mistreatment of Ukrainian refugees who had been transported by the International Organisation for Migration Ireland (IOM Ireland) and accommodated in either pledged accommodation (private hosts or vacant homes) or Government modular accommodation.
Two Ukrainian women alleged to Gript that Ukrainians seeking temporary protection in some instances had been subjected to verbal and physical abuse by those accommodating them.
IOM is part of the United Nations’ system and is the leading intergovernmental organisation in the field of migration, with an Irish branch headquartered in Dublin.
Asked by Gript whether IOM Ireland is involved in the moving and accommodation of asylum seekers and/or refugees in Ireland, and if so, into what sorts of accommodation, IOM Ireland confirmed that it was working on this.
“IOM Ireland is involved with moving Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in Ireland from emergency accommodation settings into transitional forms of accommodation,” the migration organisation told Gript.
“This transitional accommodation is in the form of pledged accommodation (with private hosts or in vacant homes) and modular accommodation provided by the Government of Ireland.”
When asked whether IOM Ireland staff are garda vetted, including those involved in direct work with refugees, the spokesperson responded that employment at IOM “does not require garda vetting” and that “not all of IOM Ireland staff are garda vetted”.
In response to questions from Gript about circumstances in which garda vetting would be required, a spokesperson for An Garda Siochána said that an organisation is required to conduct vetting in respect of an individual who wishes to undertake certain work or activities relating to children or vulnerable persons.
“The provision by a person, whether or not for commercial or other consideration, of accommodation for a child/vulnerable persons in his or her own home which is not provided as part of a ‘private arrangement’ as provided in the National Vetting Bureau (Children & Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 requires vetting,” their statement also read.
The spokesperson added that where an organisation is placing children/vulnerable persons with host families, the organisation concerned must receive vetting disclosures before making the placement.
IOM Ireland did not respond to a follow-up question by the time of writing as to whether private hosts who’ve pledged accommodation, and to which IOM move beneficiaries of temporary protection, are garda vetted or vetted by IOM in some manner.
The spokesperson clarified that the majority of adults coming to Ireland as beneficiaries of temporary protection will not fall within the definition of ‘vulnerable persons’ as provided in the National Vetting Bureau (Children & Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016.
However, with thousands of Ukrainian children having arrived in Ireland in recent years, it is unlikely that IOM Ireland works with adults alone.
Gript previously reported on deficiencies in relation to garda vetting found by a HIQA inspection of asylum seeker accommodation at the Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre as well as another centre called Hanratty’s Hotel.
The inspection found that “not all staff” had garda vetting in accordance with the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and that recruitment practices were “not sufficiently safe or effective”.
“Garda vetting was not in place for a number of staff and international police checks had not been carried out for some staff members who lived overseas for a period of six months or more, as required,” it said.