An independent body should be set up to monitor and investigate race-related incidents, a coalition of human rights groups has said.
Eight organisations, including Amnesty International and the Irish Refugee Council, want to see the new body formed as part of the forthcoming National Action Plan Against Racism.
They say many incidents of racist abuse are not referred to gardaí due to the "high possibility that perpetrators will not be brought to justice".
The alliance also says many victims are asylum-seekers or people with irregular status, who are afraid to draw themselves to the attention of the authorities.
The alliance yesterday published its recommendations for measures to be included in the national action plan, which the Government is committed to publishing and begin implementing by the end of the year.
The Government committed itself to bring in such a plan at a global anti-racism conference in South Africa in September 2001 hosted by the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson.
The recommendations include:
• New laws to reflect a strong commitment to anti-racism.
• The establishment of anti-racism, inter-cultural and human rights training programmes for all civil servants.
• An effective immigrant policy that protects human rights and responds to global challenges of migration, immigration and forced displacement.
• A national attitudinal survey on racism.
The coalition's report was endorsed at yesterday's press launch by Independent TD Mr Finian McGrath, Mr Ciarán Cuffe from the Green Party, and Ms Mercy Peters of the Spiritan Refugee and Asylum-Seekers Initiative. The coalition also includes: Comhlámh, A Part of Ireland Now, Integrating Ireland, the Dominican Justice Office, Cradle and the Little Sisters of the Assumption justice desk.