Legislation outlawing incitement to hatred in the State needs to be strengthened, a women's seminar on challenging racism was told yesterday.
The seminar, held in Dublin and organised by the National Women's Council, heard that many African women living in the Republic were now being accused on the street of getting pregnant to stay in Ireland.
Ms Salome Mbugua, of the Network of African Women Living in Ireland, highlighted the issue and blamed media organisations for the "hype about pregnancy" among non-nationals.
"The 1989 Incitement to Hatred Act has been ineffective in preventing such representations. It should be strengthened to include recourse to challenge racism, particularly in relation to the media," she said.
It was time that the Government found better ways of combating racism.
"The steps taken by the Government on challenging racism to date have been quite ineffective. The Irish Government should also legislate against female genital mutilation," she said.
Ms Mbugua said that she had been the subject of physical and verbal racist attacks herself. "Last year I was pregnant and I experienced it myself. I was spat at. I was also called names," she said.