An increase in reports of verbal abuse of pregnant black women taunted about having children in Ireland for citizenship purposes will be documented in a report to be launched next week.
The report by a government advisory body will also show a growth in the past five months of racist e-mails and letters sent to organisations working with refugees and asylum-seekers.
Three visibly pregnant black women have reported being verbally abused in Dublin, while a fourth black Irish woman reported insensitive treatment by a hospital receptionist who assumed she was an asylum-seeker, the document will show.
These incidents, reported to the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, come amidst recent public debate about the authorities' concerns that women are claiming asylum in Ireland in advanced stages of pregnancy to give birth here. Under Ireland's unique citizenship laws, children born here automatically become citizens, and their parents are generally granted residency.
Mr Joe McDonagh, the head of Know Racism, the government's anti-racism awareness programme, yesterday expressed his concerns about the manner in which the citizenship issue was currently being discussed.
The "sweeping generalised statements that one finds enunciated from certain quarters on the issue are worrying to us," he said.
Mr McDonagh was speaking at the launch yesterday of a week-long series of joint North-South initiatives to combat racism.
The events, which focus on health and education, will be held throughout next week to mark International Day Against Racism on Thursday, March 21st.
The events will include the publication of intercultural guidelines for primary schools, seminars, exhibitions, an awareness campaign for gardaí and the distribution to all homes of an information leaflet.