May 2010 is the ICCL‘s Know Your Rights Month! The ICCL’s Know Your Rights public information project is designed to inform people in clear and accessible language about their rights under various key areas of the law in Ireland. There are two key projects. The first is a series of information packs covering key human rights areas: Criminal Justice and Garda Powers, Privacy and the European Convention on Human Rights. They are written in plain English, and will be updated regularly as the law changes, providing accessible and accurate information. As well as being available for download free of charge, they are also being distributed to libraries and citizens’ information centres nationwide.

The second key project is a series of roadshows to raise awareness of human rights and to help those giving advice on foot of the ICCL information packs. The first of these roadshow events will take place on Wednesday 19 May 2010, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm in the Community and Social Enterprise Centre, 8 North Mall, Cork. Those interested should contact the ICCL’s Joanne Garvey to reserve a place.

I am particularly impressed by the privacy pack, covering the following areas:

• Closed Circuit TV (CCTV)
• Consumer affairs
• Data protection
• Educational institutions
• Foreign nationals and asylum seekers
• Gardaí
• General information
• Government departments and agencies
• Internet
• Key words
• Media
• Privacy at work
• Surveillance
• Useful Contacts

This morning‘s Today with Pat Kenny radio show on RTÉ Radio 1 featured a slot on protecting privacy which discussed the ICCL Know Your Rights campaign in general and the privacy pack in particular. The issue were explored by Gary Davis, Deputy Data Protection Commissioner and TJ McIntyre of the UCD School of Law and head of Digital Rights Ireland. The item can be streamed or podcast from the webpage for today’s show. It’s well worth a listen, and the ICCL’s packs are well worth consulting. Kudos to them for such an important job so well done.

Update: there is a super post, with more history, over on Human Rights in Ireland.