RTE news broadcaster Sharon Ni Bhaolin said we must “actively support those in need” in these uncertain times, reports Independent.
She was speaking after being named host for the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards (IRCHA) and said it was a year of “immense challenges.”
She said there has been a rise in extremist views here recently and as a society we need to show our support for vulnerable immigrants and asylum seekers in Ireland.
“In recent months, we’ve also seen an increase in extreme rhetoric, suggestions we need to push back against some who have arrived on these shores as well as disinformation targeting those who have sought refuge,” she said, reports Independent.
By entering the awards, she demonstrated that she was ““proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who work to aid those in need”.
She listed international crises such as the forced migration of millions of people from Ukraine and the devastating damage and suffering caused by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, not to mention the Chrislo explosion in Donegal last October.
“It’s clear the need for active engagement to support those in need has never been greater or more urgent,” she said, reports Independent.
The purpose of the awards is to highlight the incredible and selfless efforts of those in Ireland who have gone out of their way to help people in urgent need.
Mary Lawler, one of Ireland’s leading human rights advocates, has already received the 2023 Irish Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award for her work.
Currently the United Nations Special Envoy on Human Rights Defenders, she is also an Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights at Trinity College Dublin. Ms. Lawler is also the founder of Front Line Defenders.
She said it was a “tremendous honour” to accept the award, reports Independent.
IRCHA is presenting five different categories of Laureates to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland on Thursday 13 April, including Humanitarian of the Year and Journalistic Excellence.
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