This week, the Director of LGBT Advocacy at Human Rights Watch (HRW) will be in Dublin for a series of engagements, during which Ireland’s record on LGBT equality issues will be analysed and discussed.

Ahead of his Irish visit, HRW’s Boris Dittrich said, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to Ireland this week, to discuss the progress Ireland has made on key issues such as marriage equality and gender recognition legislation, and to offer my views on how this modern European country can get to the point where all forms of anti-LGBT discrimination is a thing of the past. I have travelled to many countries to discuss these topics, and I hope and believe that this experience will be of benefit to Ireland in charting the course ahead.”

Irish based LGBT campaigner, Adam Long, who is organising the Dublin leg of Dittrich’s visit, commented, “Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s most respected NGO’s in their field. It is a great pleasure then to welcome somebody of the calibre of Boris to Dublin, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him on LGBT issues.

“Boris also served as the leader of the social-liberal D66 party in The Netherlands during the late 1990s, when that party was part of the government that enacted the first marriage equality law in the world. The Dutch have also just introduced comprehensive, equality based gender recognition legislation. This is the kind of progressive policy approach we need to see in Ireland, so that all members of our LGBT community are finally afforded full and equal citizenship.”

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is one of the world’s leading human rights organisations and Dittrich’s visit provides a good opportunity to take stock of where Ireland stands in terms of realising full social and legal equality for it’s LGBT citizens and how further progress can be achieved.

Dittrich will address a public meeting in the LGBT community resource centre, Outhouse, on Wednesday evening, March 26 from 6.30-8.30pm. On Thursday, March 27, he will address a gathering of cross-party TD’s and Senators in Leinster House.