Children's rights must be enshrined, says watchdog
Wednesday July 14 2010
MANY children in Ireland remain vulnerable, hidden from view and do not receive the adequate and full support of the State, a children's watchdog has warned.
Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, called for a constitutional referendum to be held as a matter of urgency to change the laws to improve the rights of young people.
Among the most vulnerable in society were those dependent on the State, such as children separated from their parents or youths in detention centres who were "hidden" from society, Ms Logan said.
"Through the Ryan and Murphy Reports, both the scale of child abuse and the culture of impunity was realised for the first time by many," Ms Logan said at the launch of the Ombudsman's fifth annual report.
"These reports revealed that it is easier to violate the rights of people who are not socially powerful, something that continues to this day."
Ignored
She warned that many young people in the care of the State were still not being listened to, despite the issue being raised in the Ryan Report, which probed abuse in industrial schools.
The number of complaints to the Ombudsman for Children's Office soared by 13pc to 912 last year, while funding dropped from €2.377m to €2.310m last year. "The nature of the complaints has changed quite entirely. We are dealing with everything from the death of children in care to child abuse," she said.
Concerns were raised over more than 220 children who had come to Ireland and were living here separated from their parents. "Their immigration status seems to be directing the way they are treated rather than the fact they are children," Ms Logan said. "Some of those young people have witnessed their families being murdered."
Among the concerns raised by the Ombudsman was the lack of any statutory obligation to provide after-care as young people leave the care of the State when they turn 18.
Fiona Murray, a spokeswoman for the Irish Association of Young People in Care, said they would like to see legislation changed to offer after-care support up to the age of 23.
The difficulties for children accessing special care placements and the lengthy delays in accessing health services such as speech and language therapy were also raised.
Ms Logan called for public sector reform to ensure the integration of state services to help meet the needs of children.
In around three-quarters of cases, the parents or extended family sought help for a child, while in 12pc of cases professionals such as GPs were worried about a particular child.
It is now taking longer for the office to carry out investigations as the number of complaints has soared tenfold over the past five years, while the staff level has remained static at 15, Ms Logan warned.
one more report from safety -- comment, Page 29
- Louise Hogan
Irish Independent
