Why are we still paying lip service to child protection after a string of abuse scandals stretching back decades?

Tokens of respect are left at the site of Tuam Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway. Photo: Paul Faith

Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop

How many more reports do we need before we demand that our Government, once and for all, take our children and youth seriously? Dr Geoffrey Shannon’s recent report on the abuse of children in St John Ambulance is yet again another damning example of how we as a country are not taking child protection as seriously as is necessary.