Universal Children’s Day

Fresh call to include children’s rights in Constitution by Ombudsman for Children on Universal Children’s Day

Almost 1/3 population without adequate rights.

To mark Universal Children’s Day (Sunday, 20th November), Emily Logan, Ireland’s first Ombudsman for Children, has made a fresh call for the Constitution to be amended to include express rights for children.

“In Ireland today almost one third of the population is made up of young people under 18. Because they do not have express rights in the Irish Constitution, they are not recognized as individual rights holders independent of their family or the State. This may not have an obvious impact on the lives of majority of children who grow up in happy, loving homes. However, it does put children on the margins of Irish society in a vulnerable position.

“Ireland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992 but because it still hasn’t become part of domestic law yet, children’s rights are not given the priority they deserve.

“In a report I submitted at the beginning of the year, I called on the All Party Oireachtas Committee to amend the Constitution to include express rights for children. I recommended that in order to do this they should consider the rights set out United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“My recommendations are not about diluting parents’ rights They are about enshrining children’s human rights in our law and protecting the welfare of the most vulnerable children in society.”

Notes to Editors:

• Emily first made this call at the beginning of the year to the All Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution reviewing the Constitutional Articles relating to the family.
• The Committee has not made any recommendations yet.

• 20 November 2005
• Type: Press Release