Children’s Rights

Childhood is a precious time; children must be protected and their rights promoted to ensure that they are consistently treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. We have a plethora of reports highlighting the neglect, abuse and exploitation when children’s voices are silenced and their best interests ignored. Those working with, and for children, agree that constitutional change is required to ensure that children are fully protected in society and that their rights are taken into account in decisions made about their lives.

The insertion of explicit children’s rights into the Constitution has been mooted for a long time and the Fine Gael / Labour Government have promised to hold such a referendum in 2012. The wording to be inserted into the Constitution is crucial to it success as it must balance the rights of children with those of their parents. It should also ensure that key principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are enshrined in Irish law. Most significantly the best interests of the child shall be the first and paramount consideration in the resolution of all disputes concerning the guardianship, adoption, custody, care or upbringing of a child. Also the voice of the child shall be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting them, having regard to the child’s age and maturity. Both of these principles are hugely important for both the protection and promotion of the child’s rights. They have the potential to very practically influence how decisions are made regarding children and move Ireland toward a much more child-centred system that puts children first.  Barnardos has long called for Constitutional change and will continue to lobby for the referendum to be held.

Policy submissions and papers

Campaign

Saving Childhood 2010