Sinn Féin councillor Thérèse Ruane has welcomed the publication of the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children. She said that the report presented an important opportunity to strengthen children’s rights in the State.
Cllr Ruane explained: “This report has been a long time coming, but it is an important step on the road to cherishing all children of the nation equally. This report has all party agreement on a proposed wording for a constitutional amendment to strengthen children’s rights in this country. It is now up to Government to take the wording offered and hold a referendum that will afford children specific rights to care and well being and their right to be heard in matters concerning them.”
Cllr Ruane, a human rights activist, said the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child have already been incorporated in numerous international and national treaties and the proposed wording in this report is linked to the principles contained in this Convention. “It is now time we began to take a rights based approach to how children are treated in our laws and policies.
“Sinn Féin is calling on the Government to table legislation to hold a referendum on the issue of children’s rights as a matter of urgency,” she added.
