National Youth Council meets Oirechtas Committee to lobby for Children’s Rights Referendum
Earlier today the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) met with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children to urge them to commit to Constitutional Reform to enshrine the rights of children living in Ireland and to advise Government to move to introduce urgent legislation to place vetting on a statutory footing.
“The delay in setting a date for the Children’s Referendum despite a series of commitments in the past is of grave concern to NYCI and its member organisations. Currently, there appears to be an over emphasis on the issue of child protection rather than strengthening and protecting children’s rights which is of fundamental importance in order to recognise children as individuals. This morning we advised the Committee that a constitutional amendment is necessary and the only possible route to provide express rights in the Irish Constitution, which has the potential to bring about significant and positive change in the lives of children living in Ireland,” stated Mary Cunningham, Director of NYCI.
“The Committee responded positively to our advice that Garda Vetting and the access to ‘soft’ information should be placed on a legislative footing as soon as possible.. It seems that it may not be necessary to have a Constitutional amendment before this can proceed, and we welcome their commitment to refer this matter on to Government. Ms. Cunningham concluded.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Clodagh O’Brien, Communications Officer at the NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie
Notes to Editors:
National Youth Council of Ireland
The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 51 voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.