Young people are ‘CUT-OUT’ for justice

This event will mark the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and will be opened by Liam Herrick*, Executive Director, of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT). The main issues tackled by young people at the event include criminal justice, climate justice in the lead up to Copenhagen and the Millennium Development Goals.

Liam Herrick of the IPRT stated: “On this, the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the need to protect children’s rights continues to be of critical importance. The need for strong legal protection of the rights of children is especially important for those children who may not have parents or families to advocate on their behalf. Young people within our youth justice system are some of the most vulnerable children in our society, many of whom have fallen through the cracks of our health and social care systems.”

Mr. Herrick continued: “The right of the child to be heard in matters that affect them is enshrined in the Convention of the Rights of the Child (Article 12), and so it is especially significant that today young people themselves are highlighting the justice issues that affect them, both here in Ireland and internationally.”

Alongside the life size cut outs a range of artistic activities will be showcased. SWAN Youth Service will be performing a rap covering children’s rights & justice systems; Ronanstown Youth Service will unveil a video to highlight what justice around the world means to them and Celtic Youth Bray will display a huge justice jigsaw that when joined forms a life sized person.

“Young people are passionate about global issues. Throughout One World Week they have been highlighting justice issues that relate to young people in Ireland and across the world. Today young people will join a group of young Zambians to showcase the creative ways in which young people have highlighted these issues locally,” concluded Johnny Sheehan, Development Education Co-ordinator at the National Youth Council of Ireland.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Clodagh O’Brien, Communications Officer at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

One World Week is an event that enables young people from diverse backgrounds to come together to learn about local and global issues and take action to bring about change in their own communities and in the wider world. During the week a group of youth workers from Zambia will be travelling across Ireland to meet with youth organisations and share their experiences of young people’s rights. In Ireland, OWW is co-ordinated by NYCI’s Development Education Programme in partnership with Irish Aid and is also supported by Trócaire.

* Liam Hewitt has been Executive Director of IPRT since November 2007. Before that he was the first Senior Legislation and Policy Review Officer with the Irish Human Rights Commission, a position he held for four years. He has a broad range of experience in the NGO and State sector, having worked with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Law Reform Commission. Liam is currently also a Board member of the Children’s Rights Alliance.

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 55 voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.