Barnardos Releases

Barnardos has welcomed Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore’s confirmation that a Referendum on children’s rights will be held this autumn. The children’s charity said that the announcement was timely in light of yesterday’s report on the deaths of children involved in the care system whose short lives so tragically highlighted Ireland’s ongoing failure to adequately prioritise children.

Barnardos’ CEO, Fergus Finlay, said: “The Tánaiste’s announcement in the Dail today is a significant testimony to the urgency needed to redress the failure of our society to put children first and enshrine their Constitutional right to be protected. The Constitutional amendment on children must reflect the cultural change that is now happening as a result of our ongoing inability to protect children, yet again evidenced in the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group.”

“In particular, the inclusion of two principles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in any wording put before the people of Ireland with respect to children’s rights will be crucial. These two principles are the best interest of the child and the voice of the child. If we take nothing else from the heartbreaking stories contained in yesterday’s report it should be that nothing must come before doing what is best for children and listening to their voices when they tell us what they need. The Constitutional Referendum on children’s rights is a once in a lifetime chance for us to finally get things right for our children. We must not fail again.”

For further information, please contact:

Barnardos Press Office:

Irene Lawlor; 01 7080423, 086 3980441

Rachel Boyce; 01 7080443, 086 3683071

www.barnardos.ie