On 9 July, the Irish government-appointed Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Geoffrey Shannon presented his Sixth Report to the Oireachtas. Dr. Shannon, originally appointed in 2006, was also reappointed as Special Rapporteur for a further three years.
The report is divided into four sections; Child Protection and Developments in International Law, Protecting Children from Children – Bullying, The Law on Guardianship of Children, and Miscellaneous Domestic Issues. The report made a range of recommendations including;
· Ireland should sign and ratify the third optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
· The government should review and implement the Law Reform Commission’s recommendations in relation to extending guardianship rights to step-parents and civil partners and legislate to clarify children's relationships in same-sex families,
· There should be improved co-operation between cross-border authorities,
· The Department of Justice should establish a specialist family law court structure,
· Introduce legislation and practical supports that would facilitate children’s voices to be heard in proceedings,
· Greater legislative direction for courts and schools to help tackle bullying and cyber-bullying in a consistent and standard way across Ireland.
Barnardos Chief Executive Fergus Finlay welcomed the report and said, “The publication of the Sixth Special Rapporteur Report on Child Protection shows us that we can't take our foot off the pedal when it comes to child protection in Ireland. The phrase 'lots done, more to do' comes to mind when reading Geoffrey Shannon's excellent report. We have made significant progress in recent years but we still have a long way to go before we can say that we've really put children at the centre of the laws and policies that affect their lives."
Click here to read the report.
Click here to read a press release from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
Click here to read a press release from Barnardos.
Click here to read an article from the Irish Times and here from thejournal.ie.