UN committee to hear evidence on Irish compliance with child rights convention

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will tomorrow consider evidence on Ireland’s status in complying with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), which will be considered by the committee, outlines the work that “remains to be done”.

It says the State is falling short of its obligations on poverty, homelessness, the legacy of historical child abuse, gender recognition, and in other areas.

IHREC Chief Commissioner Emily Logan said: “In the nine years since Ireland was last before the Committee on the Rights of the Child, there have been significant improvements in the State’s protection and promotion of children’s rights. Children’s rights are now given voice at the Cabinet table; an Article on the rights of the child has been added to our Constitution; and significant and welcome changes have been made to child and family law.

“These changes have all gone some way to addressing the legacy of failures on the part of the State to protect and vindicate the rights of children in its care, and those children whose care was entrusted to voluntary, religious and private institutions.

“However, a great deal of work remains to be done. The principles enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child have not been consistently applied across all State activities that touch on the lives of children. Crucially, in the areas of health, care work, immigration and asylum, the State continues to outsource many of its functions to for-profit companies whose standards are not tested against Convention principles.

“In addition to reiterating many of the well-known issues facing children in Ireland such as diversity in education, poverty, and the legacy of child abuse, our report also directs the Committee’s attention to the need for a comprehensive child rights-led revision of the State’s procurement practices. We must ensure that all private companies engaged by the State to work with or for children are subject to rigorous human rights vetting and inspection that is not only informed by the Convention, but driven by it.”

The IHREC’s full report is available on their website.