Children's Rights

The Supreme Court has dismissed appeals against the High Court’s refusal to prohibit the trial of three “aged out” defendants and against the “Gilchrist order” made to protect their anonymity. Delivering judgment for the Supreme Court, Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley f

AI-powered "nudification" apps should be banned because of their impact on children's safety, wellbeing and participation online, the children's rights watchdog in England has said. A new report from the English children's commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, warns that while creating or sharing a se

A statutory review mechanism for child deaths in Ireland should be put in place as a matter of urgency, the Ombudsman for Children's Office has said. A new report from the watchdog was launched yesterday in the National Gallery of Ireland by Judge Geoffrey Shannon, a former government special rappor

Solicitor Kathryn Stevenson has been appointed as a non-executive member to the Children's Court Guardian Agency for Northern Ireland. Ms Stevenson is head of legal services at the Children's Law Centre (CLC), which offers free legal advice and information on a wide range of children's legal rights

The next government must take further action to protect children online, the Children's Rights Alliance has said. In a statement marking World Children's Day yesterday, the NGO welcomed the coming into force of Ireland's new online safety code, but said it did not go far enough to achieve child safe

Legislation dis-applying the mandatory life sentence for a child who commits murder but turns 18 years old before sentencing has been signed into law. The Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2024 was fast-tracked through the Oireachtas in response to a High Court ruling which found that the existing mu

A child who commits murder but turns 18 years old before sentencing will no longer face a mandatory life sentence under proposed new legislation. The government is bringing forward the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024 in response to a High Court ruling which found that the current statutory se

The High Court has determined that the statutory sentencing regime which distinguishes between children who are sentenced for murder prior to turning 18 and those who are adults by the time of sentencing is unconstitutional. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Garrett Simons stated th

Legislation requiring life sentences to be imposed on convicted murderers who are children at the time of the offence but turn 18 before their sentencing is unconstitutional, the High Court has ruled. In a judgment handed down yesterday, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said the "legitimate legislative pur

Children’s advocacy organisations across Ireland have joined together to mark the launch of a new report – a project funded by the EU commission and led by the Children’s Rights Alliance in partnership with others. Building Children’s Future’s: Using Children’s Ri

The Irish government has been urged to heed a new UN report identifying the climate crisis as "an urgent and systemic threat to children's rights globally". The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child yesterday launched its general comment on children's rights and the environment, which considers th

The Court of Appeal has determined that it has limited jurisdiction to review a sentence imposed on a child who attained maturity by the time of an appeal. It was held that the court’s powers to review the severity of sentence involving detention were limited by statute to either quashing a co

Ireland should raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years old and ensure that the detention of children is used only as a "last resort", the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has said. The general age of criminal responsibility in Ireland is 12 years, but there is al

Children cannot be compelled to visit their grandparents if they do not want to following a ruling of Italy's Supreme Court. A lengthy legal battle has culminated in a judgment from the court stating that grandchildren were not obliged to have a relationship “they do not enjoy, and do not want

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC has been appointed as the Irish government's special rapporteur on child protection for a three-year term. Ms Gallagher is an accomplished international human rights lawyer and barrister, originally from Dublin and based in Doughty Street Chambers in London.