Justice Delayed...

It was a welcome development this week to hear the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, call for urgent constitutional change in order to ensure that future legislation protects the rights of children as a priority.

The Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, set up in 2007, concluded its work in February of this year with the publication of its third and final report calling for a new article to be inserted into the Constitution which gives express recognition to the rights of children as individuals.

The current provisions in the Constitution that relate to children are reflective of the period that they were written - 1937. In 2010, we have over 70 years of evolved thinking about children's rights behind us and need to amend the Constitution to mirror that. Though the work done by the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children has been a massive step forward, any amendment must encapsulate the principles enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified by Ireland in 1992) if children's rights are to be truly realised and protected in Ireland.

As yet, there is still no definitive timeframe for the necessary referendum. The Government needs to listen to Ms Logan, The Children's Rights Alliance and all other interested parties and once and for all set a date.