Family & Life

Andrews Signals Referendum on Children's Rights Unlikely : 21st Aug 08

Irish Government Minister—"The Best Interests of Children is What We're Talking About"

Ireland’s Minister for Children Barry Andrews has signalled that the Government may introduce new laws to strengthen child protection and boost children's rights as an alternative to holding a divisive referendum.

The Government had pledged to hold a referendum following the striking down of the offence of statutory rape by the courts two years ago.

Instead, a range of legislative options which may not need a change to the Constitution are being explored. These include laws which could allow for the sharing of "soft information" relating to suspected sex offenders; to protect young people from sexual assault; and protect young rape victims from adversarial cross-examination.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr Andrews said there was now a "general consensus" that many of these issues could be dealt with by way of legislation.

No formal decision had been made yet over whether a plebiscite will be held and an all-party Oireachtas committee chaired by Mary O'Rourke TD will make recommendations to Government on the issue later this year.

"This isn't about whether to hold a referendum, per se. It's about providing greater protection for children and ensuring children grow up in the best possible environment," Mr Andrews said.

"The best interests of children is what we're talking about. In some cases, that's already in legislation, such as guardianship, childcare and adoption acts. Also, children's rights are already in the Constitution, albeit they are unenumerated."The Irish Times.

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Family & Life

Andrews Signals Referendum on Children's Rights Unlikely : 21st Aug 08

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