Frances Fitzgerald: Child beauty pageants are theft of childhood

Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald has condemned child beauty pageants as “the theft of childhood”, as a senator warned she would seek an outright ban if the events continue to be staged.

Senator Jillian van Turnhout’s motion condemning the holding of child beauty pageants in Ireland received a unanimous backing when it went before the Seanad, where Ms Fitzgerald said she wanted Ireland to be “a cold house for child pageants”.

Ms Fitzgerald said she hoped legislation banning pageants would not be necessary, but stressed her opposition to them. Texan company Universal Royalty staged a beauty pageant in Co Monaghan last year and has pledged to hold three more in this country in 2014.

“The very words ‘child beauty pageant’ leave a coppery taste in the mouth,” the minister said.

“Most of us believe that it is totally wrong to promote participation, for financial gain, in a contest where little children are judged and turned into winners or losers based, not on skill they have learned or ability they can prove, but on how ‘glammed up’ their parents can make them.

“Catapulting little girls and boys into a sexuality for which they are neither physically nor cognitively ready is a form of theft. It is the theft of childhood. And for the theft of childhood, no form of restorative justice exists. Once stolen, it is gone forever.”

Ms Van Turnhout’s private member’s motion contained a call “on all stakeholders to be resolute in opposing child beauty pageants in Ireland”. She alsoinvited the Dáil to pass a similar motion.

It follows the French Senate passing an amendment last September banning the organising of beauty pageants for children under 16, with penalties for breaking the law resulting in up to two years in prison and up to €30,000 in fines.

In her speech Ms Fitzgerald said: “It is noted that legislative proposals in France on banning pageants ran into difficulties in light of criticisms regarding the vagueness around the specifics of what types of events were addressed. I hope we won’t have to go there in Ireland.”

Ms Van Turnhout said: “Let’s hope common sense will prevail”, adding that she had received more correspondence from parents on this issue than any other.

“It is a really important time for us to protect childhood,” she said.

The minister also said the Centre for Effective Services will carry out a review of other countries’ responses to issues such as the staging of child beauty pageants and sale of age-inappropriate clothing.

She said another research project being conducted by University College Cork looking at the impact of commercialisation and sexualisation of children in Ireland would be published before summer.