Is referendum an attempt to divert us from the crisis?

Who exactly decided we need a referendum on children’s right’s at this present moment?

Do we seriously need to pull off a fiscal project allegedly ‘protecting’ the rights of our children, and what exact ‘rights’ will be protected that aren’t already being protected now? Or is this yet another attempt to divert the Irish populace from more immediate problems, such as our current political and socio-economic crisis?

This proposed change to our constitution will do nothing more to increase child protection than is already being done. In fact, the erosion of family rights should cause rightful concern.

Between 2000 and 2010, 512 unaccompanied minors went missing from state care. Only 72 of them have been found. Our Social Services still can’t cope with the burden of work already on its shoulders. Calls from child interest groups and social workers themselves for increased social worker numbers and 24 hour on-call social workers weren’t met in the past, and now can’t be met for the foreseeable future.

Methinks the money being spent on this insane referendum should be going to increasing the amount of Social Workers so desperately needed to protect the already existing rights of children.

Florence Horsman

Hogan

Shankill

Co Dublin