WIDESPREAD homophobia was yesterday blamed for a “chilling” level of suicide among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) teenagers.

COUPLES wanting to start a family are being asked to pay up to €45,000 to adopt children from abroad.

COUPLES eager to adopt foreign children are facing delays of five years, because of a bottleneck in waiting lists.

GAY and lesbian teenagers are being forced to leave school because they are being bullied over their sexual orientation, an expert claimed yesterday.

A €24m study set to benefit future generations of children was today launched by Minister Brian Lenihan.

THE Government is to track the progress of 18,000 children over the next seven years to help inform future policy on services for young people.

CHILDREN as young as five are caring for their ill or disabled parents, a Barnardos report revealed yesterday.

CALLS to Childline about sexual issues and physical abuse increased by 72% last year, but four out of five calls went unanswered.

CHILDREN are most likely to suffer severe brain injury as a result of road traffic accidents, especially as pedestrians, according to new research.

AN alarming rise in child sexual assaults for the first three months of this year is just “the tip of the iceberg” support group and counselling service Children At Risk in Ireland (CARI) said yesterday.

THE so-called war against drugs is unwinnable and campaigns to persuade young people to say no to drugs have largely failed, a leading children’s expert said yesterday.