The exclusion of children from the Gender Recognition Bill 2014 has been described by Independent Senator Jillian van Turnhout as fundamentally wrong.

More than 3,000 children who called Childline last year had serious mental health needs and more than 500 were described as being “in crisis”, it has emerged.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar should "unequivocally" say whether he supports a drinks industry-funded alcohol awareness campaign after claims the initiative is a "smokescreen" to take the political focus away from wider legal reforms.

Experts are concerned at the emergence of an online retail market selling sexualised images, either extorted from children or taken from photographs and videos, voluntarily uploaded by minors onto social network sites.

Around 3,000 children known to be in serious danger of neglect, physical abuse or sexual abuse have no dedicated social worker, it has emerged.

Far too many sexual crimes are committed in our society with impunity, the head of the country’s biggest rape crisis agency has said.

More than 3,000 high-priority children known to be in immediate danger of serious neglect or abuse have no dedicated social worker.

Health Minister James Reilly has agreed to fasttrack legislation to ban people smoking in cars carrying children after the Seanad passed the statute some two years after the initiative began.

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.

The Law Society of Ireland has defended its stance on proposed legislation which would introduce plain packaging for all tobacco products amid accusations that it has sided with tobacco manufacturers on the issue.

At least 16 children are awaiting a special care placement and the actual figure could be as high as 40, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald heard yesterday.

Senator Jillian Van Turnhout says the Health Service Executive must respond to last night's Prime Time programme, which showed widespread breaches of HSE regulations at child care centres across the country.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has seen off a rebellious Seanad vote against her budget measures despite opposition from independent senators.

Ireland’s most vulnerable children, including those with disabilities, will be protected if voters back the upcoming children’s rights referendum, campaign groups have claimed.

Campaigners against child abuse material available online are calling on the Department of Justice to bring in a range of measures, including laws to combat internet access to images of children of a sexual nature.

The Government has voted down a proposal by independent senators that would have required receipts to be produced to claim the leader’s allowance.

SENATOR and children’s rights activist Jillian van Turnhout received abusive and racist phone messages and emails after deciding not to back David Norris’s bid for the Áras.

THE second progress update on implementing the Ryan report’s recommendations has been published by Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

Senator Jillian van Turnhout of the Children's Rights Alliance has said the Cloyne abuse report highlights how children were "continually failed" by adults.

IRELAND languishes among the bottom of the league of EU states when it comes to tackling child trafficking, a public talk on the issue was told last night.

FEARS of a further reduction in child benefit have increased after Children’s Minister Barry Andrews refused to rule out cutting the payment in the upcoming budget.

Child sex traffickers are increasingly turning to Ireland as a gateway into Britain, a report claimed today.

THE Government has slumped to a D grade average in a review of its policies on children from a coalition of 90 groups around the country, who described the Government’s performance as “barely acceptable”.

CHILDREN with mental health issues are being failed at almost every turn, according to the newly formed Children’s Mental Health Coalition which was launched yesterday.

THE drinks industry is playing far too big a role in shaping alcohol policy, allowing it to produce advertising that targets very young people, an international conference has been told.

THE Garda body responsible for the vetting of people working with children is in urgent need of more staff after dealing with a record 218,404 applications last year.

The criminal justice system must be radically overhauled to give more protection to child sex abuse victims, it was claimed today.

THE Government is to scrap the Early Childcare Supplement by the end of the year and the e1,000 annual payment will be halved from May.

ALMOST half of parents believe it would be an “absolute financial disaster” for their families if child benefit is cut in next week’s budget, a survey has revealed.

PROTESTERS, the Children’s Rights Alliance and the Ombudsman for Children expressed disappointment leaving Geneva last night without pinning down the Government on when it will substantially revise its children’s policy.

AN emergency Europe-wide hotline for children in trouble will kick-off a more child-centred policy that the European Union plans to adopt over the coming months.

THE legal loophole which allowed ‘Mr A’ to walk free from court despite having sex with a 12-year-old girl is symptomatic of the Government’s inaction on children’s rights, according to the authors of a major new report which will be presented to the UN.

FAILURE to adequately assess the threats an Irish-born child may face on deportation could lead to future lawsuits against the State, a children’s rights group has warned.

Up to 500 Irish children could be forced to leave the country if their immigrant parents are deported, it was claimed today.