Green Party’s children policy aims to reunite immigrant families

THE Green Party said up to 15,000 children from non-EU countries should be allowed entry into Ireland to be reunited with their parents who have permission to work here.

The party’s children policy, launched yesterday, suggested legislation should allow for a worker who has secured an employment permit to be reunited with their family within three months of arrival here.

The party’s justice and equality spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe said: “This is a real problem that people coming to Ireland face. While they may be able to get work and live in Ireland, their families and their partners are often left behind.

“We want to ensure that they are reunited within three months.”

The party said if it was in Government, it would hold a referendum to amend the Constitution to include specific rights of children.

This has already been called for by the Ombudsman for Children Emily

Logan, as well as the Children’s Rights Alliance and the ISPCC.

“With over 170 different nationalities living and working in Ireland, it’s vital that we take action to ensure that every child, irrespective of their background, feels valued and respected,” said Mr Cuffe.

“In Government the Green Party would take action to ensure children seeking asylum are taken out of the adult application process as called for by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and ensure leave to remain is granted to aged out minors so that these individuals can continue with their lives without fear of deportation.”

He said immigrant children must be valued.

“I’ve met many of these people, they are young people, aged 16,17,18, who live in constant fear of being deported,” he said. “Yet they are making an incredible contribution to the cultural, social and sporting life on this island. It’s simply is immoral that these children are living daily in fear — this has to change.”

The party also said it would lower the age of voting to 16, first for local elections and then moving to general elections.

Social and family affairs spokesman Dan Boyle said the proposal would make participation in politics “the norm” for young people. It would mean that “Irish politics would be irrevocably changed”, he said.

The policy document also contained proposals to require developers to build more facilities for children in residential areas.

Green Party’s childcare spokesperson, councillor Bronwen Maher, said: “We want to see well planned communities with a variety of childcare arrangements. We also want to see access to school by foot and bicycle and quality recreational facilities for children and young people.”