Children’s rights must be enshrined in the Constitution

DO children matter in Ireland? The obvious answer and the one that would be given by anyone asked such an obvious question is yes, of course they do.

We value our children. We value childhood. And yet in the years since the last Presidential election Irish society has had to confront uncomfortable truths about our silence in the face of horrific abuse suffered by children in the institutions we condoned and supported. We have been faced with the harsh realities of the ways we failed children who grew up on the margins of our society, neglected, abused and abandoned. Children who died too young because they had little to live for.

In the years since the last Presidential election, we have been richer than at any time in our history and we have suffered the worst recession we have faced to date. We have seen the gap between rich and poor grow exponentially and seen those at the bottom of the economic pile pushed further into deprivation and disadvantage. The recession has not proved an equaliser between the haves and have nots. While it has increased the hardship faced by many, it has been particularly devastating for those living in long-term poverty.