Frances Fitzgerald: Child beauty pageants are theft of childhood

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.

Senator Jillian van Turnhout’s motion condemning the holding of child beauty pageants in Ireland received a unanimous backing when it went before the Seanad, where Ms Fitzgerald said she wanted Ireland to be “a cold house for child pageants”.

Ms Fitzgerald said she hoped legislation banning pageants would not be necessary, but stressed her opposition to them. Texan company Universal Royalty staged a beauty pageant in Co Monaghan last year and has pledged to hold three more in this country in 2014.