Set date now for Children's Right's Referendum, group demands

The Children's Right's Alliance is calling on the Government to set a date for the Children's Right's Referendum as soon as possible.

Today marks National Children's Day. The group is using the occasion to highlight the fact that the rights of Irish children are still not enshrined in our constitution.

Last week, the Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald admitted that work on the wording of the constitutional amendment is now underway, but a date for the referendum has still not been set.

Chief executive of the Children's Rights Alliance Senator Jillian Van Turnhout said: "Nineteen years ago today, Ireland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In order to fully incorporate this into Irish law, we need to strengthen children's rights in the Irish Constitution.

"We want this to happen without delay. We want Ireland to be one of the best places in the world to be a child."