UCC professor steps down as special rapporteur on child protection after 'hectic' term

Professor Conor O'Mahony, deputy dean of the School of Law at UCC and Special Rapporteur on Child Protection. Picture Tomas Tyner, UCC

UCC professor Conor O' Mahony has announced that he is stepping down as the government's special rapporteur on child protection at the end of his three year term. 

Mr O' Mahony is the director of UCC's Child Care Law Clinic. He took on the role of special rapporteur in 2019, after "careful consideration," he has decided not to seek a second term. 

"Combining the role of Special Rapporteur on Child Protection with a full-time position as a Professor in UCC would be hectic at any time. It was all the more so during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the associated demands of online teaching, caring and family commitments, and everything else that the pandemic threw at us," Mr O' Mahony said today. 

During his term, he produced five reports including three annual reports, a report on children's rights in assisted human reproduction and a report on illegal birth registrations. 

Notably, Mr O'Mahony's report on the practice of illegal birth registrations stated that the state was aware of the scandal "for decades but did not act."

Mr O'Mahony said: "It has been a privilege to have a platform to advocate for improvements in law and policy affecting child protection, and I hope I have used that platform well." 

"I will continue to contribute in my academic role; but I will pass on the baton of Special Rapporteur on Child Protection and shift focus to my commitments in my family and UCC for the immediate future," he added.