Missing children - Where have they gone?

IT is hard to comprehend much less accept that in the last nine years 496 children, mostly non-nationals, entrusted to the care of the state have gone missing. The majority, 434, have not been traced.

If these were Irish children we would be outraged and demand that something be done. The Ryan report showed us what happens when children are forgotten.

Our concerns are deepened by the claims made by the Children’s Rights Alliance and the Refugee Council that we are ignoring a “modern slave traffic” right under our nose.

Once we might have imagined that Ireland was not involved in the sordid business of human trafficking, but we can no longer indulge that idea. Each of us must do all we can to end this inhuman business.