Child protection: Better late than never

The generosity in the consoling line — better late than never — is stretched to its utmost by the fact that it has taken 21 years to introduce child protection legislation. They are, even if tremendously overdue, more than welcome.

The neglect and abuse of children in this society was rightly called the Irish Holocaust and we can never forget those cruelties, lest they be repeated.

Introducing the Children First Bill, Frances Fitzgerald, the children’s minister, said it is now obligatory for certain people to report incidents of harm, and the risk of harm, to the Child and Family Agency. This is more than welcome, even if the State has recently shown a certain antipathy towards whistleblowers.