Scathing indictment of removal

The lengthy and keenly anticipated report by Children’s Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly is a scathing indictment of the traumatic, distressing, humiliating and wrongful removal by gardaí of two Roma children from their families in Ireland after a wave of panic swept across Europe when a blonde, blue-eyed girl named Maria was found hiding in an encampment in Greece.

It is clear that international suspicions of abduction fuelled the Irish controversy involving a two-year-old boy who the gardaí temporarily removed from his family and a seven-year-old girl taken from her family and who has since dyed her hair to avoid being taken again. But while Maria turned out not to be the daughter of her purported parents, in both Irish cases the persistent claims by the parents to be the real fathers and mothers were upheld, proving physical differences do not mean abduction.

In a refreshing twist, the report found no evidence to suggest ethnic profiling is institutional within the gardaí, though it is seen as a contributory factor leading to the children being taken into care. Worryingly, gardaí had no training for dealing with the Roma but had long experience of child protection and acted in good faith.

Another serious error was the Garda failure to critically evaluate the information about the children and the families in question.

Essentially, the Logan report is an independent, comprehensive and incisive review of how this sorry affair was handled by the authorities here. The Irish Roma community represents a tiny fraction of Europe’s 10 million-strong minorities. Regrettably, they are the most discriminated-against of all minorities, according to the Council of Europe, and are generally viewed with suspicion.

But along with other countries, Ireland has a track record of seeing the Roma in racist terms. Indeed, right across the EU they are associated with organised street begging gangs and have been investigated by Interpol in child-trafficking cases, a problem they acknowledge.

Apologies have now been made, and rightly so, to the two Roma families at the centre of this controversy both by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald. According to the minister, who met both families yesterday, “every one of us can and must play a role in tackling stereotypes”. She will be measured by her pledge to spearhead a more dynamic and effective approach to Roma integration in Ireland, promising a new culture of compensation with the Roma community and Traveller interests. The concept of creating a multi-department action group to oversee the implementation of the Logan report is a significant first step in the right direction.

Changing public perceptions of the Roma will not be as easy as uttering ministerial promises. How this government delivers on its commitment to fully implement the recommendations of the Logan report will be a fundamental test of its resolve. No minority group should be targeted for child protection issues. Despite the outcome, people should continue reporting child protection suspicions because, first and foremost, the welfare and safety of children is paramount.