Ombudsman: Amendment makes State more accountable

FOR Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan, the children’s rights referendum has been quite a while in coming.

Her office was established in 2004 and her first submission to the Oireachtas in January of the following year stated that the Constitution needed to be strengthened, and that there was a clear need to enhance the rights of children. The following year then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern announced that a referendum would be held and then… well, not a lot.

Now that referendum day looms, she says that while the proposed amendment could have been stronger — “of course it could have been stronger” — she feels the carefully drafted wording means it will improve the lot of children in a number of ways, some of which may not be apparent right now.