Readers' Blog: Katherine Zappone should apologise to Scouting Ireland
“Disgraceful” is the most descriptive word I can think of to describe the attack by the Minister for Children Katherine Zappone on Scouting Ireland.
Her inflammatory remarks somehow suggest that every Scout Leader cannot be trusted, and even when parents accompany their children on Scouting trips, in her eyes they must be questioned if they are trustworthy or capable of minding children.
Somehow, Zappone along with Tusla think that there are no child safety measures within the Scouting organisation, and even if there are safeguards, they are not good enough – simply because Tusla doesn’t have controlling interest over the organisation.
While the Scouting organisation has had cases of child-abuse in the past, these are being dealt with by the Gardaí, and it’s fair to say that every Scout leader was horrified to learn that they had taken place.
When these cases came to light Scouting Ireland put new safety measures in place to ensure the protection and welfare of all children into the future.
But these measures aren’t just limited to the Scouts, in fact they have been implemented in every sporting and cultural organisation in the country, along with in schools, and various State bodies.
It is fair to say that a child is as equally safe on a Scouting trip, as they are on a trip organised by a school or any other organisation within Ireland.
The reality is that 99.9% of children have had a very positive experience within Scouting in Ireland.
The Scouts have provided an invaluable social organisation which engages children in outdoor activities, ranging from camping, hill-walking, canoeing and a host of other physical activities, that have helped build positive characteristics in our nation’s children.
Maybe it’s time Katherine Zappone resigned from her position of Minister for Children and let someone who is a parent and who has children take over. Her scaremongering has no place in Irish politics.
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