It is possible to protect children from exploitation in a more robust manner than under the current law, without trampling upon fundamental principles of justice and fairness, lawyers will argue today (16 June 2009) at an expert briefing for TDs, Senators and senior civil servants in the Oireachtas AV room from 11.30am.
The briefing, entitled ‘Protecting Children, Respecting the Rule of Law’, will be opened by Mary O’Rourke TD, Chair of the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, and will outline five ways in which pressing child protection concerns can be addressed without undermining the constitutional rights of persons accused of crimes.
The briefing will draw from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties’ (ICCL) latest “options paper”, and will feature the paper’s author, Roisin Webb BL, along with Patrick Gageby, SC, one of Ireland’s leading criminal justice practitioners, and Tom O’Malley, BL, Senior Lecturer at the National University of Ireland.
The briefing and “options paper” are designed assist lawmakers with the delicate task of drawing up the necessary amending legislation. The paper is available to download from the ICCL’s website.
Speaking shortly after the briefing, ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“A referendum is not required to address the issue of strict liability and change to enhance the protection of children in court proceedings should be introduced without any further delay. Constitutional change to give full effect to express rights for children in Irish law is also long overdue. The Joint Committee will return to this thorny subject in the next phase of its work, and the ICCL trusts that it will produce a robust agenda for change, so that Ireland can finally meet its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”