Rights of children must be recognised, says ISPCC

An amendment to the Constitution that would explicitly recognise the rights of children as citizens will be called for today by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

The charity will also call for "weaknesses" in the current system to vet people seeking to work with children to be overhauled "urgently".

The society will reveal a 10-point plan at its agm in Dublin today laying out what it says should be key priorities for an incoming government on the safety of children.

The plan, titled How can we be sure they're safe?, also calls for a national strategy to prevent child abuse.

"Constitutional recognition of children's rights is fundamental to creating an environment in which children are empowered [ and] respected as individuals," says the plan. It calls for an amendment to Articles 41 and 42 "so as to include a statement of the constitutional rights of the child", and says this must be a "matter of priority".

While progress has been made in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ISPCC says much still needs to be done to show Ireland is committed to it.

Children must be better consulted on matters that directly affect them, says the charity. "The recent debate on the age of consent is one clear example of an issue that children should be consulted on."

While advances have been made in vetting procedures, they are "still inadequate and fall well below the systems in operation in neighbouring countries".

The plan says weaknesses need to be addressed immediately by such measures as extending full Garda vetting to all organisations and individuals with contact with children.

The society also reiterates its call for a full legal ban on slapping.

It is currently gathering signatures for a petition to be sent to all Oireachtas members in the autumn, calling for the urgent implementation of this 10-point plan. People can sign it on the ISPCC website, www.ispcc.ie