The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) has called for a constitutional referendum to protect children’s rights.
The group welcomed the news that the Government is to draft urgent legislation that will let the State collect and share information about people who pose a sexual risk to children, but who have not been prosecuted.
That move follows a unanimous recommendation from the all-party Oireachtas Committee on Child Protection, chaired by former Fianna Fáil minister Mary O'Rourke. However, the committee has not recommended a referendum on the wider issue of children’s rights.
The ISPCC’s Advocacy Manager Mary Nicholson said the decision to introduce vetting was welcomed. “It will undoubtedly enhance the protection of children in Ireland.
“However, the ISPCC strongly believe that this legislation needs to be underpinned by and firmly embedded in the Constitution,” she added.
ISPCC Director of Services Caroline O'Sullivan said the group had been calling for such provisions for a number of years “and we now urge the Committee to take on the wider issues as set out in their initial remit, a Constitutional Amendment to ensure children's rights are promoted and protected".
Up to now, the Garda Síochána's vetting unit has access to criminal records before deciding on whether someone is fit to work with children.
However, gardaí, health and social workers and members of the public face the risk of legal action if they pass on well-founded but unproven suspicions that individuals could pose a threat. For over five years, the Government has said that such so-called "soft" information could only be shared among State agencies if the Constitution was changed first.
In June, however, Minister of State for Children Barry Andrews said Attorney General Paul Gallagher had decided that it could be done by legislation, without changing the Constitution.
