UN to examine C case and Irish children's rights

United Nations officials are expected to question the Government on issues raised by the C case at a special UN session next month to examine Ireland's record on children's rights. Senior officials in the Department of Health believe the case will be raised when Ireland makes its first appearance in Geneva before the UN Committee on the Rights of Children.

The C case involved a 13-year-old traveller, pregnant as a result of rape, who wanted an abortion; she was also in the care of the Eastern Health Board at the time.

The 10 human rights specialists on the committee are expected to raise several concerns about Ireland's treatment of children, including the rights of traveller children, child abuse, high rates of early school-leaving, and adoption.

The C case raises specific issues relating to the rights of children in care, travellers' health and the right to life of the unborn.

Children's groups attending the hearing intend to press home their demands for greater protection and promotion of children's needs. An umbrella group, the Children's Rights Alliance, is calling for the Constitution to be amended to give greater prominence to children and their rights.

CRA wants the appointment of an ombudsman for children, and more independent monitoring of child services. In its submission to the committee, it also calls for more resources to deal with child abuse, education, disability and children on hospital waiting lists.

"We are trying to emphasise that although Ireland's record on children's issues is quite good, there is room for improvement," said Ms Madeleine Clarke, chairwoman of CRA.

The most searching questions may focus on Ireland's record on travellers. Up to 80 per cent of traveller children aged 12 to 15 years are not attending school, and the health of these children is demonstrably worse than that of teenagers generally.

The Government response is being co-ordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs, and also involves the Departments of Health, Social Welfare, Education and Justice. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, is expected to lead the delegation at the two-day hearing.

The committee was established in 1991 to monitor the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, said recently, only two countries, the US and Somalia, have not ratified or acceded to the convention.

It sets out a panoply of children's rights over 54 Articles. Every child should have a right to life, and states should ensure to the maximum their survival and development. Primary education should be free and compulsory and disabled children should have the right to special treatment.

Ireland's first national report on compliance with the convention was published in April 1996, more than two years late. This highlighted the progress made in perinatal and infant mortality rates, the implementation of the Child Care Act and greater legal recognition of the rights of children.

Although many states with poor human rights records are signatories of the convention, the hearings before the committee are not a rubber-stamping exercise.