Madam, - In the light of the Supreme Court ruling on the unconstitutionality of the law on statutory rape, two things spring to mind: one, that the measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, and two, that you get the Government you deserve.
Sixteen years ago, this problem was flagged, yet successive governments (including Fine Gael) ignored it. So, what does that say about our attitude to children? We Irish purport to love our children, yet we allow a legal loophole to exist that puts them in danger from predatory paedophiles, we put them on school buses with no seatbelts, and we cram them into overcrowded classrooms with substandard toilet facilities.
Children are not just accessories to be fake-tanned and dolled up for Communion Day, or processed through our educational system to fuel our ever-increasing desire for wealth. They deserve to be cherished and protected. For after all, they - not our property, cars, or second home in the sun - are our most precious assets. - Yours, etc,
JOAN McGRANE, Thorndale Drive, Dublin 5.
Madam, - While the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and their team of legislators race to plug the sudden gap in our legal system, the only group moving even faster are the legal representatives of convicted sex offenders.
Several convicted sex offenders are attempting to take swift advantage of a situation which can only be perceived as a sudden decriminalisation of paedophilia, demonstrated by Tuesday's decision that the 41-year-old rapist of a 12-year-old girl be set free.
Common sense dictates that all appeal cases based on this crisis legal situation should be frozen, pending the approval of new legislation, in order to avoid any further abominations. - Yours, etc,
SUSAN COYLE, Lucan, Co Dublin.
Madam, - I heard with dismay of the High Court judgment that a 42-year-old man who had sex with a 12-year-old girl must be released from prison.
This is a very sad day for Irish society and shows both a judicial and political failure. While our law courts' job is to administer the law as set down by politicians, it is the prime duty of our politicians to set down the law to reflect the wishes of society.
This gap in our law has been known about since 1990 and is explicitly the responsibility of the Minister for Justice. This case to the Supreme Court must have been progressing through the system for a number of years, yet no contingency plan seems to have been drawn up.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has now failed on the three items in his job description. There has been no justice done in this case, a 42-year-old man is now more equal than a 12-year-old girl in front of the law and no law reform in this area has been done on his watch.
I begin to wonder about the wisdom of having a lawyer as a Minister for Justice. The legal profession has shown it knows its laws but does not know what justice is. - Yours, etc,
DERMOT REIDY, Sinnottstown Lane, Drinagh, Wexford.
Madam, - As an organisation with over 10,000 female members, 80 per cent under the age of twelve, the Irish Girl Guides must add their voice to those who are outraged that, due to the recent Supreme Court ruling, there is at present no law that protects our members from sexual predators.
How can we as youth leaders, facing a summer of local and regional camp outings, take our precious charges away on such trips, promising parents we will look after them, while there is no law in Ireland that promises the same?
The Irish Girl Guides are planning an international camp for 2007. Invitations have gone out to guiding and scouting organisations around the world, which will be bringing to our shores many girls aged 12. How can we, in all good conscience, stand by that invitation to protect those children when our laws cannot?
As an organisation we are calling on our Government representatives - Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and Minister for Children Brian Lenihan - immediately to enact legislation that will protect our children and give peace of mind to parents, volunteers, and all who are responsible for our most vulnerable citizens. - Yours, etc,
SUSAN GRIFFIN, Public Relations Officer, The Irish Girl Guides, Dublin 4.
Madam, - Bertie Ahern knew nothing, the Minister for Justice and Law Reform knew nothing, his civil servants and advisors knew nothing, the Attorney General knew nothing.
We have one of the best-paid Cabinets in the world who are supposed to know what is going on and all we get is the Homer Simpson defence: "It wasn't me and it was broke when I got there".
Albert Reynolds lost office over something far less serious. At least then it was only one pervert on the loose; now we have Misters A to G, plus whatever cases were pending and any of these perverts could be back in your street any day soon and they will not even have to be on any sex offenders' register.
Do we really have to wait until next year to have an election? - Yours, etc,
JIM FINAN, Curragh, Castlebar, Co Mayo.
Madam, - In the light of the recent Supreme Court and High Court judgments which have resulted in the release of an admitted child rapist and the possible release of others, a number of immediate questions arise in relation to law reform generally and the protections given to children by the State and its organs:
1. Are there more criminal law statutes out there which are likely to be found unconstitutional in the future, with similar disastrous consequences?
2. What rights and protections do our children presently have, not only under the current criminal and civil law but also under the Constitution?
3. When a criminal statute is found unconstitutional, resulting in the release of persons convicted under the statute, should there not be some form of "common sense" provision whereby the rights of others (particularly children) to life, liberty and bodily integrity are required to be taken into account before a judge can make a decision to release, particularly where an appeal is pending?
4. Is it not time now for a fundamental review and codification of the criminal law as an immediate priority?
5. Do we not also urgently need a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the basic fundamental rights of our children? (Apart from the right to education, the only express rights given to children in the Constitution at present would seem to be those afforded to the unborn child.) - Yours, etc,
JULITTA CLANCY, Parsonstown, Batterstown, Co Meath.
Madam, - So the Dáil can be rushed into emergency legislation to stop beef empires collapsing, but not to stop paedophilia? Why do I vote at all? - Yours, etc,
BRIAN M. LUCEY, Sallins Bridge, Co Kildare.