Sir, - Your Editorial and front page reports on the neglect of children at risk and the plight of the young girl in the recent horrific court case, ought to shame the present Government. But I doubt if it will.
Mr Justice Kelly has consistently criticised the authorities on behalf of the many children that come before him, and all to no avail. The Minister of State for Children, Mary Hanafin, appeared on the RTE evening news to wring her hands and express shock and horror at the case. Putting aside her usual hectoring schoolmistress act, she presented an airbrushed image straight out of the charm school employed by Fianna Fail on such occasions.
This particular case simply highlights the scandal surrounding children with problems, whether it is homelessness, substance abuse or truancy. However, it is not simply about numbers. You really begin to see the scale of the problem only when you catch a glimpse of what lies beneath it. The epidemic of emotional damage to children who live in poverty is such that it damns us as a caring society.
Organisations in the voluntary and community sector, such as ours, can affirm the fact that such children see no point in accepting the once-vibrant idea that education is the natural escape route from poverty. Instead they become a statistic to be ignored by the State.
There is ample proof that the children of those living in poverty suffer disorders, such as anxiety, depression, obsessions, clinically significant behaviour disorders and hyperactivity. There are no easy solutions, but it is quite obvious that the systems in place at present have broken down. Is it too much to expect that the infamous Celtic Tiger might spare some milk as nourishment for those at risk? - Yours, etc.
Desmond Graham, Chairperson, Donnycarney Unemployment Action Group, Collins Avenue East, Dublin 5.