January / February 2010
Parents across Northern Ireland are being forced to resort to costly and time-consuming legal action to secure the rights of their children due to the absence of legally-binding protection in a Bill of Rights, an international expert on children’s rights will say today (Wednesday 3rd February).
Speaking at a major event organised by the Children’s Law Centre and Save the Children, Dr Ursula Kilkelly will highlight the consequences of ignoring the rights of children in the proposed Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
Dr Kilkelly said:
“By failing to grasp the unique opportunity presented by the Bill of Rights to make the best interests of children a paramount consideration in the development of legislation, policy and service provision we will miss a critical opportunity to ensure the adequate and effective protection of our children’s rights. This will mean that desperate parents will continue to be forced to take extreme measures including legal action to secure their children’s rights”.
The conference will outline the pressing need for a Bill of Rights which secures the best possible legal protections for children.
The conference will address issues including:
• guaranteeing to all children a decent standard of education, health and accommodation,
• the right to family life and care, and
• the child’s right to participate in decision making
Our recent conflict continues to have a profound impact on the lives of our children, a legacy which it was envisaged the Bill of Rights would address and protect against future denials of children’s rights.
Ms. Paddy Kelly, Director of the Children’s Law Centre stated:
“Children’s lives in Northern Ireland are manifestly different to those of their peers in England, Scotland and Wales. There is considerable evidence which demonstrates how children’s lives have been blighted as both a direct and indirect result of the conflict; one has only to consider the mental health needs of children and young people here and the paucity of child and adolescent mental health services. Despite this the current proposals from the NI Secretary of State Shaun Woodward make no specific provisions for children and young people”.
The specially-arranged conference will also hear how the Northern Ireland Office as a minimum needs to urgently revisit the Human Rights Commission’s statutory advice to government with regards to the protection of children and young people’s rights.
The conference comes ahead of the March 1 deadline for submissions to the public consultation on a Bill of Rights currently being held by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward. The Children’s Law Centre and Save the Children are urging all those who care about children and young people in Northern Ireland to respond to the Northern Ireland Office’s consultation demanding the maximum protection for children’s rights in the Bill of Rights.
The conference is to take place on WEDNESDAY 3RD FEBRUARY at CHILDREN IN NORTHERN IRELAND, UNIT 9, 40 MONTGOMERY ROAD, BELFAST at 2.30PM