A total review of Irish family law is needed to protect the rights of children, a fathers' rights group said today.
The Unmarried and Separated Fathers of Ireland claimed Constitutional reform was well overdue to create a protective and fair judicial system.
The campaign group was holding a conference at Citywest in Dublin to form policy to lobby for more rights for fathers.
Mr Donnacha Murphy, secretary of the group, said the delegates heard it was time for additional laws to protect families, not just fathers.
The group called for:
A total review of family law to create a child centred approach
Reform of in camera rules as new proposals do not go far enough
Compulsory mediation ahead of any court cases to decide on family matters
Specific training for the legal profession in family law.
The Facing the Challenge conference also heard claims that unmarried fathers were the most discriminated group in Irish society because they had no rights as the law stood.
Speakers at the conference included family law expert Mr Geoffrey Shannon who called for law reform, and The Irish Times journalist, John Waters, who said a father's right to love their children had been taken away. He added that the child's right to love their father could also be removed at the discretion of a court.
It is the first national summit bringing together support and community groups and policy makers to debate the role of fathers in the family.
Funded by the Department of Social and Family Affairs the event marks the 10th anniversary of the 1994 UN Year of the Family.
The group also demanded a full implementation of the United Nations Human Rights Convention claiming that Ireland was still in breach of much of it.
The group is campaigning for the changes to existing legislation on Family Law, and to the structure and behaviour of the legal profession and judiciary. - (PA)