DISCUSSIONS ON a constitutional amendment to guarantee the rights of children will resume in the coming weeks in the Oireachtas Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children.
Its chairwoman Mary O'Rourke said yesterday that the committee would present its report to the Government on the criminal law aspects of its deliberations next week, following its next meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
At that meeting the committee will hear a report from its legal adviser, Shane Murphy SC, on the results of its deliberations on the reform of the criminal law with regard to abuse of children and the need for a constitutional amendment in this area.
This follows the "C" case, where the Supreme Court struck down the crucial section of the 1935 Criminal Law (Amendment) Act prohibiting sex with underage girls, because it did not provide for a defence of honest mistake concerning the age of the girl.
When it has considered the report from Mr Murphy and made its recommendations to the Government, the committee will then turn its attention to the broader issue of the rights of children in the Constitution, Ms O'Rourke told The Irish Times.
"We need to get stuck into the child-protection side," she said. "Children are not being looked after."
Representatives of eight organisations have welcomed remarks from Ms O'Rourke.
"We eagerly await the final report from this committee due in April and call again for a referendum to insert specific children's rights into the Constitution," said the statement by Barnardos, the Children's Rights Alliance, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, the ISPCC, the National Youth Council, One in Four, Rape Crisis Network Ireland and Youth Work Ireland.
"Our children deserve no less than the right to be protected and to a childhood free from abuse."