Madam, - According to the Department of Justice, 31 immigrant children who arrived unaccompanied in Ireland last year and were placed in State care have disappeared. It is feared that some of these children may have been trafficked into the sex industry. In all, 441 children in HSE care went missing between 2000 and 2007, with 388 still unaccounted for (The Irish Times, May 16th and 19th)
It seems to me there is something seriously wrong with our response as a nation to this dreadful situation. Is it because these children are not Irish that this story has not received main headline coverage in all news media; that the Garda has not launched high-profile, nationwide searches for them and for the criminals who have taken them; that the Government has not fired those responsible for their care?
The scale of this tragedy suggests gross incompetence or criminal negligence. I believe that all necessary State resources should be used immediately to find these children, keep them safe and well, and ensure that no more immigrant children in the care of the State go missing. Surely, the safety and welfare of children, wherever they come from, must be the top priority of the new Minister for Justice and his colleagues. - Yours, etc,
MARK DUGGAN, Templeogue, Dublin 6W.