On 10 November 2012, the Irish people went to the polls and voted in favour of the 31st amendment to the Constitution to strengthen the constitutional rights of children. The Alliance has been calling for a referendum for some time and we are delighted with the result.
The Alliance is extremely optimistic for the amendment’s potential to progress children’s rights in Ireland. Our attention has now shifted towards actively lobbying for key actions to ensure this. These include:
- advocating for robust legislation to make the new constitutional amendment a reality in law with the widest possible interpretation for children’s rights;
- conducting an audit of Irish law to identify gaps in the recognition and protection of children’s rights in Ireland not covered by the constitutional amendment and proposals for addressing these gaps to inform, inspire and impact upon future legislation;
- lobbying for a legally accountable, well-resourced and strong Child and Family Support Agency that would be responsible for providing child protection services as well as adequate resources to give effect to the various other aspects of the amendment;
- commissioning a paper to identify the best way to provide children’s rights training to judges and key decision-makers; and
- calling upon the Constitutional Convention (the public forum examining the Constitution) to examine the right to equality under the Constitution.
What Now?
The full impact of the Supreme Court judgment in the McCrystal case of December 2012, in which the Court found that parts of the Government’s referendum information materials and advertisements breached the McKenna principles, remains to be seen. The case is expected to be heard in the High Court in April 2013.
Learn More
- Summary Explanation of Amendment Wording
- Short Guide to the Children’s Referendum
- Nóta Treorach maidir le Reifreann na Leanaí
- Analysis of the Children’s Amendment
- Note on the Children’s Referendum and Disability
- Background Material to the Children’s Referendum
- Guide to Amendment with a focus on adoption
You can go to the 'Irish Constitution' section of Resources, for a comprehensive listing of all our publications in relation to our nearly 20-year campaign for constitutional reform.