On the occasion of the Alliance Symposium on 2 April 2009 entitled Children's Rights in Ireland: Are We The Yet, President Mary McAleese speaks about the history of Ireland's children, their voices, their future and the roles of all sectors of society to protect and promote their wellbeing.
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On the occasion of the Alliance Symposium on 2 April 2009 entitled Children's Rights in Ireland: Are We The Yet, Alliance Chief Executive, Jillian van Turnhout, speaks about the history of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, government's continuing poor performance in providing appropriate service to children and the need for constitutional reform to give children the legal status to which they are entitled.
Acclaimed educator Phil Beadle talks to Children's Rights Alliance CEO, Jillian van Turnhout about an education system in the UK that mirrors our own. He slams the system that has ‘dumped and ghettoised’ working-class children and believes that the quality of education is determined by the status that the child is born with.
Listen to our CEO, Jillian van Turnhout, talk about the Report Card 2009's key recommendations. Justice Catherine McGuinness (a member of Report Card 2009's assessment panel) offers her personal perspective with a focus on investment in health and education. Allian Chair, Noirín Hayes, concludes the Report Card launch addressing Government's 'E' grade in early childhood education.
Click here to read the transcript for the Report Card 2009 launch.
Paul Gilligan, Director of St. Patrick's Hospital and former Chief Executive of the ISPCC talks about his book 'Keeping Your Child Safe', a manual that empowers parents and helps them feel more secure about their children and their safety. He also talks about the need to enshrine children's rights in the COnstitution.
Abolishing corporal punishment of children calls for action at different levels. It requires comprehensive changes in legislation and new policy measures to ensure proper implementation and guidance for those working with children and families. It also requires comprehensive awareness raising to inform the public about children's human rights and to change attitudes and behaviours.
On 15 June in Zagreb, Coratia, the Council of Europe launched its Europe-wide initiative against corporal punishment of children.
Father Peter McVerry is the guest speaker for our second podcast. Peter has been working with Dublin’s homeless young people for more than 30 years and is a board member of the Children’s Rights Alliance. He talks about his work with homeless young people, the benefits of placing people and children at the centre of the economy, his involvement with the Children’s Rights Alliance, and why children’s rights support parents and families.
The podcast is a fitting tribute to the 15th anniversary of Ireland’s ratification of the Convention. Alliance founder members, Dr Nóirín Hayes and Margaret Burns, look back at the events of 1992 and to the lack of attention given to the Convention, particularly in the media, in comparison to today’s Ireland. UNICEF’s Melanie Verwoerd also offers a global perspective.
Alliance Animation on the Convention on the Rights of the Child