Ireland’s progress in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be examined by the UN this week.  

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) will attend the session in Geneva to highlight the need for urgent action on youth justice and on the recognition of children with a family member in prison in Ireland. 

IPRT is calling for the application of the Irish child justice system to all children, including those who turn 18 while awaiting trial, raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14, and the recognition of children with a family member in prison as a vulnerable group.

Provisions

“Ireland’s Youth Justice Strategy recognised that the 2001 Act’s provisions should apply to the processing of an offence with reference to the age at the time it was committed, irrespective of the age of the young person when the case comes to court, but there has been no further movement in progressing these amendments of the Children Act 2001.” 

The minimum age of criminal responsibility in Ireland of 14 should be made explicit in law without exception, she added.