Children’s rights under attack in Dublin 1, says Ennis

The plight of children living in emergency accommodation highlights the importance of incorporating the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child into Irish law, according to Social Democrats TD Daniel Ennis.

Ennis, TD for Dublin Central and the party’s spokesperson on children, made his comments after attending his first meeting of the Joint Committee on Children and Equality.

Ennis said, “there nowhere in this country where the rights of the child are more under attack than in Dublin 1. This part of the city – primarily the Gardiner Street area – houses around 10 per cent of the country’s homeless population, including approximately 500 children.”

“Many of these children are living in close proximity to people with a range of complex needs, such as drug addiction.

Ennis noted “at yesterday’s committee meeting, I highlighted how the rights of the child are not being met through the planning and implementation of the crisis measures in Dublin 1.”

“For instance, there are children living in emergency accommodation who not only have no access to play areas or green spaces, they don’t even have anywhere suitable to do their homework.

The Social Democrats TD said “the incorporation of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child into Irish law would mean all legislation would be required to consider the impacts it would have on the rights of children when being written.”

“Things like emergency accommodation measures would have to consider children’s rights – and even provide support to prevent them from entering homelessness in the first place.”

“It’s clear from the Dublin city centre experience that bad planning has led to an overconcentration of services. Incorporation of the UNCRC would compel local authorities to consider children’s rights when planning and managing local services,” he said.

“This was the case when Scotland incorporated the convention in 2024, where guidance and training for all local authorities placed children’s rights front and centre; Ireland must follow a similar pathway when it incorporates the UNCRC into Irish law,” Ennis said.