Gardaí defended in Roma child row

THE journalist who broke the Roma child story last week has defended the actions of the gardai who removed the seven-year-old from her Tallaght home and put her into HSE care for two nights.

As controversy rages in the aftermath of the story that made headlines around the world, Mick McCaffrey of the Sunday World newspaper, who was the first to report on it last Tuesday week, said the gardai had acted in the best interests of the child.

“The gardai took the attitude that it was better to be safe than sorry when they responded to concerns expressed by a member of the public about the girl,

? he told Southside People.

“Had they sat on their hands and not acted they would have been criticised, much the same as the Portuguese police were in the wake of the Maddie McCann case.

“People have criticised them for their actions but I think they were 100 per cent right and it reassured me when they acted as they did.

?

The case of the young girl, who was removed from her family home in Tallaght after gardaí questioned her parents’ ability to prove she was their daughter, has been slammed by various representative groups.

Officers removed the youngster after spending several hours at the Tallaght house on Monday when questions arose over where and when the child had been born.

She has since been reunited with her family after DNA tests definitively proved that she was in fact the couple’s child.

A number of investigations into the case – and that of another two-year-old Roma boy who was also taken into care in Athlone after doubts about his family’s origins – are now underway.

The Pavee Point organisation, which represents Travellers’ interests in Ireland, has called on the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, to establish an independent review of the actions of State authorities after the removal of both Roma children from their families.

“Pavee Point is disturbed that there have been two recent cases of young Roma children being removed from their families as a matter of first resort and not as a matter of last resort that would normally be the case in all but the most extreme child protection cases,

? the organisation stated on its website.

In a statement last week, Minister Fitzgerald confirmed that she had asked Gordon Jeyes, the National Director of Children and Family Services, to provide her with a report on the HSE’s actions in respect of both cases.

The minister added that Mr Jeyes would be meeting with the Garda Commissioner’s office to begin a discussion of the cases and review the actions taken.

“Under Section 12 [of the Childcare Act 1991] a member of the Garda Siochana takes such action when they have reasonable grounds for believing that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child,

? the minister said in a statement.

?

The minister said the use of Section 12 was a power of the gardai

“which is used in very particular circumstances

?.

“It is, by its nature, an exceptionally used power to secure the safety of children,

? the minister stated.

“Along with my colleague, the Minister for Justice, I believe that we must examine the evidence that was used to guide the decision making leading to the removal of the children from these families so that all aspects of the intervention are examined.

?

The Minister for Justice also defended the gardai, stating that they and the HSE had to make very difficult decisions when dealing with issues of child protection.

“They can be open to criticism for either doing something or doing nothing,” Minister Alan Shatter said.

“In the past, for example, the authorities have been criticised for not intervening to protect children at risk.

?

The gardai added that they took seriously all reports concerning child welfare, and takes immediate steps in line with regulations.

Meanwhile, Mr McCaffrey has also defended the media for breaking and highlighting the story after accusations of “tabloid hysteria” were levelled at some newspapers.

The CEO of the Integration Centre, Killian Forde, claimed the decisions to remove the children from their parents were

“based upon tabloid journalism hysteria

?.

“In both cases the

‘reasonable grounds’ for the immediate intervention of the gardaí was that the children did not look stereotypically Roma,

? he said in a statement.

Mr Forde believes the concern for the children was based on negative stereotypes of Roma communities.

However, Mr McCaffrey said it was a legitimate story that needed to be highlighted as it followed concerns expressed by a member of the public in Tallaght about the child’s welfare.

“This was a story of huge national and international significance,

? he said.

“Following the case in Greece, where DNA tests on the girl Maria proved she was not related to the couple who are now being held on charges of abduction and document fraud, any similar story is in the national interest and it is our duty to report it.

?