Eugene Duffy

A child protection tweet which you should share widely. The Taoiseach complained on Tuesday about recent library protests. He added that ‘it is a very dangerous thing to see in any country that people want to take away books or burn books or remove knowledge.’ Unfortunately, he did not seek to address the causes of the protests, nor how easy these might be remedied for the good of all. Libraries play an important community role. Possibly unknown to many people there was a public consultation on a new public library strategy open from 8 June to 9 July by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys T.D. A narrow, poorly-advertised window, one might say. Although technically it is late, people who are unhappy with the current library service should voice their views by way of a late submission. I am sure any public consultation on a public service would be very open to such submissions from ordinary members of the public, especially when these are polite. But please don’t leave it too late, if you have a concern. If you do nothing you can be sure that things will get worse, not better. So do get your submission in NOW. The public library system states that it is ‘fundamentally a resource for families’. If you consider that this is not so, you should state that. For example, if you think that books in the ‘young adult’ section (age 12+) are inappropriate, have sexually explicit material or break standard child protection guidelines, you should say so. If as a parent, you have no say in what should be available or not available for children you should ask for a say. The NGOs who may not represent you certainly have their say. Has your local library a parents’ committee to review what is available to children? Have you expertise that you could provide to the library service? People’s children are their most valuable resource – taking time out to send an email or letter like this is certainly part of the duty of care to them. The consultation required that you complete a questionnaire which is no longer available on the website. The questionnaire may still be available in your library. However, I am sure the library service would appreciate any comments they receive by email or post and will reflect on these in their review. Please be proactive and send that email or letter or submission today. The public should have its say. In matters concerning children nothing should be shrugged off as a waste of time. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] or posted to Libraries Development Unit, Local Government House, D08 XKP7 PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS POST WIDELY.

To understand legislation it is always useful to trace it back to its beginnings. A strange thing about a number of the key sticking points in the ‘Hate Speech’ Bill is that their origins are shrouded in mystery. First there is the absence of a definition of ‘hatred’: the reason for that remains hidden in the bowels of the Attorney General’s office (All external pointers were towards a definition, but according to Minister Helen McEntee, the AG's Office said no to including a definition). Then there is the weird and dangerous definition of ‘gender’ - a ‘future-proofing’ definition according to Minister Simon Harris to incriminate people in future for crimes nobody has dreamed up yet. This definition of “gender” appeared from nowhere, fully formed, you might say. It goes against all previous understandings or definitions of gender in Irish law. Then there is a supposed freedom of expression protection, manufactured to appease, yet adding very little to what was previously contained in the Bill. So much ‘consultation’, so little transparency, and so few supporters, yet this serious governmental overreach remains on the table. Please lobby your government TDs and senators hard, hard hard this summer against this Bill in its current form.

A UCD study published last week said researchers encountered multiple cases where girls in State care were ‘being coerced or enticed to provide sex acts to multiple men.’ The report’s author described the findings as ‘harrowing’ and ‘hugely disturbing'. We also know that an average of eight unaccompanied minors (refugees) go missing annually from registered children’s homes. Given that prostitution is a major motor of international trafficking this statistic is also hugely disturbing. The government silence so far on this scandal is astounding. The needs of all children must be a top priority of the Minister for Children.