CALL TO CLARIFY RIGHTS OF GALWAY ASYLUM SEEKER CHILDREN UNDER PROPOSED AMENDMENT

Date Published: 03-Oct-2012

A Galway Senator has called for clarification on the future rights of asylum seeker children based at the city’s Lisbrook House, and those within the direct provision system nationwide.

Sinn Fein’s Trevor O’Clochartaigh raised the matter in the Seanad this week as part of a discussion on the Children’s Referendum.

The Government published the wording for the proposed amendment to the Constitution to protect children’s rights, last month.

Ireland will go to the polls on Saturday November 10th.

The city’s Lisbrook asylum centre was due to close with the resulting relocation of 270 residents, including 100 children, to other centres nationwide and the loss of 24 jobs.

However this operation stalled after the Minister of Justice last month directed that no transfers take place until a consideration process of the case background in complete.

Speaking in the seanad, Senator O’Clochartaigh questioned how the wording of the referendum would affect the rights of the children in direct provision in the Galway centre.