Child Poverty- Flowery Words won’t tackle it  says Crowe

Sinn Féin Deputy Seán Crowe has welcomed the publication of proposed wording of the Constitutional Amendment on Children and called on the Government to deliver a strategy to tackle increasing levels of child poverty. The Dublin South West TD also called on them to make a commitment to child proof December’s budget.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“Publication of the proposed wording for the Children’s Referendum is  a significant step towards enshrining children’s rights in the Irish Constitution.

“However the reality of life for many children in this State is a world away from the aspirations in the proposed Constitutional Amendment.

“Over 100,000 Irish children live in poverty. This number has increased in recent years as a result of the austerity policies of this Government and its predecessors in Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.

“If Labour and Fine Gael parties are serious about making the best interests of the child paramount then they need to produce a realsitic strategy to end child poverty.

“Fine Gael and Labour need to give a  public commitment that there will be no unfair measures in December’s Budget which will put an added burden on low and middle income  families and  force more children into  poverty.

“Children’s charity Barnardos has warned that greater cuts to Social Welfare and public services will only lead to further hardship and greater incidences of poverty and deprivation for Irish children.