Search

This article examines the ambiguous and uneasy status of separated children in Ireland at the margins of child protection regimes. The treatment and care of separated children in Ireland has been the subject of continuing controversy. For many years, the failure of the state to adequately care for separated children has attracted criticism. This criticism has pointed to continuing gaps in protection and inequities in the standards of care provided. The Ryan Report: Implementation Plan, adopted by the Irish Government in 2009 in response to the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, committed the state to ensuring equity of care in the treatment of separated children. This commitment was a welcome, if long overdue, response to the risks faced by separated children and to the gaps in protection in law, policy and care regimes within the state. It marked a turning point in the state's response to separated children and an acceptance of the obligations of protection arising towards a particularly vulnerable group of children in the care of the state. Much remains to be done, however, to ensure that the state meets its positive obligations of protection towards separated children and to ensure that border norms do not hinder recognition of the vulnerability and rights claims of such children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, there has been a general trend in democratic societies to develop and exploit social capital. Reflecting this trend, a recent policy programme for Northern Ireland, A Shared Future, emphasized the importance of relationship building, both within and across communities, and between communities and statutory organizations. The research presented in this paper explores the potential of social capital as a policy concept and the value of the concept for interpreting community dynamics, devising strategies to enhance community relations and development and ultimately building a more sustainable society post-conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents an exploration into the legal conditions surrounding abortion law in Ireland and the judicial courts of the European Union. The details concerning two cases in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over Ireland's ability to uphold anti-abortion legislature are given. The author presents the argument that Ireland's national laws should be upheld and that the ECHR should not overstep its role in overthrowing Irish jurisprudence.