TY Blog Post: How the rise of the far-right in Ireland has children’s rights implications

All issues, whether related directly to children or not, have an impact on the rights of young people. The rise of the far-right in Ireland however, has a perilous impact on children’s rights.

As we have all seen as of late, the rise of the far-right has taken Ireland by storm. Many would ask how this directly affects children’s rights, and unbeknownst to some, it actually has a distinct impact on how children in Ireland are treated.

All children in Ireland, whether born here or not, are protected by the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. What this means, is that Ireland aims to protect and carry out all measures proposed in this convention, and has declared to protect the rights of children. But many would argue that Ireland does not fully protect children’s rights. And the rise of the far-right only makes this issue worse.

Hate speech and hate crimes against minority groups are a huge part of the dangers of far-right groups. Many of these people are targeting asylum seekers, people of colour, and immigrants. They believe that “Ireland is full” and that Ireland should not support people coming into the country. Yet this directly contradicts the UNCRC. Article 22 says that “You have the right to special protection and help if you are a refugee (if you have been forced to leave your home and live in another country).” If the rise of the far right continues, and a far-right ideology controls or influences our government, the implementation of the UNCRC will be threatened.

Furthermore, the ideologies presented by these individuals can influence the thoughts of our young people. On the night of the Dublin riots, we saw that some rioters were in fact children. These young people have no idea how detrimental the implications of their actions are. We must stop hate speech which can influence young people to commit detrimental crimes.

As a child, you have a right to your own opinion, and you have a voice. Yet you must use that voice and that privilege for the right reasons. Article 13 of the UNCRC applies that you have the right to express yourself freely and share what you think, unless it harms or offends other people. So while you can share your views, you must not say things that harm or offend others, which is exactly what the far right are currently doing. The hate that is given to those who are not born in Ireland, or those who may come to live here, is hard to fathom. Those living in Direct Provision are especially targets for the hatred of the far-right. Protests against Direct Provision centres are fuelled by aversion, and we have seen many buildings intended for use to accommodate asylum seekers burned down in recent months. This must stop, as this has direct and indirect impacts upon the rights of children.

According to article 12 of the UNCRC, you have the right to give your opinion and for adults to take it seriously. And in Ireland, we are fortunate that we can all express how we feel. But the rise of hate in Ireland is not included in this, and we must collaborate to stand up against hatred, and protect the rights of all children in Ireland.