Homeless Truths, the report from Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan, is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of childhood and how even the most basic rights of children and young people are ignored.
One of the most alarming issues to come out of the report is the lack of any reliable data on the number of homeless children in the state. The most recent statistics, complied by Focus Ireland in 2008, conservatively puts that number at 592.
Homelessness is a scary and traumatic experience where crime, drug abuse, and violence are sad realities of everyday life. Now imagine just how terrifying that experience is for a 12-year-old child.
Young people who become homeless are exposed to environments that place them at risk of a host of negative health, social, and economic outcomes. Living without stable housing heightens young people’s vulnerability to victimisation, including robbery, sexual harassment and violence.
As we all know, you only get one chance at a childhood. If that childhood is a negative experience, the chances of that child growing up into a happy well-rounded individual are significantly reduced.
The basic right of a child to a safe and loving home and to have a childhood free from fear, danger, and violence, should be a priority for us all. We now have more than 590 children who are officially homeless in 21stcentury Ireland. Surely one is too many.
Campaign for Children is working hard to ensure that we see lasting change for the most vulnerable children in Ireland and to make children’s rights a political priority in 2012. Find out more at www.campaignforchildren.ie.
Bart Storan
executive director, Campaign for Children
