THE Commissioner for Children and Young People Chris Quinn has visited Gaelscoil Éanna in Glengormley to mark the introduction of their new school council.
The visit also coincided with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) with the day now being known as International Human Rights Day.
This year’s theme is Freedom, Equality and Justice for All. This is a reminder to uphold and advocate for these rights for every person in our shared society, including in its scope all children and young people.
The Commissioner Chris Quinn used the opportunity to call on children and young people's rights to be respected.
“In what has been an incredibly difficult few years for children and young people in Northern Ireland with Covid, the cost of living and budget cuts, it is more important than ever that their rights be enshrined in law,” he said.
“In the three months since I have taken up this role, I have spoken with hundreds of children and young people from across Northern Ireland.
“The resounding call that I hear is that children and young people want their rights to be respected and protected. They want to be heard and right now that is not happening as it should.
“This needs to be a wake-up call to those in power that when the rights of the child are sidelined then it leaves instability, suffering and exacerbates inequalities.”
Gaelscoil Éanna Principal Maighréad Ní Chonghaile said: "We have known Chris for a long time. His four sons have all attended Gaelscoil Éanna, including his youngest who is here now.
"We were delighted when he was appointed Children's Commissioner earlier this year and we wanted to invite him back at the earliest opportunity.
"We established a School Council a number of years ago and have today launched our new one. Our children's input, thoughts and opinions are at the core of the ethos of the school.
"We wanted Chris to come along and re-launch our School Council. The pupils on the council have been elected by their peers and we look forward to meeting with them regularly over the coming months."
