FREE CERVICAL cancer vaccinations should be made available to girls aged 12-18 and young people should be provided with access to sex education appropriate to their needs, members of Dáil na nÓg have declared.
Delegates at the event held in Croke Park yesterday voted in favour of the introduction of a nationwide awareness campaign promoting positive mental health, for physical education in schools to be prioritised and for youth cafes to be accessible in all areas.
More than 200 delegates, aged 12-18, took part in the eighth annual Dáil na nÓg. Delegates represent the 34 Comhairle na nÓg across the country.
Jennifer Hegarty (17), from Castleknock, Dublin, said young people were “disgusted and outraged” by the Government’s decision to cancel the cervical cancer vaccination programme.
“At a time when the Government is spending money on bank bailout packages, €8.7million is not a large amount to make the vaccine available to 12-18-year-old girls. It should be a priority.”
Ms Hegarty said the country’s economic woes had resulted in many of those attending this year’s Dáil na nÓg being more politically aware and better informed than in previous years. “Now that we’re in a recession people are more concerned about the Budget and cuts that are being made,” she said. “Young people can see that political decisions can have an effect on their lives and they realise that if they want things to turn out well for them then they need to have their say.”
Fíodhna Horan-Murphy (18), from Galway, said her discussion group concluded that the level of mental health services on offer in Ireland is adequate, but that a campaign raising awareness of their availability is needed. Ms Horan-Murphy said mental health “is never talked about as a positive thing. You hear about people who are depressed or [who] commit suicide but you never hear that a person is in great mental health”.
