Sir, – The recent controversy over the illegal civil registration of children born to unmarried mothers in the past has highlighted the right of every child, now enshrined in article seven of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to know his or her parents. Unfortunately, for many children of unmarried parents in Ireland, that right is continuing to be denied. Every year the births of more than 2,600 children are registered without any details of the father. Former tánaiste and minister for social protection Joan Burton addressed this anomaly by providing in the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 for compulsory registration of the father’s name on the birth certificate. This requirement can only be waived in exceptional circumstances. Four years after the Act was passed, section six of the Act has still not been commenced because of resource issues in the General Registry Office. Ireland continues to deny the right of a child to know both parents, in breach of the UN convention and out of step with birth registration in most European countries. Treoir, the Federation of Services for Unmarried Parents and their Children, calls on the Government to implement section six immediately so that, from 2018 onwards, all our children will know their identity. – Yours, etc,
RUTH BARRINGTON,
Chairwoman,
TREOIR – The Federation
of Services for
Unmarried Parents
and their Children,
Gandon House,
IFSC,
Dublin 1.