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Paramilitary gun attacks on children 'must end'

Twelve children were shot in Northern Ireland between 2009 and 2014.

Updated at 6pm

TWELVE CHILDREN WERE shot between 2009 and 2014, according to Northern Ireland’s Human Rights Commission (NIHRC).

Another 27 children were assaulted in that period, the NIHRC said.

The commission has submitted a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child urging the British government to take immediate action to stop paramilitary assaults on children in Northern Ireland.

NIHRC Chief Commissioner, Les Allamby said the commission has highlighted a number of recommendations made by the UN in 2008 that have not yet been implemented.

He said they now require urgent action.

These include raising the age of criminal responsibility, ending corporal punishment and reducing the use of remand for children in the criminal justice system.

Allamby said it is important that the children of Northern Ireland are adequately protected.

The commission has advised that the UN Committee should ask the UK Government, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to:

  • Take immediate action to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to at least 12 years of age.
  • Condemn the ongoing attacks by paramilitary organisations and ask the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to take immediate and effective action to address the issue of paramilitary attacks against children.
  • Ban smacking of children without delay.
  • End Academic Selection: The UN Committee called for academic selection to be abolished in 2008 and despite the end of the 11 plus, the current system of testing has allowed a ‘two-tier culture’ to remain.

Read: Police believe this video shows Ferguson suspect was armed>

Read: The two charts that show how worried we should be about homelessness right now>

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51 Comments
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    Mute Paddy C
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    Jul 31st 2024, 11:01 PM

    More waffle,more waste.

    139
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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Jul 31st 2024, 10:56 PM

    So one guy says he’ll ‘fight’ for the nitrates derogation & the other fella says, as an ex gard, he’ll ‘prioritise’ law and order…….. Two uninspiring candidates for the FG gravy train, either of em’ would fit right in.

    142
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    Mute Blue Moon
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    Aug 1st 2024, 2:24 AM

    @Buster Lawless: Well I’d rather see one of these getting a seat than a Shinner.. the Shinners object to every planning permission in their constituency… And that’s all over the country. Homes need to be built, but not in the Shinners back yard….

    38
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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Aug 1st 2024, 9:03 AM

    @Buster Lawless: The Law & Order party are long gone, they have had the last 4 Ministers for Justice, closed hundreds of Harda Stations, numbers of Gardai way down, recruitment down & no Gardai on streets & the Garda Siochana a mess. The Judiciary & Sentencing are a mess as we saw again this week & people don’t even report crime anymore. Drug gangs now ruling many communities. We now have the worst Minister for Justice in the history of the State who forgot the bread & butter issues around Law & Order & spends her time on Woke issues & allowing record numbers of Immigrants arrive here weekly.

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    Mute Nick Vasilakis
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    Aug 1st 2024, 10:01 AM

    @SV3tN8M4: Oh, go read a book. Do something to raise the level of debate ffs.

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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Aug 1st 2024, 12:04 PM

    @Nick Vasilakis: Problem is Nick, you shut down debate, just as you did with your comment, as nobody can have a different view to yourself. This is what’s wrong now, people are being alienated because everyone has to follow a certain dictat that suits certain groups. To have a contary view to others now, say in relation to an item like Law & Order or Immigration, people like yourself jump in labelling everyone as Far Right or Racist. I believe in Law & Order but our current system is failed & revolves around the wealthy Legal/Judiciary sector & Criminality & has utterly failed Victims of crime. Same with Immigration, every country needs it, but not the current model where there are no controls or limits & is unsustainable.

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    Mute Jerry Collins
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    Jul 31st 2024, 11:22 PM

    The country is flying

    Full employment
    Country’s finances …rock steady

    Keep up the good work

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    Mute 9QRixo8H
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    Jul 31st 2024, 11:37 PM

    With FFG getting 52% at the recent elections they will be able to rule alone. Their only competition was SF but supporters made a big mistake of deserting them, GUARANTEEING another 5 years of FFG in power. But there is also the small issue where 25 – 39 year olds can’t afford a home and live at their parents or emigrated to Australia.

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    Mute Blue Moon
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    Aug 1st 2024, 2:27 AM

    @9QRixo8H: The Shinners have shown their true colours and the voters reacted… They are a political party that should have been disbanded at the same time of the Good Friday Agreement

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    Mute did you every wonder
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    Aug 1st 2024, 6:08 AM

    @Jerry Collins: on the back of the Irish being taxed to the heights. Finances might be good but Irish standard of living is not very good.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Aug 1st 2024, 8:54 AM

    @9QRixo8H: FF/FG didn’t get anything like 52%.

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    Mute D Farrell
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    Aug 1st 2024, 9:34 AM

    @did you every wonder: Ireland’s finances are definitely good. We are putting billions into a long-term Soverign Fund, and our books are better than balanced. I expect that tax cuts will again be part of the next budget.

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    Mute Nick Vasilakis
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    Aug 1st 2024, 10:15 AM

    @D Farrell: So why are we still trying to manage a country of 5.1 million people with the resources for 3.5 million? Long before the refugee crisis, we were falling behind. We’re not rich; we’re underresourced.
    Education, health, policing, and our fishing and agriculture sectors are in total disarray. People can’t afford homes.
    We’re not even comfortably well off in this country, never mind rich. We’re just incompetently run.
    If you want to see rich, look at Norway.

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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Aug 1st 2024, 8:58 AM

    Simon Harris telling the public, there will be no General Election, they are going the full term of office, yet they are selecting Candidates at a rate of knots all over the country. Seems someone at the very top is spreading Misinformation & telling porkies to the general public. If Harris is going full term with this Govt, the By Elections are held before a General Election, yet not a peep on the By Elections or Candidates for them. Next we will have our “Public Service Broadcaster RTE” spreading the same Misinformation. Liars the lot of them & rotten to the core.

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    Mute Seanie
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    Aug 1st 2024, 3:23 PM

    @SV3tN8M4: Harris is full of bull, he said last month that there was a case for the excise duty on fuel being differed on August 1st but here we are with fuel already increased, typical politician, can’t lie straight in the bed, a spoofer.

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    Mute Seanie
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    Aug 1st 2024, 3:24 PM

    @Seanie: *deferred

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    Mute Daniel Roche
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    Aug 1st 2024, 3:27 PM

    @SV3tN8M4: The election has to be next year,so it makes sense to be selecting your candidates now,not everything has to be a conspiracy.

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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Aug 2nd 2024, 1:03 AM

    @Daniel Roche: Obviously you don’t understand that the Bye Elections must be held first if they want go full term as claimed by Harris & Candidates selected for the Bye Elections, not the other way around, no conspiracy theory. It’s obvious to everyone bar yourself (no surprise) that there will be no Bye Elections & that a General Election will be held in the Autumn, so just calling out Harris’s Misinformation.

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