Koulla Yiasouma | |
---|---|
Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People | |
In office 2015–2023 | |
Preceded by | Patricia Lewsley |
Koulla Yiasouma was the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. [1] She took up the post in January [2] or March [3] 2015,and ended her term on March 1,2023 [4] .
Koulla is of Greek Cypriot origin,and is married. She has a couple of daughters. [3]
In 2015 Yiasouma called for an integrated education system in Northern Ireland. [5]
Research carried out by Yiasouma,involving a survey by Kantar Millward Brown showed that 67% of adults in Northern Ireland were unaware of law permitting parents to physically discipline their children but that 63% of those asked supported changing the law. [6] She said "Removing the defence of reasonable chastisement would allow Northern Ireland to join with 52 countries around the world which have moved to protect children from violence. Evidence suggests that protecting children has not led to increased prosecutions as feared by some. Rather,equal protection for children in the law should result in clearer guidance and better support for parents and families." [6]
Yiasouma spoke to Broadcasting House about the 2021 Northern Ireland riots saying that the behaviour of some adults in contributing to the actions of young people during the riots involved "coercion by adults of vulnerable and at-risk children". [1] When asked if it amounted to child abuse she said "'Child abuse' is a very loaded term but I think it is within that safeguarding family of abuses children may suffer and experience. When it comes to safeguarding issues I would put it in that group,yes.". [1] She also said "Enough is enough when the first petrol bomb or stone is thrown," and "It's criminal actors trying to take control and what we need is a calm narrative from our politicians. We need them to be seen,to be supporting our community workers on the ground." [1]
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil,political,economic,social,health and cultural rights of children. The convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen,unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police,is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime in Greater London. In addition,the Metropolitan Police is also responsible for some specialised matters throughout the United Kingdom;these responsibilities include co-ordinating and leading national counter-terrorism measures and the personal safety of specific individuals,such as the Monarch and other members of the Royal Family,members of the Government,and other officials.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866,to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013,it raised and spent around £200 million each year running around 900 local services,aimed at helping these same groups. It is the UK's largest children's charity,in terms of charitable expenditure. Its headquarters are in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge.
False imprisonment or unlawful imprisonment occurs when a person intentionally restricts another person’s movement within any area without legal authority,justification,or the restrained person's permission. Actual physical restraint is not necessary for false imprisonment to occur. A false imprisonment claim may be made based upon private acts,or upon wrongful governmental detention. For detention by the police,proof of false imprisonment provides a basis to obtain a writ of habeas corpus.
Scouting Ireland is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland,a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members,including over 11,000 adult volunteers early 2020. Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 and 18 in Ireland,over 6% are involved with the organisation. It was founded in 2004,following the amalgamation of two of the Scouting organisations on the island. It is the World Organization of the Scout Movement-recognised Scouting association in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland it operates alongside The Scout Association of the UK and the Baden-Powell Scout Association.
Chastisement is the infliction of corporal punishment as defined by law.
Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence,exploitation,abuse,and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to ensure this is by giving them quality education,the fourth of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,in addition to other child protection systems.
Safeguarding is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland to denote measures to protect the health,well-being and human rights of individuals,which allow people—especially children,young people and vulnerable adults—to live free from abuse,harm and neglect.
The Crimes Amendment Act 2007 is an amendment to New Zealand's Crimes Act 1961 which removed the legal defence of "reasonable force" for parents prosecuted for assault on their children.
The Office of theChildren's Commissioner for England is a non-departmental public body in England responsible for promoting and protecting the rights of children as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,as well as other human rights legislation,such as the Human Rights Act 1998. The Children's Commissioner was established under the Children Act 2004 to "represent the views and interests of children",and the office was further strengthened by the Children and Families Act 2014 providing a legal mandate to promote and protect the rights of children. According to the Commissioner's website,the role's purpose is to facilitate long-term improvements for all children,and in particular for the most vulnerable,and involves “being the eyes and ears of children within the system and the country as a whole",as well as acting with political independence from government,children's agencies and the voluntary and private sectors. The Children's Commissioner also has a duty to speak on behalf of all children in the United Kingdom on non-devolved issues,which include immigration,and youth justice in Wales.
The sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne was investigated by the Commission of Investigation,Dublin Archdiocese,Catholic Diocese of Cloyne,examining how allegations of sexual abuse of children in the diocese were dealt with by the church and state. The investigation,which resulted in the publication of the Cloyne Report in July 2011,was led by Judge Yvonne Murphy. The inquiry was ordered to look at child protection practices in the diocese and how it dealt with complaints against 19 priests made from 1996.
Physical or corporal punishment by a parent or other legal guardian is any act causing deliberate physical pain or discomfort to a minor child in response to some undesired behavior. It typically takes the form of spanking or slapping the child with an open hand or striking with an implement such as a belt,slipper,cane,hairbrush or paddle,whip,hanger,and can also include shaking,pinching,forced ingestion of substances,or forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions.
From the late 1980s,allegations of sexual abuse of children associated with Catholic institutions and clerics in several countries started to be the subject of sporadic,isolated reports. In Ireland,beginning in the 1990s,a series of criminal cases and Irish government enquiries established that hundreds of priests had abused thousands of children over decades. Six reports by the former National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church established that six Irish priests had been convicted between 1975 and 2011. This has contributed to the secularisation of Ireland and to the decline in influence of the Catholic Church. Ireland held referendums to legalise same-sex marriage in 2015 and abortion rights in 2018.
A children's ombudsman,children's commissioner,youth commissioner,child advocate,children's commission,youth ombudsman or equivalent body is a public authority in various countries charged with the protection and promotion of the rights of children and young people,either in society at large,or in specific categories such as children in contact with the care system. The agencies usually have a substantial degree of independence from the executive,the term is often used differently from the original meaning of ombudsman,it is often an umbrella term,often used as a translation covention or national human rights institutions,dealing with individual complaints,intervening with other public authorities,conducting research,and –where their mandate permits them to engage in advocacy –generally promoting children's rights in public policy,law and practice. The first children's commissioner was established in Norway in 1981. The creation of such institutions has been promoted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child,and,from 1990 onwards,by the Council of Europe.
Battery punishment by parents of their minor children is lawful by tradition and explicitly under common law by R v Hopley [1860] 2F&F 202:
By the law of England,a parent ... may for the purpose of correcting what is evil in the child inflict moderate and reasonable corporal punishment,always,however,with this condition,that it is moderate and reasonable.
The legality of corporal punishment of children varies by country. Corporal punishment of minor children by parents or adult guardians,which is intended to cause physical pain,has been traditionally legal in nearly all countries unless explicitly outlawed. According to a 2014 estimate by Human Rights Watch,"Ninety percent of the world's children live in countries where corporal punishment and other physical violence against children is still legal". Many countries' laws provide for a defence of "reasonable chastisement" against charges of assault and other crimes for parents using corporal punishment. This defence is ultimately derived from English law. As of 2023,only three of seven G7 members including seven of the 20 G20 member states have banned the use of corporal punishment against children.
Sarah Elizabeth Dines is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Derbyshire Dales since the 2019 general election. She has been serving Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding since October 2022. She served as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from September to October 2022.
The Children (Wales) Act 2020 was an Act of the National Assembly for Wales that was given royal assent on 20 March 2020. It was introduced to the Assembly in March 2019 by Julie Morgan AM and passed on the 28 January 2020. It was first detailed in February 2019 by way of an Explanatory Memorandum.
The Children (Scotland) Act 2019 was an Act of the Scottish Parliament that outlaws the use of corporal punishment on children.
{{cite web}}
: External link in |title=
(help)