David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I debated with myself a number of times today whether to say what I am going to say at the start of my contribution, but I think I should. On two occasions, because I was in a leadership position in the organisations I was involved with at those times, I had to deal with allegations that were made about access to and viewing of child pornography on computers. Thankfully, in one case, it turned out not to be child pornography, although it was still pornography and was dealt with accordingly. However, in the other case, it was child pornography. A complaint was made directly to me, so I had to access the computer, and some of the images I saw were absolutely sickening. I immediately called the Garda. Luckily, there were robust guidelines in place that helped me do the right thing and make sure the appropriate action was taken. The perpetrator was subsequently dealt with by the Garda. I say that because it is important that all organisations and public bodies - we have seen complaints about people accessing child pornography in public bodies, private companies, whatever it might be - have strong and robust guidelines and that people who come across such images know exactly what to do. There must be proper mechanisms in place to ensure the relevant authorities are contacted and the matter is dealt with.

I welcome this motion, which provides an opportunity to discuss this important issue, and I will be fully supporting the amendment that was tabled by the Independent group. Few subjects evoke such strong feelings as the exploitation and abuse of children. It offends our basic sensibilities and morality. I have two young children, one of five and one of nine months, and it would sicken me to the core if any of my children were abused in any way. As Senator Norris said, nobody can say he or she is not aware of what is happening out there. Young children in this country and outside it are being sexually abused and some people are using that as a form of enjoyment by accessing pornographic images of children on the Internet. It is happening, and we know it is happening. Every single public representative has a responsibility to ensure we do whatever we can to deal with the problem and deal with those who are involved in the abuse of children. Few topics can excite as much outrage as cases involving abuse of children, but that means we should unite on this issue. There should be no differences of opinion or amendments to motions such as this. There should be agreement on what we need to do, and whatever needs to be done to protect children should be done. It is that simple. I will get to the specifics of the Independent group's amendment in a few minutes.

We support the ratification of the optional protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that relates to child prostitution and pornography. On many occasions we have questioned the current Minister and previous Ministers seeking its furtherance. I hope the Minister will commit to this. The Government amendment appears to indicate that he might, so I hope it happens.

The Government has a responsibility under the Good Friday Agreement to introduce protections at least equivalent to those in the Six Counties. Ultimately, we should be seeking to harmonise upwards and introduce on an all-island basis a child protection framework that is evidence-based, human-rights-compliant and reflective of international best practice. We have for many years advocated constitutional reform, specialised training for gardaí, prosecutors and the Judiciary, and an effective all-island sex offenders register with pre-release risk assessment and post-release supervision to help tackle the issues of exploitation and abuse of children. However, this will require much more than legislation. For the Children First guidelines to have a practical effect, they must be fully resourced. Putting the guidelines on a statutory footing is welcome, but the social workers and others who deal with such situations are beyond stretched as it is, so resources, as ever, are key. I am cognisant of the economic climate and the difficulty in finding resources, but it would be remiss of me not to highlight the importance of such guidelines. It is not merely the letter but the resourcing and implementation of guidelines that are important.

I note that the special rapporteur on child protection has made numerous recommendations that the process of child grooming be criminalised. What is the position regarding the joint work of the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Health on the drafting of legislation to criminalise grooming? Can we expect the publication of such legislation in the medium term? This is an area in which we can work to tackle this issue.

I note the importance of measures to block people's access to child pornography in the media. As the motion notes, child abuse images are not just images; they are crime scenes. We must take whatever measures are necessary to ensure those responsible are brought to justice and that such images are blocked from all media. There are those who want to restrict the use of Internet technology to clamp down on free speech, and Sinn Féin shares some of the concerns in this regard. However, this is a matter of protecting children, and we must take appropriate measures to ensure that this happens. We endorse the measures outlined in the motion to this effect.