In his presidential address to the General Synod in Armagh this morning, the Archbishop of Armagh highlighted child deprivation and other child-related issues in Ireland
Archbishop Richard Clarke said, “The other issue very much on my mind and in my heart is that of child deprivation throughout this island. You may remember that, some years ago, Archbishop Robin Eames had hopes of an initiative on the part of the Church of Ireland to combat child poverty. I was fully in support of this and we did indeed have some useful meetings, both in Dromantine and in Armagh, but somehow the project never quite took flight as Archbishop Eames and I (with others) might have wished. I do not intend that we should necessarily resurrect this initiative and I know that many of you do indeed support children’s charities, but I believe that as people of the Church of Ireland we must assist in whatever way we can those who highlight the needs of children in distress today. We must not only avoid damage to children under our direct care, and in this connection I commend the work that is being done to ensure that, through our Safeguarding Trust protocols, we do our utmost to protect children involved in the life of the Church from harm. But I believe we need to go further and give what support we can to those agencies – both those involved with the Church and those independent of them – who seek to alleviate the pain and suffering of children in Ireland today. Nor do we need to be afraid of being involved.”
He continued, “According to Barnardo’s, about 100,000 children are living in poverty in Northern Ireland. In areas covered by two local councils, over one-third of all children are living in what is defined as poverty. In 2011, 9.3% of children – children aged up to 17 – in the Republic of Ireland continued to live in what is defined as ‘consistent poverty’, a figure up from 8.8% in 2010. This equates to over 100,000 children. Consistent poverty means that these children are living in households with incomes below 60% of the national median income, and will be experiencing deprivation based on agreed indicators. This can mean going for twenty-four hours without a substantial meal, or being cold because parents are unable to afford to heat the home.
“We do not need to be told that poverty, whether in Northern Ireland or in the Republic of Ireland, damages every aspect of any child’s life, having massive consequences (in both the short term and longer term) on their health, their education outcomes and the simple chance to ‘make a life’ for themselves. Surely we should not be able to remain detached or indifferent in any part of this island to any child’s suffering, let alone to such a level of suffering that is clearly there all around us?”
The Archbishop concluded his remarks stating, “So it is in humility, with purpose, and with penitence that we now place our work over these coming days into God’s hands, praying that all we say and all that we do will be acceptable in His sight, our Strength and our Redeemer, and that receiving the Gospel and handing on the Gospel in the world, this General Synod will truly be a delivery point for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”