Dáil moves to end sex tourism for Irish paedophiles
THE Minister for Justice is poised to support a Dáil bill which will ensure Ireland has the most stringent laws in Europe on foreign travel for convicted paedophiles.
The bill, being finalised by independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan, will restrict the freedom of known paedophiles to travel to countries associated with child prostitution. Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has sent a strong indication that he will be supporting the Bill.
Under the Bill, which is modelled on pioneering Australian legislation, the Amended Sexual Offences Act will curb the capacity of convicted Irish paedophiles to travel to countries where child prostitution is endemic.
If passed, Ms O’Sullivan claimed that ‘Ireland will be the only country in Europe to restrict foreign travel for convicted paedophiles’. She said she had been inspired to take action because of concerns expressed by Irish priest Fr Shay Cullen of the rise of paedophile-driven tourism in the Philippines.
Fr Cullen, a four-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has been rescuing street children in the Philippines since 1974 and has complained that sex tourists are travelling there from all over the world.
The Minister for Justice told the Irish Mail on Sunday that he was ‘actively engaging with Deputy O’Sullivan on this issue’.
Fergus Finlay, chief executive of Barnados, also pledged he would be supportive ‘in principle of restrictions in the movement of convicted child abusers’.
Australia is the only country in the world that prevents convicted paedophiles from leaving the country without permission from law enforcement agencies. The legislation aims to keep Australian paedophiles out of low-cost sex tourism markets such as Thailand, Malaysia and Bali in Indonesia, which often have far fewer protections for children.