Latest news with #NiallMuldoon
The Journal
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Children's Ombudsman received 371 complaints last year as part of 'campaign' against SPHE syllabus
THE OMBUDSMAN FOR Children's Office received 371 complaints last year regarding the SPHE syllabus. The Office said the complaints were made as part of a 'campaign' regarding the SPHE syllabus. The figures are contained in the Office's annual report for 2024. The SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) curriculum has been the target of disinformation campaigns. Last year, the Department of Education acknowledged that it was aware of a YouTube video that claimed 'disturbing' practices would be introduced to Irish classrooms as part of the SPHE syllabus. 'It is understood that a video has been circulating suggesting that teachers will be expected to introduce certain explicit and inappropriate topics and materials in the classroom,' read the Department memo last October. 'The Department of Education and DCU have confirmed this is categorically not the case.' The memo also dismissed as 'false' a suggestion in the video that teachers would be expected to teach or introduce pornography or explicit topics. It said that the curriculum 'categorically does not expose children to graphic or explicit content' and does not normalise the use of pornography among secondary school students. The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, acknowledged that there was a 'period of time in which there was a lot of misinformation in relation to the SPHE curriculum'. 'We got a series of complaints which looked for us to investigate the content of the curriculum, which is not part of our remit, so we couldn't look into it at that stage,' he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. Meanwhile, the Office received some 1,772 contacts in relation to complaints last year, almost identical to the number of complaints received the year previous. However, the Office said that the there is an 'increase in the complexity of the complaints being made'. The Office said that 16% of complaints related to more than one agency, while 33% included multiple categories of concern. Some 33% of complaints related to education and the most complained about issue within education were special educational supports, bullying and complaints management within schools. Some 19% of complaints were also aimed at Tusla and related to children in residential and special care, access to interventions and supports, and concerns from young people about complaint handling. And while not counted as complaints to the Office, there was an 88% rise in Child Protection and Welfare concerns received in 2024 compared to the previous year, with the figure jumping to 140. Advertisement These are handled separately to the issues raised in a complaint. Complaints resolution Elsewhere, the Office said it encourages 'local resolution of complaints' that 'usually result in quick wins'. One such 'quick win' related to a complaint from a student who had Cerebral Palsy and only had the use of her left hand. She applied to use a voice-to-text device for the Leaving Cert but was refused. Her parents wrote to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) but never got a response. The Office contacted the SEC, which then granted the use of the device and the issue was resolved days before the exam started. But some cases take longer to resolve, such as that of a six-year-old who was 'locked in a side room off the main classroom when he had become disruptive'. The student was in an autism spectrum disorder class in a mainstream school, said the Office. His mother complained to the school's Board of Management but was left 'deeply unhappy with how her complaint was responded to by the Board'. She contacted the Children's Ombudsman and when the Office became involved in the case, the school's Board of Management (BOM) acknowledged that 'their approach to managing the complaint fell below standard'. 'They confirmed that a letter of complaint was not read aloud to the BOM, and they took the word of the principal that the matters were being dealt with accordingly,' said the Office's report. 'They acknowledged they were a relatively new BOM with a new chairperson and advised that they have since made changes to their practice.' The school then provided extra supports to the student and the Office was 'assured that such seclusion practice is no longer in place'. The school also apologised to the student and his mother 'for their poor handling of the complaint and any impact that the seclusion may have had on his integration into the school community'. The Ombudsman for Children's Office was established in 2004 to protect and promote the rights of children in Ireland. The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, remarked that 'in the current climate of uncertainty and change, it is more important than ever for the State to bed down its commitment on children's rights'. 'Ireland is now at a crossroads of what can be achieved for children and this Office will continue to push for the rights of children to be the signpost that is followed at all times,' said Muldoon. 'By doing that we can bring to life the Government's promise to make Ireland the best place in Europe for children to grow up.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Children's Ombudsman 'utterly dismayed' by rise in child homelessness
The Children's Ombudsman has said he is "exasperated and utterly dismayed" with the rise in child homelessness. Niall Muldoon was speaking as the Ombudsman's for Children's Office (OCO) publishes its annual report for 2024. "There were upwards of 4,500 children availing of homeless services at the end of 2024," Mr Muldoon said. "We still get complaints from people trying to access emergency accommodation. "It is clear that the delays these families are experiencing, due to the lack of available and affordable housing, is having a significant adverse impact on their children's lives," he added. Mr Muldoon said that the Ombudsman office has consistently called on the Government to review the support in place for children and families in homelessness. In a statement, the Department of Housing said child homelessness is not Government policy, however, addressing homelessness is a priority. "The new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, sets out a number of commitments around addressing family homelessness. "The plan commits to providing emergency accommodation for everyone who needs it, with special support for children impacted by homelessness; ensuring a holistic, cross departmental approach to homelessness prevention and focusing social housing allocations on getting families out of long-term homelessness," it added. "Increasing supply is key to addressing homelessness. The overall capital funding available for housing in 2025 is now over €6.5 billion. "In the first quarter of this year nationwide, 642 households, including 850 adults and 369 families, were prevented from entering emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created and in addition 628 households, including 796 adults and 277 families, exited emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created," the statement said. As well as highlighting the year-on-year rise in the number of families in emergency accommodation, the ombudsman's report also highlights the high volume of complaints the OCO receives about children's public services. In total, the OCO received 1,772 complaints in 2024. The complaints are increasing in complexity; 16% of complaints related to more than one agency, while 33% included multiple categories of concern. Education is the issue which OCO received the most complaints about, followed by Tusla and then children's health services. The OCO was established in 2004 to protect and promote the rights of children. Mr Muldoon said that many of the issues the OCO was advocating for two decades ago, are still not resolved. He emphasised that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is not fully and directly incorporated into Irish law. Although there has been "much progress" in that time, according to Mr Muldoon, there are still many areas where the complaints made to his office in its 20th year, are the same as what they heard in the first year. Complaints related to special education, access to health services, the standards of healthcare, access to disability services were all made in 2004 and also in 2024. "The consistency of the issues raised 20 years apart highlights for us again the need to properly place children's rights, all of them, at the forefront of policy decisions and service provision," Mr Muldoon said.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Family-focused homelessness strategy needed, says Children's Ombudsman
The Government must develop a specific child- and family-focused homelessness strategy, which should prioritise prevention measures as well as timely access to secure, long-term housing , the Ombudsman for Children has told the Minister for Housing. In a letter to James Browne last month, Dr Niall Muldoon also said he was deeply concerned about the 'proposed introduction of eligibility criteria' for those accessing emergency accommodation. The Office of the Ombudsman told The Irish Times it was reiterating a point it had previously raised with the Department of Housing in 2023 when it was reviewing legislation which included the eligibility criteria for emergency accommodation. It is understood that proposed amendments to the Housing Act 1988 to include requiring lawful and habitual residency as conditions for access to emergency accommodation were previously under consideration. While such changes were not included in the general scheme of the Bill last year, the final legislation has yet to be published. READ MORE 'The proposed eligibility criteria risks excluding vulnerable groups, including undocumented families with children, Roma families with children and families seeking international protection, from emergency accommodation,' Dr Muldoon said in the letter dated April 30th. The ombudsman also urged the Minister to reconsider the approach being taken to the eviction of refugee and asylum-seeking children from direct provision and accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. [ Housing Minister James Browne: 'If we don't get this right over the next four to seven months, we're going to be in serious, serious trouble' Opens in new window ] 'I would ask that you fully assess the impact of such decisions by using a children's rights framework to better prioritise the rights of these children,' he said. 'Ultimately, the aim should be to ensure that they are not uprooted from their local communities and forced to endure further distress.' Separately, the ombudsman and a number of housing charities and organisations wrote to the new Oireachtas housing committee urging it to prioritise a 'comprehensive review' of child and family homelessness as a 'matter of urgency'. They wrote to the committee's chair, Fine Gael TD Micheál Carrigy, over recent days stating that a report from the committee in 2019 on family and child homelessness made comprehensive recommendations, 'but the majority are not implemented, despite the severity of the situation'. The letter was signed by Dr Muldoon, Focus Ireland, Simon Communities of Ireland, St Vincent de Paul, Threshold, Clúid Housing, Respond (an approved housing body) and Crosscare (social care services provider). The letter states that the continued rise in family homelessness underscores the 'urgent need' to revisit 'outstanding measures' from the 2019 report and conduct 'a fresh analysis of systemic failures'. [ Number of people in homelessness reaches new record high of 15,418 Opens in new window ] 'We are asking the joint committee on housing to prioritise child homelessness and to provide robust oversight in relation to Ireland's commitment under the Lisbon Declaration to end child homelessness by 2030,' it said. 'We are deeply alarmed by Ireland's worsening homelessness crisis, highlighted by a record-breaking 4,675 children in emergency accommodation in the latest figures released in March 2025 — this is a 11 per cent increase since March 2024.' The Oireachtas committee's report from November 2019 made 14 recommendations. These included practical supports, such as case managers and child support workers, being made available across all types of emergency accommodation and to each family and child experiencing homelessness within one week of entering such accommodation. A spokeswoman for the Minister said Mr Browne was arranging a meeting with the Ombudsman in the coming weeks to discuss issues raised.
The Journal
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Children's Ombudsman hugely concerned over use of AI 'nudify' apps on images of underage girls
THE CHILDREN'S OMBUDSMAN has said he is 'hugely concerned' about the potential of AI apps that can be used by anyone to create sexually explicit images of children. Dr Niall Muldoon has warned that stronger laws are needed to tackle the scourge of so-called 'nudification' apps, which allow real photos of women and girls to be edited by artificial intelligence to produce deepfake images that make them appear naked. Nudification apps can be downloaded via online app stores, though some have been removed by Apple and Google ; others can be accessed via a web browser by anyone who has a URL to the relevant app. Although sharing non-consensual sexual images is a crime in Ireland under the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act (also known as Coco's Law), legal experts have said the legislation does not cover the creation of deepfakes . Tens of thousands of ads for these apps have appeared on Facebook and Instagram in recent months, and keep pushing the apps to Irish users despite Meta's repeated attempts to remove them because they breach the company's advertising rules. 'The ease of access by children to this type of technology is a huge concern to the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO),' Muldoon told The Journal . 'It is difficult to comprehend any possible need for these apps when the risk of abuse and sexual exploitation of children is so high.' He called for Coimisiún na Meán and the European Commission to strengthen the oversight of major technology companies under the Digital Services Act, to ensure that the apps were not being recommended to children and young people online. A spokesperson for Coimisiún na Meán said that the Online Safety Framework makes big tech platforms accountable for how they protect people, especially children, from harm online. The European Commission's spokesperson for tech sovereignty Thomas Regnier said that the commission is aware that ads for services to create pornographic deepfakes of women were present on Facebook and Instagram. He also said large tech companies have an obligation to ensure measures are in place that mitigate risks to users. A spokesperson for Meta said the company prohibits the display of nudity or sexual activity in its ads and that the company removes ads that violate its policies, but that bad actors are continually evolving their tactics to avoid enforcement. Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon has expressed concern Nudification apps have already attained notoriety in other countries, including in the United States, where dozens of teenage girls have been targeted in schools in California, New Jersey and Washington . Earlier this week, the children's commissioner for England called for the apps to be banned after publishing a report which found that deepfake nudification apps disproportionately target women and girls. The report contained interviews from a number of teenage girls, some of whom said they had already changed their online behaviour as a result of nudification technology. 'This chilling effect is causing them to take steps to keep themselves safe, which often requires them to limit their behaviour in some way,' the report said. 'This pattern of behaviour is similar to girls avoiding walking home alone at night, or not going to certain public places alone.' The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre previously said it was 'deeply concerned' about the capacity of deepfake images to 'amplify harm to women' and said they should not be available to download. What are nudification apps and how do they work? Nudification apps can be downloaded via app stores (if they have not already been removed), or accessed via a web browser using a URL; certain bots on the messaging app Telegram also offer nudification services. Advertisement The apps encourage users to upload a photo of any woman, and offer to produce a new, deepfake version of the same image in which the person appears without clothes. The apps are thought to have been trained using open-source artificial intelligence models in which the underlying code is freely available for anyone to copy, tweak and use for whatever purpose they want if they have the skills to do so. In the case of nudification apps, the artificial intelligence works by creating new images that are based on their attempts to replicate existing images that they have been trained on. They are specifically thought to have been trained from vast amounts of explicit images of women, which is why they tend to only work on women and teenage girls. The artificial intelligence is unable to tell when a person is underage or that such images are illegal. Graphika, a US company that tracks online disinformation, has said that open-source AI models are 'the primary driver' behind a surge in the creation and dissemination of non-consensual images of adults, including through the use of nudification apps. The UK-based Internet Watch Foundation has also said that creators of child sexual abuse material have legally used open-source AI models to create explicit deepfake images of children. An ad for a nudification app seen on Facebook Meta Ad Library Meta Ad Library Deepfake economy Graphika has also warned that nudification services and the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images has become a 'fully-fledged online industry', which some have dubbed the 'deepfake economy'. Nudification apps often seek payment to create deepfake images, while they can also be used as part of targeted harassment campaigns and for sextortion. In many cases, links to nudification services can be found through Google searches. The Journal has also uncovered thousands of targeted ads for nudification apps, which claim that apps can 'erase' or 'see through' the clothes of any woman, that are being pushed to Irish social media users on Facebook and Instagram on an ongoing basis. Advertisements entice users by claiming 'one click to undress', 'upload image, you can see anything about her' and 'your friends in transformed photos'. The ads link to app stores, where AI editing apps can be downloaded, and third-party websites that can be accessed by anyone with a URL that links to the relevant website. They often feature side-by-side images of a woman with clothes on and the same image of the woman naked or partly naked; other ads feature videos of women dancing or talking, which occasionally flash in a way that the woman appears with no clothes. Some versions of the ads use AI-generated images of women, but others use images of real women that appear to be taken from social media. The ads tend to feature on fake profiles that have small numbers of followers, but which appear to be somewhat co-ordinated: different pages will use the same names and images, or claim that they are based in similar locations. Many share different links that re-direct to the same website in an apparent attempt to avoid falling foul of Meta's advertising rules. Since the beginning of April, The Journal has found dozens of pages that have advertised nudification services via more than 20 unique links, which re-direct users to a single web-based app. Meta has removed the majority of ads for these services, though some remain active; in some cases, the ads were only removed once they were flagged by The Journal while links to those that were not shared with Meta remained online. If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out for support through the following helplines: Dublin Rape Crisis Centre - 1800 77 8888 (fre, 24-hour helpline) Samaritans - 116 123 or email jo@ (suicide, crisis support) Pieta - 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 – (suicide, self-harm) Teenline - 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19) Childline - 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s) Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
