A powerful UN Committee will today get an update from government on how children are treated by the state.
The Children's Minister will today appear before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.
Minister James Reillly has been asked to clarify the legal definition of "real and substantial risk" in the abortion bill and how it applies to children.
He also been asked to address the impact of austerity on children, in particular on homelessness and access to education.
Over a thousand Irish kids are currently living in emergency accommodation.
Tanya Ward of the Children's Rights Alliance will be at today meeting and she hopes it will spark action on the issue:
Also set to be discussed at today's hearing is children's access to schools.
The committee has already raised concerns about the fact that most of Ireland's schools operate under a religious ethos.
Michael Barron of campaign group EQUATE says he's hoping that it'll recommend children have more access to non-religious education:
