He disappeared after he was removed from his primary school in 2022.
Speaking on RTÉ, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said questions have to be asked about how a child could go unmissed for so long.
The answers when they do come will be too late for one little boy
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said it is an “extraordinary incident”, the likes of which he had not seen in his 40 years in policing.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said it was “shocking” that something like this could happen.
Justice will take its course, but the answers when they do come will be too late for one little boy.
The hope must be that this tragedy will put a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of our young and the State’s safeguards to keep them from harm.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA
According to Ms Gallagher, the case is “indicative of real problems” with the State’s child-protection systems. In an appropriately forceful assessment, she said: “The bottom line is that if we want to improve our child-protection systems, we have got to put our money where our mouth is.”
She appealed to follow up the “admirable rhetoric” about trying to make Ireland one of the best places in the world or in Europe. This cannot happen without putting in proper resources and a commitment to ensure that our systems “are fit for purpose”, she said.
When it comes to the welfare of children, failings can have disastrous consequences. In child protection, the answers are often not outside the problem, but within it. When risks are identified, they have to be acted on appropriately, and swiftly.
The loss of a child is a nightmare. We should not need tragedies like this to confront our obligations.
A child’s life, it has been said, is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark
Ms Gallagher reminded us of an excoriating report from a UN committee last year on the rights of children that highlighted a range of child-protection issues here.
It identified issues about child violence and whether adequate protective steps were being taken.
It also questioned whether we were doing enough to gather information on children at risk. It further raised doubts about whether there’s adequate follow-up for children in the way of harm.
Separately, the annual report for One in Four – an organisation for survivors of child sexual abuse – has revealed the need for its services rose by more than 40pc last year.
CEO Deirdre Kenny said it shows the scale of the problem we face as a society and the need for “comprehensive support”.
A child’s life, it has been said, is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark. If this is indeed the case and we fail them when they need us most, what kind of future are we writing for them?