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Children & Youth Affairs Minister Frances Fitzgerald today launched the new Retail Ireland Childrenswear Guidelines.

Addressing the launch Minister Fitzgerald stated:

Irish childhood has changed and continues to change. We all have a responsibility to make sure that those changes are positive for our children

Some things are not the same for adults and children. Never have been, never will be. This includes clothes with suggestive slogans, overtly sexual cuts and styles and unreal or unbalanced portrayals of an ‘ideal’ body-image. The new guidelines recognise these differences.

The Minister commended Retail Ireland for putting in place a mechanism to facilitate the reporting of concerns by parents and others. Concerns can be reported through a central email address:

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Retail Ireland also plans to provide an annual report on progress to the Minister’s office.

Commenting on the guidelines the Minister stated:

It is important to note that these guidelines are not just about restricting what retailers can sell, but instead provide a more constructive guidance on best practice on a range of issues such as styling, slogans, age-appropriateness, size, labelling and marketing.

The Minister called on all Irish childrenswear retailers, not just those in Retail Ireland membership, to sign-up to the guidelines.