Children are exposed to intimidation, MHK warns

Children in care are not being protected from intimidation by abusers, while anti-vaxer groups target them at the school gates, an MHK has warned.

Michelle Haywood has brought a private member's bill to create "safe access zones" around certain facilities, which would prevent people from confronting or pressuring vulnerable individuals.

She said some school pupils had been "accosted" and told "all sorts of lies" about the HPV vaccine, while nothing was being done to stop abusers hanging around outside safe houses.

Haywood wants specific legislation on the issue but critics suggested existing laws on harassment and public orders could instead be amended.

The bill has now been adjourned until September, so it will likely fall to the island's next administration.

But Haywood said children needed protecting.

School staff were "really frustrated" that they could not tell anti-vax protesters to "leave the children alone", she said.

The MHK said her "key focus" was to protect people in positions where the law currently would only apply when violence was involved.

Haywood said the issue affected vulnerable people in several settings, citing incidents involving children in secure care, where people connected to abusive situations have waited outside.

"Because they stood outside with a teddy bear under their arm and a dog… that's not anything that's illegal," she said.

But the "psychological impact on a child that has been taken into safe care, seeing a person outside who may have been their abuser, it's not appropriate".

Some critics said existing laws on harassment and public orders already provided protection, and further protections could be introduced via amendments to active legislation.

Buffer zones around abortion clinics were introduced in England and Wales last year, making it illegal to hand out anti-abortion leaflets within the buffer zone or obstruct anyone using or working at an abortion clinic

Former chief minister, and now Castletown Commissioner, Tony Brown said he supported protecting healthcare staff from intimidation, but believed Haywood's proposed legislation gave the government overly broad powers.

The bill could allow the Department of Home Affairs to introduce protection zones across wide areas of land, he said.

Brown added: "It gives powers through legislation to the department to actually restrict anybody's land whether or not they agree with it and in fact deny them access to their land.

"Now that to me is undemocratic, it's draconian and totally unnecessary for the Isle of Man."

Brown said Haywood's bill was a "cut and paste very much of UK legislation" where they faced "different issues".

But Haywood said the law would only apply in limited areas which immediately surrounded specific facilities, so anyone wanting to protest could do so elsewhere.

"I absolutely do believe that people have the right to free speech," Haywood said.

"The place to make your views known is to protest to the people who make the laws that allow it to happen in the first place.

"It is not to approach people who are either providing a service or who are service users."

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