This is Willie McCarney’s second book and a natural
successor to his autobiographical “Big Boys Don’t Cry.” “Travel with a Gavel”
deals more specifically with his international travels in pursuit of justice
for children.
It describes Willie’s experiences of visiting 75
countries over a 37 year period in various capacities, including as President
of the International Association of Youth & Family Judges &
Magistrates. These roles afforded him privileged access in places such as
China, Iran, Palestine, Russia and Myanmar. His task was to train judges in applying
international laws concerning the rights of the child. While providing great
assistance to those countries, he in turn gained insights that would not be
available to the average tourist.
Willie encountered a variety of reactions. Most people
were welcoming, but some were resentful of experts from abroad. For others, the
training programmes that he delivered came too soon after their country emerged
from internal conflict, when emotions were still very raw.
Each country has a dedicated chapter. The layout is in
alphabetical order, so readers can easily locate the countries in which they
are most interested.
Willie writes descriptively. While the book has a
judicial theme, his narrative is non-judgemental. It allows the readers to draw
their own conclusions and is always interesting. He outlines the personal
challenges of balancing his travels with family responsibilities; and explains
in realistic terms the tedium of commuting between international airports and
the drabness of staying in commercial hotels.
These downsides were however offset by opportunities for
Willie to indulge his love of nature. An early riser, he took every chance to
indulge a passion for ornithology and wildlife. The vivid descriptions of bird
and animal sightings provide a colourful counterpoint to the politics,
conferences, talks and workshop routine of his business engagements.
The penultimate chapter, “A World Apart,” provides a
stark reminder of the abuse that many children endure throughout the world. It
also serves as a firm vindication of the need for people such as Willie to
promote the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant
instruments.
“Travel with a Gavel” is decidedly not a tourist guide
and better for it. I commend it as an informative, specialist travelogue,
part-business and part-wildlife. How rare a combination is that!
Tom McGonigle was Prisoner Ombudsman for NI between
2013-2017. He was formerly an Inspector with Criminal Justice Inspection NI and
has undertaken international consultancy work with UNICEF, the UNDP, European
Commission and Council of Europe.
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