Children's rights organisations today formed an unofficial watchdog to monitor the controversial introduction of Asbo laws for young people.
The extension of the anti-social behaviour orders hailed by crime victims has also sparked fears children as young as 12 could be criminalised. One national youth leader went as far as warning that a child could be imprisoned for sitting on a wall if a garda deemed it threatening.
"Obviously that is the extreme, but it is now technically possible," said Michael McLoughlin from Youth Work Ireland, the country's largest federation of youth organisations.
The new laws - introduced for adults in January but extended to children tomorrow - give a Garda superintendent the power to ban children between 12 and 18 years from certain behaviour.
Although they are civil orders handed down from the courts, breaching an Asbo is a crime carrying penalties of up to three months detention and €800 fines for children.
"A large number of young people could be subject to criminal procedures for very minor incidents," said Mr McLoughlin.
"Furthermore the procedure might apply to some young people and not others leaving open the prospect of victimisation of young people who the Gardai don't like.
"Overall these measures raise serious concerns about human rights and it is unclear if the Gardai are ready to implement them given their limited resources."
Superintendent Anthony Kennelly, general secretary of the Garda Superintendent's Association, said the laws were necessary despite claims by critics that they are not working in the UK.
"Some of the scaremongering that's going on right now is drifting into the area of creative imagination," he said.
"Their introduction is another vital policing tool to work with. What about all the potential victims and the people who are being harassed and taunted by ill-behaved youths... where are their human rights in all this?
"As far as we're concerned Asbos are another new weapon against crime and we need all the help we can get," he told the internal force magazine Garda Review.
The Children's Rights Alliance warned the government that Asbos were in breach of Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.
The alliance of leading child welfare bodies and human rights groups has set up a watchdog website Asbowatch.ieto keep an eye on the roll-out of the contentious orders.
It will gather details from individuals and organisations affected by the laws for a report to be issued to the government.
PA