A new report calls for urgent action to incorporate the UNCHR into Scots law.
Children in Scotland are being deprived of their human rights on a daily basis, according to a new report.
More than 50 children’s charities and experts contributed to the report for Together, the Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights, which considers the extent to which children in Scotland are able to exercise their human rights as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The report calls for urgent action to ensure that incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law is accompanied by a real change in the way children and young people experience their rights.
It details a number of areas where progress has been made in recent years, while also drawing attention to areas in which Scotland currently falls short of ensuring children’s rights are being met.
In particular, the report highlights the importance of delivering a key government pledge to incorporate the UNCRC into Scots law by 2021. It also cites Brexit, and the subsequent loss of human rights protections, as a further reason for the UNCRC to be incorporated into Scots law.
Juliet Harris, Together director, said: “Over the past three years, real progress has been made in Scotland to further protections of children’s human rights. In making a commitment to incorporate the UNCRC into Scots law by 2021, the Scottish Government is setting out its ambition to be world leading. Likewise, the Scottish Parliament has been taking steps to bring Scotland up to scratch with international human rights standards by passing legislation to give children protection from assault.
“However, our State of Children’s Rights report 2019 shows how much more needs to be done. From increasing concerns about child poverty and mental health through to food insecurity and bullying, many children still experience breaches of their rights on a day-to-day basis.
“Through the publication of our report, and partnering with the new Observatory, we hope our roadmap for action will support Scotland to realise its potential and become a country where the rights of all children are realised all of the time.”
The report can be read in full on the Together website. A special child-friendly version is also available.
