A coalition of charities and organisations working with children and young people in across the UK called on the government to make children’s rights a legal priority.
In a united front, 121 organisations including the Children’s Charities Coalition, UNICEF UK, the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, Just for Kids Law and Save the Children UK, are urging Ministers to adopt a statutory duty through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to uphold and protect the rights of children.
Key rights include:
They argue that England is falling behind other nations such as Wales and Scotland in giving meaningful weight to children’s rights and embedding them into law and policymaking.
Longer-term, the coalition is demanding the full incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into UK law to afford children the fullest protection of their rights possible.
The UNCRC is a legally-binding international human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child (up to the age of 18), regardless of a child’s background or circumstances.
It would also deliver parity across the UK. Currently, children in Wales and Scotland have greater rights protections than children in England, or children impacted by decisions on reserved matters.
Specifically, they have asked Ministers to support two key amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill put forward by Baroness Lister in Parliament today. These would: