Monitoring

 

Every state that has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is required to report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on how it is fulfilling its human rights obligations. The basis for the committee's review is a report submitted by the state party two years after it has ratified the Convention. After that, progress reports are required every five years.

The UK first reported to the United Nations (UN) on 15 March 1994. The UK's next report on the UNCRC will be submitted to the committee in. 2012, which will follow up on the UK Concluding Observations report from the Committee in 2008.

 

Initial report

After a country ratifies the Convention, it is required to submit an initial report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The initial report outlines measures the country has taken to implement the Convention.

 

Periodic report

Approximately every five years thereafter, each country must submit a periodic report. The periodic report should enable the Committee on the Rights of the Child to make a comprehensive assessment of progress in that state relating to the implementation of the Convention. The Scottish Government produces a report that feeds into the overall UK Government report.

 

Independent human rights institutions

The Committee on the Rights of the Child is keen to hear from independent human rights bodies. Before it examines a state party (the government), the committee holds a 'pre-sessional' working group where it hears from independent human rights institutions (including children's commissioners), non-governmental organisations and children and young people. In 2008, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People (SCCYP) worked with the England, Wales and Northern Ireland's Children's Commissioners to produce a joint report for the UK.

 

Non-governmental organisations

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as national charities, including Together, are encouraged to submit reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child about the implementation of the Convention. The UNCRC is the only international human rights treaty that expressly gives NGOs a role in monitoring its implementation. The Committee on the Rights of the Child prefers NGOs to work together in coalitions and to submit coordinated reports. Together reports on behalf of children's organisations across Scotland, and works closely with equivalent children's rights alliances in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to collate a UK NGO report.

 

Children and young people

The Committee on the Rights of the Child is keen to hear from children and young people about the implementation of their rights. NGOs have a critical role in supporting children and young people to submit their views and experiences to the committee. Governments too must obtain children's and young people's views about how well their rights are respected.


In Scotland, Article 12 and their partner organisations consulted widely on how children and young people view their rights and wellbeing. The information gathered from these consultations was compiled in a report supported to the UN Committee to reflect the views and opinions of over 8,000 Scottish children and young people.

 

Concluding observations

The Committee on the Rights of the Child considers all evidence submitted to it by governments and other bodies. It then drafts concluding observations on the country it has assessed. These set out the committee's assessment of progress in implementing the Convention in that country, and areas of concern. The committee's latest concluding observations of the UK were published in 2008.
The government is not expected to formally respond to the concluding observations, but should address the issues in its next periodic report to the committee.

 

Scottish Government Action Plan

In September 2009, in response to the UN Committee's Concluding Observations, the Scottish Government published a children's rights action plan, "Do the Right Thing". This action plan sets out how Scottish Government will take forward work to address the Concluding Observations and focuses on 21 key areas of work, from promoting positive forms of parenting and providing better support for young carers to improving outcomes for looked after children, tackling child poverty and improving children's involvement in their schooling.

 

UK Government Action Plan

As well as producing their own individual action plans to address the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee, the Scottish, English, Welsh and Northern Ireland administrations worked together to produce a UK-wide action plan, to detail their joint commitments and actions.

 

Together's State of Children's Rights in Scotland 2010

This report provides a non-governmental perspective on the progress made in Scotland towards implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It particularly looks at the progress made since the launch of the Scottish Government's UNCRC action plan, Do the Right Thing, in September 2009. Combining research, experience and data from nearly 60 children's organisations, it explores the key success and difficulties experienced in enabling children and young people to enjoy the rights enshrined in the UNCRC. It also provides recommendations as to how further progress can be made.

 

Together's State of Children's Rights in Scotland 2011

The report provides a non-government perspective on the extent to which children in Scotland are able to enjoy their rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It reflects on the progress made over the past year since the publication of Together's 2010 State of Children's Rights report, discussing what progress has been made and where further efforts are needed.

The report was compiled and produced by Together following wide consultation with children's organisations across Scotland. The consultation involved gathering views and opinions from over 250 professionals working with and for children through seminars held in Ayr, Inverness, Aberdeen, the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh. This was followed by an online survey completed by sixty-one children's organisations working across a wide range of issues including mental health and wellbeing, disability, additional support needs, asylum and domestic abuse.

The State of Children's Rights report 2011 is a culmination of the feedback received throughout the consultation alongside further desk research into issues that were highlighted as being of particular priority.

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