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xMore work needed to protect children’s rights in Scotland, Commission tells UN
Date: 12th March 2015
Category:
General measures of implementation
During the UN Human Rights Council annual day of discussion on 12th March 2015 which focused on "better investment in the rights of the child", SHRC delivered a statement highlighting that more work is needed to protect the human rights of children in Scotland.
Bruce Adamson of the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) delivered a statement highlighting the continued impact of austerity measures on children and young people. The statement called for public sector budgets and decision making to be focused on addressing human rights concerns such as the eradication of poverty and tackling inequalities.
The Commission repeated its long-standing call for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to be fully incorporated into Scotland's legal system and pointed to commitments to improving children's rights contained in Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP).
While welcoming the "additional duties to promote public awareness and understanding of the rights of children" established by the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act, the Commission raised concerns over the lack of funding provided for this purpose.
- Read the full SHRC statement here.
- Access the UN concept note for the day of discussion day here.
- Download the Human Rights Council annual report on investing in children here.
- Watch the panel discussion which took place at the UN in Geneva here.
The discussions on the day focused on applying a rights-based approach to investment in children and strengthening accountability, and on concrete examples of strategies and good practices.