First Minister announces commitment to incorporate UNCRC principles into domestic law

Date: 12th September 2018
Category: Incorporation, Scotland-specific monitoring and reporting, Policies & procedures

30.jpg

The First Minister has announced a commitment to incorporate the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law as part of the Programme for Government 2018/19 launched on the 4th September 2018.

“In the Year of Young People, we have the opportunity to underline our commitment to future generations. We have the chance to fundamentally change the way in which we deal with the rights of young people. That is why this Programme for Government commits us to incorporating the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law. We will need to work with partners across public services and wider civic society to ensure that we do so in a way that promotes those rights most effectively, but now is the time to commit to that work.”

Together’s 2016 State of Children's Rights report explored why Scotland needs to fully incorporate children's human rights into domestic law. Incorporation means "the provisions of the UNCRC can be directly invoked before the courts and applied by national authorities and [...] will prevail where there is a conflict with domestic legislation or common practice."