Scottish Government launches consultation on UNCRC incorporation

Date: 22nd May 2019
Category: Incorporation

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We warmly welcome the launch of the Scottish Government’s consultation on the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law. We particularly welcome the clear commitment that legislation is delivered within this parliamentary session and agree with the Scottish Government that incorporation has the potential to transform the experience of children, young people and their families across Scotland.

Access the Scottish Government’s UNCRC incorporation consultation here.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporate the UNCRC follows from years of work by children and young people, Together members, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and many others. Most recently, this has culminated in a draft Children’s Rights (Scotland) Bill, written by an independent advisory group of international legal experts convened by Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland.

Find out more about the draft Children’s Rights (Scotland) Bill here.

The draft Children’s Rights (Scotland) Bill – referred to in the Scottish Government’s consultation – provides a strong foundation from which a ‘gold standard’ for upholding children’s human rights in Scotland can be developed. In line with the questions raised in the Scottish Government’s consultation, the draft bill sets out:

  • legal mechanisms for incorporating the UNCRC into domestic law;
  • processes needed to embed children’s rights into public services;
  • structures that must be in place to ensure that legislation, policy and practice is compatible with the UNCRC;
  • options for redress if children’s human rights are violated.

Recognising that incorporation is often seen as a technical legal exercise, we have worked with our members to set out why we think incorporation is important. Throughout May, we have been publishing a series of #RightTime case studies that explore specific children’s rights issues - including poverty, mental health, juvenile justice and even Brexit. Through the case studies, we show how we believe incorporation will make a difference to the lives of children, young people and their families who are affected by these issues.

Read our #RightTime incorporation blogs here.

In the coming weeks, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) will produce an initial briefing to support our members to respond to the Scottish Government’s consultation. We also hope to hold a number of engagement events over the summer to inform our response to the consultation. We hope that as many of our members as possible can get involved and support this work!

If you would like to be involved in our UNCRC incorporation work, please contact Kirndeep (kirndeep@togetherscotland.org.uk)