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xAbout ICCPR
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) sets out the civil and political rights of individuals. This includes rights relating to:
- Political participation
- Equality and non-discrimination
- Private, home and family life
- Freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
- Right to a fair trial
- Freedom of thought, religion and expression
The UK ratified ICCPR in 1976.
Monitoring
ICCPR is monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The Committee is made up of 18 international independent experts from around the world.
The UK was last examined by the Committee in 2024. It highlighted the following priorities in relation to children and young people’s rights:
- Enacting legislation to ban corporal punishment of children in all settings, removing legal defenses like "reasonable chastisement," and promoting non-violent disciplinary methods.
- Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility
Read the full list of Concluding Observations from the Committee.