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UK: UN report criticises government’s treatment of children

01 November 2008

In October 2008, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child reported that the UK government is failing to meet legal and social international standards for the treatment of its 13.1 million children. The body, which is comprised of 18 human rights experts, exists to monitor how well UN counties implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It publishes its findings for each country every five years. Its latest UK report addresses a wide range of issues and makes over 150 recommendations. These include:

• The raising of the age of criminal responsibility and the removal of the “discriminatory” variation between Scotland (where the minimum age is eight) and the rest of the UK (where it is ten).

• Further increases in government expenditure on children to sufficiently tackle issues of child poverty and inequality.

• The review and abolition of anti-social behaviour orders. The report notes that most ASBO recipients are from disadvantaged backgrounds and suggests that far from being in a child’s best interests, they “contribute to their entry into contact with the criminal justice system” (See Statewatch’s Asbowatch website)

• Fewer restrictions on child rights of assembly that are currently being impeded by “dispersal zones” and the use of “mosquito” devices - which emit high pitched ultra-sonic tones at a frequency only those under the age of 25 can fully hear (see Statewatch Vol. 17 no 4)

• The banning of all forms of corporal punishment including those “in the family” such as smacking. Further, the government should “explicitly prohibit” its use in schools.

• Tighter controls over children’s privacy in the media - specifically through greater regulation of their appearance in reality television shows which, the Committee says, are increasingly portraying children in a negative light.

The report also expressed concern that a child’s DNA record is held in the national database regardless of whether or not they are charged with a crime, let alone found guilty.

A copy of the report can be found at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/AdvanceVersions/CRC.C.GBR.CO.4.pdf