Scottish children's commissioner Kathleen Marshall, speaking on behalfof colleagues Keith Towler for Wales, Sir Al Aynsley-Green for England,and Patricia Lewsley for Northern Ireland, told the UN that progress onchildren's rights in the UK has either worsened or stalled since thelast UN Committee report in 2002.
The new report focuses on the performance of Government and devolvedadministrations, highlighting the most serious breaches of children'srights.
There are 18 areas of common concern and more than 100 recommendationson child poverty, persistent inequalities in society, taking account ofchildren's best interests in areas of justice, and the treatment ofchildren seeking asylum.
Ms Marshall said, 'Poverty and health are big issues, as is growinginequalities in our society, which is UK wide. There's the issue ofgrowing substance abuse. In education we are focused on equality. Theproblem is often children not being viewed as participants in their owneducation. Nurseries actually blaze the trail in childparticipation.'
She said that disabled children suffer a lack of services and support,and little monitoring. 'The pattern of disability seems to be changing.There's a greater survival rate of babies with disabilities. And it'svery difficult to provide services without accurate data.'
She pointed out that smacking remains to be outlawed around the UK. 'InScotland, you're allowed "justifiable assault" of a child, whereas inEngland it's "reasonable chastisement". It's useful for us, because theword assault is right there.
'In Sweden it was made illegal in 1979. Now the public are behind it,but it took a while. The fear for them is that ordinary parents would becriminalised. But this is an opportunity for promoting non-violentpositive parenting.'
FURTHER INFORMATION
The report can be downloaded at www.11MILLION.org.uk.
