UK children's rights record fails to improve

The 11th CRAE State of Children’s Rights report shows that 88 out of 118 children’s rights issues identified by the United Nations as needing government attention have made no progress or become worse over the past year.

Drawing on hundreds of sources of evidence including official data, parliamentary questions and freedom of information requests, the report assesses how children and young people are faring in all aspects of their lives and how this impacts on their human rights.

The rights of children at risk of harm and young people in the criminal justice system are two areas of concern highlighted in the 2013 report.

It says the death of four-year-old Daniel Pelka, which received national attention in the summer with the trial and conviction of his killers, is an example of how agencies are failing to engage and listen to children at risk of harm. It adds that two-thirds of child deaths that were caused deliberately were avoidable.

It cites research that found 86 per cent of children in care think it is important to keep siblings together, but currently 63 per cent of looked-after children are separated from their brothers and sisters.

Many victims of child abuse are failing to receive adequate psychological support, compounding their trauma, it adds.

The report criticises the government for going against scientific evidence on child brain development by refusing to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and for its plans to introduce a new system for regulating antisocial behaviour that can be used against children as young as 10.

The rise of restraint incidents against children in custody, and growth in the number of black and minority ethnic young people in the youth justice system is also evidence of human rights being undermined, CRAE says.

The impact of the tough economic conditions over the past five years are also looked at. The report says 300,000 more children are now living in low-income households than a year ago, the first rise in 20 years, while the health and educational attainment of poor and disadvantaged children is falling compared to their better-off peers.

Paul Uccellari, director of CRAE, said: “When we look at all the issues that have an impact on children in the UK today, we can see that too many are still suffering from abuse, poverty and injustice. Too many children are falling through the human rights safety net that is there to protect us all in our everyday lives.

“More needs to be done to make basic human rights real for all children. If the government is serious about its commitment to children’s rights, it must take more concrete action to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”