Young people urge government action on upholding rights

The call is included in the Make Our Rights Reality manifesto, published by JustRights and Youth Access today, which says the public sector needs to get better at educating young people about their rights, ensuring they are upheld and improving access to advice services.

A petition has also been set up demanding the government carries out an urgent review of young people’s access to information, advice and legal support.

The manifesto, written by young people themselves, has been drawn up because the current support system for vulnerable children is not adequately meeting their needs, say the charities.

New analysis of data from the 2010-12 Civil and Social Justice Panel survey by JustRights suggests 2.3 million young people aged 16 to 24 experience a serious rights-related problem – such as homelessness, debt, benefit issues or unfair dismissal – each year, of which 93 per cent receive no help from professional independent advice services.

A JustRights survey also shows that two-thirds of young people believe the government does not want them to know their rights.

James Kenrick, co-chair of JustRights, said: “We have an expectation that young people in need will be supported by statutory authorities. Unfortunately, far too often young people encounter a culture in which services fail to listen and routinely disregard their rights.

“Upholding young people’s rights is a matter of child protection, but it is equally about access to justice, addressing poverty and the state of our democracy. We cannot allow the next generation to effectively become disenfranchised through the silent withdrawal of their rights.”

The manifesto, published to coincide with International Human Rights Day on 10 December, calls for access to young person-friendly advice services to be improved; problems with the benefits and housing systems to be resolved; and for teaching about rights to be included on the national curriculum.