DNA records breach children's privacy, say UK commissioners

The commissioners, including the children's commissioner for England Sir Al Aynsley-Green, said the practice, which applies to those interviewed but not charged in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, breaches privacy rules set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

They said the whole UK should follow Scotland's example, which only keeps DNA data for three years in cases involving violent or sexual offences.

The practice surrounding DNA is one of several breaches of the UN convention detailed in a report into the state of UK children's rights, presented to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child this week. The report named 18 areas of concern, including the treatment of asylum-seeking children and young offenders.

Of particular concern was the high levels of restraint used in young offender institutions and secure children's homes in England and Wales. The report said there is often little distinction between children and adults in the UK's justice system. It also noted that, in some areas, adults have greater rights than children, particularly in terms of assault, as physical punishment of children by parents is still allowed.

The report is the first ever given by the commissioners to the UN committee, which examines progress on efforts to protect children's rights globally.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of children's charity 4Children, said: "We must constantly re-evaluate whether the many interventions that have been put in place so far are enough to offer the support needed. The answer this report gives is that they are not."

A common theme of the report was that, on many issues, Scotland is leading the way. For example, it has the lowest rate of child poverty in the UK.

- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc.