Our submission for UN Children's Rights report
The UN Children's Rights Convention
Since 1991, the UK has agreed to follow the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC). By doing so, the UK has agreed to respect, protect, and fulfil all of the human rights included in the Convention.
Every five years or so, the UK (like other countries) is assessed by the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child. This is to assess how well the UK is doing in meeting their children’s rights obligations and to set out areas for improvement. The UK will next be examined by the UN Children’s Rights Committee next year (2023).
Find out more about the UN CRC and the review process here.
To inform the UN’s examination, a range of organisations and charities have worked together to produce a collective civil society shadow report. This report will highlight the state of children’s rights in England and what needs to change to ensure the rights of all children are upheld, and will be sent to the UN before the examination. This report has been led and co-ordinated by CRAE (Children’s Rights Alliance for England).
We welcome this process.
It is important that the UK Government and public bodies uphold the human rights of care-experienced children and young people, including those in the UN CRC.
We have provided a submission to inform the civil society shadow report. Read our response here.
Our submission highlighted two main issues that need to be addressed.
- Firstly, that children in care continue to face instability in their homes, communities, education and relationships.
- Secondly, that too many young people leaving the care system are expected to become independent overnight and without the support they need to thrive