The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international agreement between 193 member states of the United Nations. The UNCRC spells out the rights that should be afforded to all children and young people under 18 in all those nations. Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People (SCCYP, more details below) has described the UNCRC as being about the 4 Ps:
- Provision – there should be things for children and young people to do, including educational and leisure facilities, and other services for children and young people
- Protection – the state must make effective and proportionate arrangements to protect children and young people from harm
- Participation – children and young people have the right to their own opinion and to have a say in decisions about their lives
- Privacy – confidentiality is important to children and young people and people working with them should think carefully before sharing their personal information
Your rights under the UNCRC include:
Right to life and healthcare
Right to protection from violence, abuse or neglect
Right to have a say in decisions that affect your life
Right to education
Right to information
Right to privacy
Right to meet other young people and join youth groups etc
Obligation on the state to act in your best interest
Everyone under 18 has these rights, without discrimination
In 2004, a group of young people in Dumfries & Galloway took part in a project on the UNCRC because they felt that for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people, these rights were not a reality because of widespread homophobic and/or transphobic discrimination. The result of their work is the LGBT Youth Charter of Rights that emphasises certain UNCRC rights that are particularly important to LGBT young people ; these include: the right to education and how homophobic bullying in schools hinders LGBT young people’s safety and achievement, the right to privacy and how LGBT young people’s confidentiality can be crucial for their safety at home and away, the right to information and how the lack of relevant information (e.g. PSE in schools) may put LGBT young people’s health at risk. LGBT Youth Scotland has taken on the LGBT Youth Charter of Rights and developed it into a tool for organisations to make their practice more LGBT-inclusive; now this has become the LGBT Charter of Rights.
Scotland has a dedicated advocate for the rights of children and young people, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Prof Kathleen Marshall. You can find more information about the UNCRC and SCCYP’s work on their website www.sccyp.org.uk