The government is still not doing enough to improve rights for children, according to a report from the Children’s Rights Alliance for England.

The report states that it “has been a bad year for children’s human rights”. In the past year progress has been made on just 17 recommendations out of 78 issued to the UK by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2002.

The treatment of young offenders is highlighted as an area of key concern. Two children have died in custody this year, bringing the total number of child deaths in custody to 27 since 1990.

Jaap Doek, chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, said that urgent action is needed to improve the plight of children in custody.

“My committee recommended in 2002 that detention should only be used as a last resort, yet the UK still locks up more children than most other industrialised countries. Why is this tolerated?” he said.

Other areas covered by the report include the discrimination faced by refugee children and young black people, smacking, and the weakened role of England’s new children’s commissioner.

http://www.crae.org.uk/Word%20docs/State%20of%20chrights%202004.doc