News

UN Slates UK on Children's rights

Tuesday 30th November 2004

The Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is today launching a hard-hitting report on the Government's failure to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The body quotes Jaap Doek, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, as saying:-

"The UK will next be examined by my Committee in 2009. That is too long to wait for children whose human rights are being violated today. In particular, urgent action is required to remedy the plight of children in custody. Two children have died in custody this year, many children are officially classed as too vulnerable for Prison Service custody, and there are continuing and grave concerns about children's access to education, health care and child protection. 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?"

The CRAE report refers to The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, but makes no specific mention of male circumcision.