Whilst the country consumes itself with the consequences of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, EU negotiations and trade deals, our new report reveals the devastating impact this preoccupation has had on children’s lives in England, leaving many traumatised, powerless and vulnerable to abuse in many areas of their lives.
30 years after the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was first adopted by the United Nations, our annual 'State of Children’s Rights in England' report takes a look back at the past year to assess how well the government is respecting children’s rights. The UK signed up to the UNCRC in 1991. This means that all areas of government and public institutions, including local government, schools, health services, and criminal justice bodies, must do all they can to fulfil children’s rights. The UNCRC sets out the basic things that children need to thrive and have a good childhood but also acts as a safety net so children always receive at least the minimum standard of treatment.
Sadly, evidence from our 100 members (made up of the leading children’s charities and academics) and new data shows the government has made little progress on important issues such as child homelessness, rising school exclusions and how children are treated by the police; ignoring stark warnings from the UN. The wellbeing of the nation’s children should be one of the government’s top priorities, yet we have found clear evidence that children’s best interests are being overlooked and their rights violated because of a focus on Brexit and systematic failures to protect them.
