Child-Friendly Version

We are getting ready for a big meeting where some important people at the United Nations from organisations that help children and young people, the UK Government and the Scottish Government, will talk about how well children’s rights are being protected in the UK. To help us prepare, we are writing about different issues that we think they should talk about. Today we are talking about things that children should be allowed to do and things they should be protected from.

Civil rights and freedoms make sure that everyone is treated fairly and equally by those in charge, like governments. There are a lot of rules that help children to have these rights and freedoms. For example, they have the right to say what they think, to learn about whatever religion they want (or none at all), to be part of clubs and groups, to have privacy, and to get information they need.

But there are some rules in the UK that are still not quite right for children’s rights and freedoms. In a report by Together, three things were pointed out as big problems. One is that in some schools, children have to do religious things that they might not want to do. Even if their parents don’t want them to do it, they don’t have a right to say no by themselves. Another problem is that some people use machines called “mosquito devices” that make a really high sound that only young people can hear. This can be really painful and scary for some children. The last problem is about children who get in trouble with the law. Sometimes, their privacy is not protected enough, or they are searched in a way that is scary and unfair.

Together wants the United Nations to help make things better for children’s rights and freedoms in the UK. Our members hope that the government will stop making kids do religious things they don’t want to do, stop people from using mosquito devices, and protect children’s privacy and safety when they get in trouble with the law.

We hope to see the UN Committee pick up on these issues next week. Make sure you follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to keep up-to-date with the review.

Stay tuned for our next article on ending violence against children coming out at 08:00am tomorrow!