Enable Scotland calls for UN Convention to apply to all public bodies

The government in Scotland asked people and organisations to give their advice on how to make the lives of children and young people better. Enable Scotland is an organisation working for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities in Scotland. They advised the Scottish government to work more on the Convention of the United Nations on the Rights of the Child. This is a document which says what need to be done to protect the rights of all children.

Enable Scotland responds to the Scottish government’s consultation paper, recommending the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Scottish legislation.

On 7 September 2011, the Scottish Government announced that it would bring forward the "Rights and Young People Bill" in 2012 in order to support children and young citizens to enjoy their lives to the fullest. The Rights of Children and Young People Bill will establish in law the responsibilities of the Scottish ministers to have due regard to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when exercising any of their functions. The Bill aims at ensuring that all Scottish Government policy and legislation takes account of the rights of children and young people and can be framed in such a way as to promote and secure those rights.

To this end the government launched a consultation paper inviting written responses, which will contribute to the realisation of its target. Enable Scotland welcomed the Scottish government’s recognition of the importance of children’s rights hoping that this consultation will mark the next step on the journey towards equal rights and opportunities for children and young people with intellectual disabilities in Scotland. At the same time, it responded to the government’s consultation paper with its responses under the guidance of parents, practitioners and managers working with children and young people with intellectual disabilities.

Among others, Enable Scotland calls on the Scottish Government to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) into the Scots law indicating that the Scottish government’s proposals do not go far enough and that duties should also apply to decisions made by public bodies in Scotland, including local authorities and health boards, not just the Scottish government.

“As it stands the legislation focuses solely on the obligations of Scottish Ministers. We believe that decision-making by public bodies, for example local authorities and health boards, should also take account of the rights set out in the UNCRC. We would like to see the UNCRC incorporated into domestic law. This would ensure that the rights of every child in Scotland are respected and upheld in line with the principles set out in the UNCRC and ratified by the UK Government in 1991”, recommends Enable Scotland.

To read its analytical responses to the Scottish government’s consultation paper, you can click here.