Humanists join call for the Scottish Government to protect children’s rights

October 6, 2021

Government and Law

This morning the UK Supreme Court ruled that four aspects of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill are outwith the competence of the Scottish Parliament and will need to be reconsidered by the Scottish Parliament.

As members of Together (the Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) we were one of the 65 signatories of a letter today that urges the Scottish Government to work at speed to address the Court’s concerns and to take the necessary steps to allow the Scottish Parliament to reconsider the Bill.

Earlier this year MSPs unanimously passed the UNCRC (Scotland) Bill, and made a commitment to protect, respect, and fulfil children’s rights in Scotland. UNCRC Scotland has taken over a decade of hard work and advocacy (led by children and young people) to get to this point. Children and young people in Scotland should not have to wait any longer to make their rights real. The letter calls on the Scottish Government to progress the implementation of UNCRC whilst technical issues are around the bill are resolved, and all the organisations listed offer their full support in making this happen.

Read the full text of the letter here.