Consultation closes 16 October 2020.
I wonder how this will be affected by gender ideology and the right of girls to single-sex provisions? Does anyone have some spare time to look at the Bill itself and accompanying documents to spot any potential issues?
www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/115977.aspx
The Equalities and Human Rights Committee (EHRiC) wants to hear your views on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.
The Bill will make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) part of Scottish law – this is often called “incorporation”. This would mean the government would have to respect the UNCRC as law, and that courts could help to decide if the government has respected or broken UNCRC law.
This means:
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the Scottish Government would always have to respect children’s rights when running the country
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children’s rights would need to be respected in schools and hospitals, by the police, and other people who make decisions that affect children’s lives
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children would be able to complain if they didn’t think their rights have been respected, including going to court in serious cases
As well as incorporating the UNCRC, the Bill does other things to make sure that it makes a difference in children’s lives. The Bill:
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makes sure all children and young people under 18 have their rights respected
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makes public authorities (organisations like councils, the police and health) respect UNCRC in their work
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lets children, young people, and people supporting them ask the courts to make sure their UNCRC rights are “enforced” (this means if children don’t think their rights have been respected and the courts agree, courts can tell public authorities to change what they do)
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makes Scottish ministers publish a report (a Children’s Rights Scheme) that shows what work they are doing for children’s rights
makes Scottish ministers review the Children’s Rights Scheme every year to see how it’s working
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makes other public authorities publish reports every 3 years to say how they are respecting the UNCRC (this is already part of another law called the “Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014)”
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gives the courts powers to decide if new and old laws are “compatible with” (respect) the UNCRC
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allows the Scottish Government to change Scottish laws to make sure they are “compatible with” (respect) the UNCRC
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allows the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland to take cases to court on behalf of children, and provide advice to courts about the UNCRC