BBC trying to undermine Cass report in Wales

[Draigosaurus]

There’s a quote from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv20l497xvjo

Rocio Cifuentes, the children's commissioner for Wales, said: “I will carefully consider the points raised in this significant and long-awaited review.
^^
"I'll be asking the Welsh government how the review's findings will affect their actions in Wales, and how they will reflect on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations on this issue.”

Does anyone have a link to the UNCRC’s “concluding observations”?

Quote from Welsh Government.

“The Welsh government said it was "committed to improving the Gender Identity Development pathway and the support available for young people in Wales, in line with the commitments in our LGBTQ plan".
It added it will consider the review's findings to provide support for young people questioning their gender.”

The Concluding Observations are always heavily influenced by charities, activists and, oddly enough, Children’s Commissioners. All very circular. Members of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child don't do any original research or investigation but rely on what they're told. So we can guess what they said unfortunately.

@EnfysPreseli thanks

I’ve found this but haven’t read it yet.

https://childrenslegalcentre.wales/un-committee-on-rights-of-child-uk-concluding-observations-2023/

This circularity certainly seems to be a feature; see also, WPATH. Other leading charities are also available.

Here’s the Concluding Observations

https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/DownloadDraft.aspx?key=af6flM/DbBqPE2/waqXlpB3LO3lhcpqekS7iK4gYAx6Hnx4GEVuMSU4/EfZoT5S3h0TEHNX7duZq/NdzH0t89Q==

9c says this

Ensure that the action plans include a special focus on children in disadvantaged situations, including asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children, children belonging to minority groups, children with disabilities, children in care, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, socioeconomically disadvantaged children and so-called “young carers” or children with caregiver responsibilities.

Here you go.

This is from her last Annual Report. Think she's been contacted by some clinicians since and I think I saw an FOI response on Whatdotheyknow where they basically say they haven't looked at any evidence apart from things that aren't actually evidence (e g. the Concluding Observations, the Welsh Government's LGBTQ+ Action Plan and what children and their families want). The response was pretty shocking actually. Arrogant and quite obvious that they're strangers to words like 'rigour', 'evidence-based' and 'impartiality'.

Oh, three came along at once! 😁

Why recommend having just one service? It'd probably be in Cardiff, so no more accessible than some of the new English centres for a lot of young people. Another reason why improving CAMHS would be better.

20a eliminate discrimination against children in disadvantaged situations, including children belonging to ethnic minority groups, asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children, Roma, Gypsy and Traveller children, children with disabilities, children in alternative care, children of incarcerated parents, children of unmarried parents, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, socioeconomically disadvantaged children, and children in the justice system;

20e Ensure that children who experience discrimination, bullying or harassment in relation to their sexual orientation or gender identity receive protection and support, including through targeted anti-bullying measures;

25 Noting the decision taken by the State party to prevent the implementation of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, the Committee recommends that the State party recognize the right to identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, and put in place measures to ensure that all adolescents enjoy their freedom of expression and respect for their physical and psychological integrity, gender identity and emerging autonomy. In this context, the State party should ensure that any decisions regarding systems of gender recognition for children are taken in close consultation with transgender children and in line with children’s rights, including the right to be heard and the right to identity, in accordance with their evolving capacities, to free and informed consent and with appropriate safeguards.

30c Investigate all cases of abuse and maltreatment of children in alternative care and health settings, particularly among children with disabilities, adequately sanction perpetrators and provide reparation to victims.

33a Ensure that child protection systems take a child rights-based approach in preventing and addressing cases of abuse and neglect, including psychological violence;

35

(a) Develop national strategies aimed at eliminating and preventing harmful practices affecting children, including child marriage, female genital mutilation and violence committed in the name of so-called honour, and ensure that it includes effective measures for raising public awareness, training relevant professional groups, identifying victims and addressing data gaps and low rates of reporting and prosecution;

(b) Prohibit the promotion, facilitation and delivery of so-called “conversion therapies” aimed at changing the sexual orientation and gender identity of children, in line with its commitment made in 2018, with particular attention paid to the vulnerabilities of children who may be subject to such harm;
(c) Publish the results of the 2019 call for evidence issued by the Government Equalities Office on the experiences and needs of people who have variations in sex characteristics;

(d) Legally prohibit non-urgent and non-essential (including feminizing or masculinizing) medical or surgical treatment of intersex children before they are of sufficient age or maturity to make their own decisions; ensure that such incidents are investigated and provide redress and psychosocial support to victims; and establish a mechanism to independently monitor implementation of the legal prohibition.

Strengthen measures aimed at ensuring the availability of quality, child- sensitive and age-appropriate paediatric primary and specialist health care services to all children, and ensure that children’s perspectives are included in the development and implementation of all health services, health and social care commissioning, and policy and practice reviews;

41d Urgently address the long waiting times faced by transgender and gender- questioning children in accessing specialized health services, improve the quality of such services, and ensure that their views are taken into account in all decisions affecting their treatment;

43

(C) Develop or strengthen strategies, with sufficient resources, for ensuring the availability of community-based therapeutic mental health services and programmes for children of all ages, and for providing comprehensive mental health promotion, screening for mental health issues and early intervention services in schools;
(d) Urgently address the long waiting times for accessing mental health services, without stigma, including in the Overseas Territories; and ensure that the number of qualified medical professionals, including child psychologists and psychiatrists, is sufficient to meet children’s mental health needs in a timely manner and close to where they live;
(e) Develop adequately funded mental health services that are tailored to the specific needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, migrant children, children with disabilities and “young carers”, including through sufficient investments in specialist services;
(f) Address the overrepresentation of children belonging to minority groups, children with autism and children with learning disabilities in inpatient mental health care;
(g) Strengthen measures to address the underlying causes of poor mental health, eating disorders and other self-harming behaviours among children, and invest in preventive measures.

44b Integrate comprehensive, age-appropriate and evidence-based education on sexual and reproductive health into mandatory school curricula at all levels of education and into teacher training, and ensure that it includes education on sexual diversity, sexual and reproductive health rights, responsible sexual behaviour and violence prevention, without the possibility for faith-based schools or parents to opt out of such education;

47g Develop guidance, with the participation of civil society and children, for the inclusion of trans and gender-questioning children in schools in all constituent countries, and ensure that such guidance fully respects their rights, including their rights to identity and to privacy;

Yes, it's 41d that CCfW is concerned about.

The stuff higher up about a right to identity has been completely hijacked. It was originally about children having a right to have their birth registered, to have documentation or a passport. To be recognised as persons. Even five years ago the new interpretation wouldn't have been used. Now it's being used as a way to push identity politics as well as gender.

@EnfysPreseli

The title of that CCfW section of the annual report is:

DISABILITY, BASIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

Bizarre to define access to puberty blockers as “basic health and welfare”.

She goes further in the text, equating an affirmation only approach and access to puberty blockers with "the highest standard of healthcare". Astonishingly naive.

There's not even a hint of critical analysis or independent thought. It's all along the lines of 'this document says this, that document promises that so that's what I'll look at, and vulnerable children should get experimental treatment with irreversible effects and no clinical evidence of benefit just because they ask for it'. Doesn't give you any confidence that she'll actually read Cass, or appreciate the issues. Sadly lots of people in the children's rights field have been taken in by the ideology. They seem to miss how regressive it is. Using children for an adult agenda.

Five years ago that new definition including "gender and sexual identity" as part of a child's identity was included in the consultation for the new RSE curriculum in Wales:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3516576-New-consultation-on-Relationships-and-Sexuality-Education-in-schools-in-Wales?reply=85153958

The inclusion of a child's 'gender identity and sexual orientation' as part of their identity was included in the UNCRC handbook in 2007 (on p.115).
https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Implementation_Handbook_for_the_Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child_Part_1_of_3.pdf

There's an archive version of the handbook at the Wayback Machine https://web.archive.org/. MN won't let me post a direct working link to the page.

One of the authors of the UNCRC Handbook (Peter Newell) was later convicted of raping a child.

https://christianconcern.com/comment/the-abusers-behind-gender-identity-for-children/

I stand corrected @OldCrone. It feels like a more recent subversion, but you are right.

Again it's probably down to the very closed, circular and 'incestuous' way the monitoring system for UN treaties operates. The Denton's playbook is full of tactics and techniques that have been used before on other issues. As long as the cause is honourable and there are no bad actors nobody sees any problem with it. But it's fundamentally flawed and potentially corrupt. The SOGI people seem to have been learning a lot from the CRC people, so were likely in touch to enable them to lobby for inclusion of GI in the Handbook. Absolute shitshow and nobody notices until it's too late.

Holy fuck!

What stood out for me was the repeated use of 'transgender children'; hasn't Cass specifically commented on the use of that phrase? She uses 'gender questioning' or similar.