After almost 4 years of negotiations, the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. Despite Brexit, our UK members remain central to our efforts to put children at the heart of Europe. We stay united in our common cause for protecting and promoting children’s rights across Europe. 

Concerns have been raised by British civil society organisations, NGOs, and charities in response to the yet-to-be-negotiated deal between the UK and the EU. UNICEF have noted that whilst the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child will continue to apply to the UK, ‘every effort should be made to see that children’s rights aren’t weakened as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU.’ 

Eurochild members in the UK are reminding the government of its commitment to children’s rights as it prepares to negotiate its future relationship with the EU. Children in Wales have emphasized that ‘children and young people were denied an opportunity to take part in the EU Referendum which determined that the UK will withdraw from the European Union, yet will be most affected by the decision to leave.’ In response to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, they have outlined a list of guiding overarching principles for their work, including no roll back on the existing rights of children in both the negotiation process and departure, that children have mechanisms in place for their voices to be heard, that opportunities remain for engagement in the children’s workforce, and that the UK remains fully compliant with the UNCRC throughout the process. 

Scottish Eurochild members Children in Scotland and Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) have called for young people’s voices to be included in discussions on the UK’s future relationship with Europe, including in negotiations about rights, trade, and EU funding. Over the next six months, the organisations will be sharing children and young people’s views on Brexit from their landmark participation project the Children and Young People’s Panel on Europe.

Amy Woodhouse, Children in Scotland’s Head of Policy, Projects and Participation, said: “Although the UK leaves Europe today there is still an 11-month transition period, during which the UK Government will try to agree a trade deal. We will be using that time to ensure that those most affected by Brexit in the years to come – and the least involved in the decision to leave the EU – are heard.

“The children and young people we’re working with on the Panel still have an important opportunity to positively influence the shape Brexit takes and how it impacts them in Scotland. They’ve already told us what they think about some of the fundamental issues likely to be covered in the trade talks, and we’re looking forward to hearing more from them in this second phase of the project. “

Juliet Harris, director of Together Scotland, said: “Children and young people on the Panel are clear that Brexit must not have a negative impact on human protections. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights contains strong protections for children’s human rights and yet it will no longer apply after the UK leaves the EU. “

Source
Countries this relates to
Tags

Childhub

You might like..

0
14
The pandemic situation is very challenging for social workers as well. Two of Hampshire County’s social workers share their experiences working with people during the lockdown. Sophie helped a family with two children, a 12-year old girl and a 5-…
0
4
As a first country in the UK Scotland has made it a crime for parents to smack their children. The new regulation will grant the children the same protection from assault as adults. Smacking in England is illegal, excluding cases where it is used as…
0
30
The article below was written by Phil Nash, correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service, an organisation of immigration solicitors providing legal support for students from overseas looking to study in the UK.  The views expressed are that…
0
17
Crimes involving the sexual grooming of children have been on the rise in recent years, according to the British police in Shropshire. From April 2018 until April of 2019, local law enforcement authorities investigated 70 percent more child sexual…
0
1
A campaign by charities in the UK has emphasized the importance of a coordinated response for vulnerable young people aged 16–17. Support for children in need stops at 18, but very few vulnerable teenagers are referred to adult services.…
0
13
The #Chances4Children campaign, launched by Children and Young People Now, aims to create a platform where practitioners, teams and leaders are able to share their experiences and innovative ideas about working with children and young people.…
0
50
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has adopted General Comment 25 which ensures children's rights online. It includes children's civil rights, freedom, privacy, non-discrimination, protection, education and many other related…
0
32
An estimated 121,000 young people in the UK asked the council for help with homelessness in 2019-20. However, it is worth bearing in mind that not everyone reaches the council for help and many more 16-24-year-olds are hidden homeless. This is…
0
6
In UK, charities reported that more than 27% of deaf children are taught in classrooms by teachers who use face masks, causing distress to them because of impossibility to read lips. They declaim that if this continues for a long-time, education…
0
19
Alex Mistlin reports for The Guardian that, according to the government’s annual youth justice statistics, self-harm and use of restraint are increasingly commonplace in the youth justice system and a record high of more than half of young people in…
0
10
"The Lancet " the British medical journal published a report on pediatric pain. A commission of specialists tested the individuals who deal with children to end what they depicted as the basic under treatment of torment in children,…
0
3
Media regulator Ofcom interviewed 3,200 children and parents around the UK as part of a 2019 study on children’s electronic device usage habits.  Here are some of the results: Mobile phones are the most commonly used devices among…
0
4
The BBC reports on the newly introduced smacking ban bill in Scotland, presenting the country as the very first part of the United Kingdom to do so. Before the bill, it was allowed and quite common among parents and carers to use smacking as a form…
0
2
The Children and Young People’s Panel on Europe, initiated by Eurochild members, Children in Scotland and independently led by the charity in partnership with Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights), will also develop resources to…
0
9
The UK unveiled a plan to vastly increase government oversight of social media companies, with a first-of-its-kind watchdog that could fine executives or even ban companies if they fail to block content such as terrorist propaganda or images of…