Joint Committee questions Children’s Commissioners

Date: 11th December 2012
Category: Refugee , migrant and asylum-seeking children

The Joint Committee on Human Rights launched an inquiry into the human rights of unaccompanied migrant children and young people in the UK, with a particular focus on those who are seeking asylum or have been the victims of trafficking.

Tam Baillie, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, was amongst the witnesses involved in the inquiry. Others included Dr Maggie Atkinson (Children's Commissioner for England), Keith Towler (Children's Commissioner for Wales) and Patricia Lewsley-Mooney (Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People).

The Joint Committee on Human Rights' formal remit is to consider:

• matters relating to human rights in the United Kingdom (but excluding consideration of individual cases);
• proposals for remedial orders, draft remedial orders and remedial orders made under the Human Rights Act 1998; and
• in respect of draft remedial orders and remedial orders, whether the special attention of the House should be drawn to them on any of the grounds specified in HC Standing Order No. 151 (Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)).