Further calls for ban on tasering under 18s

Date: 23rd August 2021
Category: Equal protection from violence

Using tasers on children goes against the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as it subjects children to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment. Following a freedom of Information request, Sky News has been revealed that over the last three years, police forces across the UK have continued to use tasers against children in various incidents.

UN bodies have repeatedly called for the UK Government to ban the use of tasers on children, highlighting the serious risk of physical and psychological harm they pose. This includes recommendations from the UNCRC Committee in 2016 and UN Committee against Torture in 2019. Earlier this year, the UNCRC Committee asked for an update on what the UK was doing to prohibit taser use against children, yet the practice continues. Together continues to advocate for the ban on the use of tasers on children.

You can find more information on what the UNCRC asserts on tasering on page 52 of Together’s State of Children’s Rights Report 2019 here.