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x‘Dear Kate, Ash and Humza…’ A letter from children and young people
Date: 8th March 2023
Category:
Incorporation
Together supported Omima, Arden, Beau and Daisy, Members of Children’s Parliament and Scottish Youth Parliament, to send a letter to the SNP leadership candidates, asking for their clear commitment to incorporating children’s rights. The letter gained support from our members with 75 signatories! Let’s keep the pressure on candidates at the hustings – read more to find out how you can get involved!
Children and young people are frustrated with the delay of the incorporation of their rights into Scots law. The UNCRC Incorporation Bill is still not in law despite the bill passing with full cross-party support almost two years ago. This was one of the top issues we brought up in our State of Children’s Rights Report and one that Omima, Arden, Beau and Daisy raised at the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. Many of the children who initially campaigned for Scotland’s Incorporation Bill are no longer children. If this generation are to have their rights fully protected then we need clear commitment to the prioritisation of the Incorporation Bill from the next First Minister.
This letter, written by Omima, Arden, Beau and Daisy, Members of Children’s Parliament and Scottish Youth Parliament, ask for their clear commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, to make sure it is brought back to the Scottish Parliament and becomes law as urgently as possible.
To date, Humza Yousaf is the only candidate who has pledged human rights as a key issue in his campaign (making a commitment to the new Human Rights Bill for Scotland). However, his speech did not mention children’s rights nor the UNCRC Incorporation Bill.
The SNP Leadership Hustings events that are currently taking place across Scotland offer opportunities for SNP members to ask the candidates questions on their priorities. We need to keep the pressure on candidates by encouraging SNP members to ask questions relating to children’s rights – we’re calling on members to suggest their questions on Twitter using the hashtag #ChildRightsPledge.