At Together we often inadvertently find ourselves using technical language and acronyms. In an effort to make our work, and the language of children's rights in general, more accessible to members, we list below some of our most frequently used terms:
Bairn’s Hoose/Barnahus: This is a child-centred response for children who are victims or witnesses of crime or abuse. It brings all services (justice, child protection, medical examination, trauma recover and family support) under one roof. The approach reduces the risk of the child experiencing further trauma and enables them to start recovering from their experiences more quickly.
Children’s Scheme: Scottish Government’s plan for implementation of the UNCRC Bill. It sets out how they will comply with children’s rights and report on progress annually.
CEDAW: The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty which defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
CRIA: A child rights impact assessment (CRIA) is a tool to assess how a proposed law, policy or budgetary allocation will impact the realisation of children’s rights. Scottish Government has a similar version of this called Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments (CRWIA).
Convention: This is a special type of treaty or agreement between many countries. Many countries of the world begin discussions on a global issue and reach a consensus regarding procedures and actions they all agree to follow.
Child: Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, this is defined as person under 18 years of age.
Civil Society: This is made up of citizens who work as a collective towards a shared goal. This can be made up of non-governmental, community-based and faith-based organisations, children and young people, trade unions, academics, professionals and others who share this common interest.
Concluding Observations: These are formed when the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has reviewed the progress of a country implementing children's rights. They set out the Committee’s main areas of concern and recommendations to improve the implementation of children's rights.
More information about Concluding Observations can be found here!
Care Experienced: Anyone who has been or is currently in care or from a looked-after background
Committee on the Rights of the Child: A body of independent experts that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols by State parties.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): Intends to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full equality under the law.
The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (commonly known as the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT)): This aims to prevent torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment around the world.
Council of Europe: This is an international organisation which aims to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
The Council of Europe is a separate entity from the European Union. Accordingly, Brexit shall not directly impact that UK’s membership of the Council of Europe.
Day of General Discussion (DGD): Children, young people organisations that work with and for children and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child gather to discuss particular issues relating to children's rights. They help develop a deeper understanding of the content or implications of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Devolution and Devolved Governments: For many years England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were run by the UK government, based in Westminster in London. Now, some powers are given to elected bodies in Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh.
Scottish Parliament is responsible for making decisions for devolved matters in Scotland.
Devolved powers: These are things which Scottish Parliament has the power to make laws on.
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: Is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe.
The UK's Human Rights Act puts the ECHR into UK law.
General Comments: UN treaty bodies, including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, produce General Comments to provide further explanation of the rights outlined in the UN treaties.
These may cover a specific article within a convention or an issue affecting children and young people that the Committee feels needs further guidance.
Human Rights Bill: A new Human Rights Bill will incorporate four United Nations Human Rights treaties into Scots Law. The new Bill will be introduced in this parliamentary session.
Human Rights Bill Governance and Engagement Advisory Board: The Advisory Board functions as a sounding board and advice-giving group for the Scottish Government. Its role is to consider and discuss issues that arise in the development and drafting of the Human Rights Bill.
Human Rights Defender: Anyone who takes action to protect, respect and fulfil human rights.
Human Rights Act: Ensures that people can enforce their rights which are set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.
It also compels public bodies (including the Government, the police and local authorities) to respect these rights.
More information about the Human Rights Act can be found here!
ICERD: The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is an international treaty defines racial discrimination and sets out measures to eliminate it.
ICESCR: The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is an international human rights treaty which covers economic, social and cultural rights, including rights to: education; fair and just conditions of work; an adequate standard of living; the highest attainable standard of health.
ISG: Together’s Implementation Strategy Group (ISG) – previously Incorporation Strategy Group - is a Subgroup of member organisations. The Implementation Strategy Group is a forum through which Together members can work to support and scrutinise the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Incorporation: Incorporation is a way of putting international human rights law into the domestic law of a country.
LOIPR: Together’s List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR) report collates the experiences and expertise of Together’s members about key children’s rights issues in Scotland as part of the UNCRC monitoring process. Read more here.
These set out extra provisions which have been written after the treaty was adopted. Optional protocols can be used to:
More information about Optional Protocols can be found here!
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (OPIC): This allows children to submit a complaint to the United Nations when their rights have been violated and their own country’s legal system were not able to offer a solution.
Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (OPSC): This protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child requires state parties to protect the rights and interests of child victims of trafficking, child prostitution and child pornography, child labour and especially the worst forms of child labour.
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC): Aims to protect children from recruitment and use in hostilities.
It does this by requiring governments to increase the minimum age that children can join the armed forces from 15 years and to ensure that members of their armed forces under the age of 18 do not take a direct part in armed conflict.
Rights Right Now!: Rights Right Now! is a pilot project - funded by Scottish Government and coordinated by Together - to ensure that children and young people are at the heart of discussions around UNCRC Implementation through influencing the UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board’s (SIB) decision-making.
Reserved matters: These are things which Scottish Parliament cannot make laws on. Instead, these laws are made by the UK's Government in Westminster.
SHRC: The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is an independent public body with a general duty to promote awareness, understanding and respect for all human rights
SOCRR: Every year, Together publishes the State of Children’s Rights in Scotland report which aims to monitor implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Scotland.
Strategic Implementation Board (SIB): Is a Scottish Government group of government, private and NGO stakeholders (including Together) that are providing strategic oversight of UNCRC implementation in Scotland.
Shadow report: To help with the UN Committee's review of a country's progress in implementing children's rights a shadow report may be submitted. This gives more information about the state of children's rights in that country.
More information about monitoring children's rights can be found here!
Treaty: A treaty is an agreement between two or more parties to solve an issue that affects the parties signing the treaty.
The UN Committee: The Committee on the Rights of the Child, often referred to Together as just ‘the UN Committee’ is the body of experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties.
UNCRC: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.
UNCRPD: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.
UPR: The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. Countries check on each other’s human rights commitments.
Don't see what you're looking for? Get in touch on info@togetherscotland.org.uk and let us know what we need to add!