On Tuesday 2 February at an event in Parliament, Get ready activists called on the Government to do more to protect and respect children’s rights.

The parliamentary event was well-attended by MPs, Peers, children’s NGOs, children’s rights lawyers and children and young people. On behalf of over 200 young activists involved in CRAE’s Get ready project, Adam, Daniel-Sean, Imogen, Sana and Rhasan launched the Get ready for action! report, which presents the findings and recommendations from three campaigns run by children and young people over the last year. They set out their demands of Government in relation to children’s human rights, and spoke about the impact children have had on the United Nations reporting process for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

CRAE’s young activists were joined by Baroness Morgan, the minister responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Children’s Commissioner Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green, who both praised the achievements of the Get ready project and emphasised the importance of supporting children and young people to speak out about their rights and get involved in decision-making.

The three campaigns featured in the Get ready for action! report have explored areas of human rights that children and young people have expressed concern about: the right to education for refugee and asylum-seeking children; representations of children and young people in the media and the impact of “naming and shaming”; and the quality and availability of counselling support in schools.

Sam Dimmock, CRAE’s head of policy and public affairs said: ‘The Get ready for action! report clearly demonstrates to those in power just how effective children and young people can be in campaigning for their rights and in achieving change. Building on their successful participation in and influence on the United Nations reporting process for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRAE’s young activists are now pushing for change in children’s rights at a national level’.

Juliet Stevenson, actor and campaigner, said: ‘This is an excellent report and it fulfils an urgent need. The report is a product of thorough research and offers a responsible and coherent picture of the situation faced by these children. I urge all those in a position to effect change to read it and act upon its recommendations’.

The report has also been endorsed by Bail for Immigration Detainees, The Children’s Society, Student Action for Refugees, CRIN (the Child Rights Information Network), Institute for Global Ethics, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and YoungMinds.

Copies of the report can be obtained from info@crae.org.uk.