Major charities, lawyers and children's rights activists from all over the UK have joined together to form a coalition calling on the Government to make the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) part of UK law.  The coalition is called Rights of the Child UK (ROCK).  Scroll down for our list of members and information about joining the coalition.

ROCK believes that making the CRC part of UK law would be the best way to make sure all children’s rights are taken seriously in all areas of their lives, regardless of their circumstances or setting.  More than eighteen years after the Convention was ratified by the UK, we think this is long overdue. 

What has the Coalition Government promised for children's rights?

The Liberal Democrat manifesto pledged incorporation of the CRC into UK law, and the Conservatives have previously indicated they are open to the inclusion of children's rights in a British Bill of Rights.  It remains unclear how the Coalition Government will take this forward.  However, it has announced that a commission will be established to investigate the possible introduction of a British Bill of Rights that would build on all rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.  The Rights of the Child UK (ROCK) coalition will use this process to advocate CRC incorporation.

Children's Rights Bill runs its course

The Children’s Rights Bill ran its course without a second reading before Parliament was dissolved for the General Election campaigns - but our work continues.  ROCK coalition members recently met to discuss our work plans for the coming year and more information will be made available about this soon - including the possible reintroduction of the Bill. 

ROCK coalition members

Our member organisations are: Article 12 in Scotland, the British Humanist Association, the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN), the Children's Legal Centre, the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), The Children's Society, ECPAT, the Fatherhood Institute, the Howard League for Penal Reform, the National Youth Advocacy Service, the National Youth Agency, NCB, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Save the Children UK, Scope, the Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights, Sefton Voices, Shelter Children's Legal Service, Unicef UK, Voice, Who cares? Scotland and YoungMinds.  Details of our individual members are available upon request.

Find out more about ROCK and how to get involved

Read the ROCK coalition's terms of reference here and find out more about our work here.  For more information or to join the coalition, contact Katy Swaine

More information about the Children's Rights Bill

On 19 November. the eve of the 20th anniversary of the UN's adoption of the CRC, ROCK coalition member Baroness Joan Walmsley introduced the Children's Rights Bill in the House of Lords.  The Bill would have made the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child part of UK law.  The Bill was drafted by ROCK coalition members, based on the same model as the Human Rights Act. 

The UK Government has taken some significant steps to uphold children’s rights, including the introduction of the first Cabinet Minister and Department for Children, Schools and Families, but more must be done. Last year the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child criticised the Government’s failure to implement the Convention in many areas of children’s lives, particularly for some of the most vulnerable children, in conflict with the law and subject to immigration control.  The Committee made over 100 recommendations for reform.

It is clear that children’s rights are still being denied in the UK:

• 4 million children are living below the poverty line.
• While 1 in 10 children have a diagnosable mental health problem, only around 25% have access to the treatment they need.
• The UK incarcerates more children than most other western countries – currently over 2,500 children are in jail.  Conditions in custody are regularly criticised by independent inspectors, including the over-use of physical force and deliberate infliction of pain, strip searching and segregation.
• The UK has the second worst infant mortality rate of the 24 wealthiest countries in the world.

The UNCRC sets out the rights that all children need to thrive. Existing legal mechanisms to hold the Government and public authorities to account for protecting all children are under-used, largely due to lack of awareness among the public, including children, lawyers, the courts and decision-makers.  Making the UNCRC part of UK law would make the Convention justiciable in the UK courts. 

Read more about the introduction of the Bill here.

Government consultation on a UK Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

In March 2009 the UK Government published a Green Paper setting out ideas and proposals for a future UK Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.  The Government's consultation on the Green Paper closed on 26 February 2010.  Download ROCK's response to the consultation here.  Read the Government's summary of responses, conclusions and recommended next steps here.

Some children and young people give their views - January 2010

On 27 January 2010, children and young people from CRAE and UNICEF UK met with the human rights minister Michael Wills MP to share their views on the Government's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Green Paper. The young delegates were representing a group of 20 children and young people who attended a consultation event in December to debate the concept of a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities; the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that might be included; and to what extent rights enshrined in such a Bill should be justiciable. The general consensus among young participants was that the Government should take the opportunity of a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities to build on the Human Rights Act and incorporate the UNCRC into UK law. They felt that this would ensure that children and young people can more easily access justice for any violations of their rights, and that it would, in the longer-term, help to raise the status of children and young people in society.

ROCK's response to the Green Paper - June 2009

The coalition for UNCRC incorporation welcomes the Government's placing of children at the heart of the Green Paper, and its recognition of the UNCRC as a crucial instrument to achieve change for children.  However, we believe the Government must go much further.

The UK Government has expressed a strong vision to make this country the best place in the world for children to grow up.  We believe this can only be achieved by making the UNCRC part of UK law, bringing it within the reach of all children in the UK regardless of their circumstances or setting.   The proposed Bill of Rights and Responsibilities presents a unique opportunity to make this happen. 

The Government has taken important steps in this Green Paper by recognising the need to foster greater respect for children and young people in UK society and by explicitly acknowledging children as rights holders, as well as drawing attention to the responsibility of wider society towards children.  The Government has also crucially emphasised the importance of ensuring that children's existing rights remain in place - including those protected under the Human Rights Act - and that any new measures build on these safeguards.

However, we are disappointed that the UK Government has not set out any plans to incorporate the UNCRC into UK law, nor to create any new enforceable rights for children.  We also remain concerned about the UK Government's proposals for more explicit links between rights and responsibilities, the implications of which still do not have appear to have been fully thought through.

The UK Government is right to put children at the heart of its plans.  However, if it is to have any chance of creating the best place in the world for children to grow up, it must do much more.