Background
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN Committee) will be examining the UK in August 2024 on its compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The last concluding observations on the UK was in 2016.
The UK ratified CERD in 1969, agreeing to take action on eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms, including:
- eradicating racial hatred and incitement to hatred
- combatting prejudices which lead to racial discrimination
- guaranteeing the enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights without discrimination on grounds of race, colour, or national or ethnic origin
Civil society alternative report
The Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is issuing a call for evidence to inform its Civil Society Alternative Report for the forthcoming examination. We invite all stakeholders, organisations, and individuals to contribute written evidence by the close of play on 17th May 2024.
This timeline ensures that we have ample time to collate a response covering the breadth of children’s rights issues, and to meet the UN's deadline of 5th July 2024 for the submission of reports from civil society. Following the collation of evidence, we plan to circulate our report for sign-ups at the end of June/early July, allowing stakeholders the opportunity to endorse the final report before submission.
Children from racialised communities continue to face significant and persistent discrimination across many aspects of their lives. The UN examination offers a key opportunity for CRAE members and supporters to ensure that the UK Government is held to account on the systematic racism and race discrimination that hinders progress on advancing the rights of children from these communities. Our report will raise important issues of concern affecting children’s rights with the UN Committee and highlight where action is needed, as well as outline where progress has been made.
Following its examination, the UN Committee will publish its concerns and recommendations to the UK Government in the form of “concluding observations”. These can then be used as an advocacy tool to push for change to ensure children from racialised groups have their rights respected.
For reference, please see:
- The UK Government’s State Party report to the UN Committee in March 2023 detailing its progress against the concerns and recommendations outlined by the UN Committee in its 2016 Concluding Observations.
- The UN Committee’s Concluding Observations on the UK from 2016.
We are looking for a wide range of information including in the following areas (please see guidelines for submissions below):
- Human rights legislation and institutions
- Access to justice
- Data collection and policies to tackle racial discrimination
- Hate crimes
- Counter-terrorism measures
- Health (including mental health)
- Special educational needs and disability
- Child poverty, housing and homelessness
- Children in care and care leavers
- Abuse, neglect and exploitation
- Policing and criminal justice (including the policing of protest)
- Education
- Asylum and immigration
Guidelines for Written Evidence
Our civil society submission must be relatively short (10,000 words). Please submit no more than 500 words on each area and make sure to include specific recommendations, examples and references where required.
Your evidence should:
- Outline an assessment/analysis of where the Government has or has not made progress under the Convention and the 2016 Concluding Observations on your top children’s rights issues.
- Highlight any glaring inaccuracies or omissions in the UK Government’s State Party report published in March 2023
- Where possible, include information drawing on direct participation work with children so we can include their voices in the report.
DEADLINE: Friday 17th May 2024 by 23:59. Please send your submissions to mandeerkataria@justforkidslaw.org
If you are interested in endorsing the report, we kindly request that you indicate this when sending your submission and we will ensure to keep you informed of any next steps