January 2011
hildren’s rights Words by Hayley Illustration by Sam
DID YOU KNOW? Only two countries in the world have not agreed to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – Somalia and the USA.
SHOULD ASBOs EXIST FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18? AntiSocial Behaviour Order: a civil order made against a person (child or adult) who has been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in antisocial behaviour. This is behaviour that is harmful to others. Breaking the rules of an order can result in a person being sent to prison. ENGLAND AND WALES: introduced in 1999. SCOTLAND: introduced in 2004. NORTHERN IRELAND: introduced in 2005. IRELAND: introduced in 2007. Arguments for ASBOs: people will fear punishment and so won’t behave badly. Arguments against ASBOs: 40% of all ASBOs in England and Wales were given to 10 to 17 year olds even though they make up just 10% of the population. Children are being targeted more than adults which is unfair. There are many negative effects on children who receive ASBOs. Some may continue to act badly, or see ASBOs as a badge of honour.
WHAT SHOULD BE THE AGE OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY? Age of criminal responsibility: the age at which Parliament has decided children are old enough to understand criminal actions if they commit them. Therefore they can be punished in a similar way to adults. INDIA: 7 KENYA: 8 ENGLAND: 10 IRAN: 9 for girls, 15 for boys TURKEY: 11 FRANCE: 13 CHINA: 14 NORWAY: 15 SPAIN: 16 POLAND: 17 BELGIUM: 18 Arguments for age 10: At 10, a child has at least a simple understanding of right and wrong, for example murder being wrong. In 1993, James Bulger, a 2 yearold, was abducted, tortured and murdered by two 10 yearold boys. Some people in the UK argue they were rightly punished. Arguments against 10: A child below the age of 15 is not mature enough to fully understand the effect of their actions. A child may commit crimes because of things such as distress in their school, home or other environments, and so it is not their fault. This means they should not be punished in the same way as adults.
INTERNATIONAL MONITORING OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child checks that each government is doing all it can to make sure children and young people get all their human rights. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is a group of 18 children’s rights experts from all over the world. The Committee meets three times a year in Geneva in Switzerland. Find out how children in England were involved in reporting to the UN Committee in 2008: www.getreadyforchange.org.uk 29