The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Monitoring Group have published a report on children’s rights in Wales to mark the 18^th birthday of the UNCRC.

The report, Stop, look, listen: the road to realising children’s rights in Wales, reveals that Wales has progressed significantly on children’s rights, but more needs to be done.

The report congratulates the Welsh Assembly Government for:

• Adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis for all decision making for children and young people.
• Continuing to support the achievement of children’s rights structures such as Funky Dragon and the Children’s Commissioner’s for Wales.
• For taking a bold and principled stance against the use of physical punishment against children, the only government within the UK to do so.
• For progress in recognising the importance of children’s right to play, the only government within the UK to have both a national play policy and play implementation plan.

However, the report identifies the following as key concerns:

• 28% of children in Wales are living in poverty (approximately 170,000 children).
• That ‘looked after children’ (children in care) experience poor educational outcomes.
• Disabled children feel distressed that their views are not taken as seriously as other children and that they have trouble accessing services that they desperately need.
• Gypsy/Traveller children have the poorest life expectancy of any ethnic group in Wales.
• Children’s mental health services are in a state of crisis.

The report can be downloaded from the Save the Children website.

Further information on the Convention can be found on the UN Convention section of this website.