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On 28\u00a0<\/span>May the Scottish Government launched a consultation\u00a0to ask the public how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child should be\u00a0incorporated\u00a0into the law\u00a0in\u00a0Scotland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Scottish Government has committed to incorporating the international human rights treaty, which sets out the rights every child is entitle to, by 2021 (before the next elections to the Scottish Parliament).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n This year marks 30 years since the UNCRC was adopted in 1989. It has\u00a0been ratified by every country in the world except the USA. Scotland and the rest of the UK is already obliged to ensure the rights contained in the UNCRC are respected.\u00a0<\/span>However<\/span>\u00a0campaigners have been calling for its incorporation for many years as a way to strengthen how rights are protected and improve outcomes for children and young people. This is because incorporation would make the rights in the\u00a0UNCRC\u00a0more directly part of the law, just as the Human Rights Act 1998 made it easier to\u00a0enforce the rights in the\u00a0European Convention on Human Rights\u00a0in the UK and\u00a0to\u00a0make sure\u00a0public bodies\u00a0respect those rights.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Keeping brothers and sisters together and in touch is a\u00a0human rights issue and the UNCRC plays an important role in protecting the rights of siblings as part of the wider right to family life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n In 2016 the\u00a0<\/span>United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child reported<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on how the United Kingdom was faring in meeting its UNCRC commitments and among its comments was its concern\u00a0about:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cChildren placed at a distance from their biological families which prevents them from keeping in contact, and siblings being separated from each other without proper reason\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/u>and recommended that:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWherever possible find a placement for the child which will facilitate contact with his or her biological parents and siblings\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Incorporating the UNCRC into Scots law would bolster the law siblings can use to realise their rights.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can find out more about\u00a0UNCRC\u00a0incorporation on these sites:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Together (Scottish Alliance for Children\u2019s Rights)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Commissioner for Children and Young People Scotland<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n