Significant impact on children’s rights
It’s the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It enshrines certain rights in 46 member states, including the UK.
The ECHR is vital for children’s rights. It has been a force for positive change in our society, impacting not just the development of our laws but also our attitudes. To celebrate today, we’re sharing three cases that have made a significant impact:
In 1982, two Scottish mothers, Grace Campbell and Jane Cosans, won a landmark case that led to physical punishment in schools being made illegal. Before then teachers could use a leather strap to discipline children. The two mothers complained to the European Court of Human Rights and won the case.
In 2001, in a case called Z and others v UK, four siblings argued that their local authority had not protected them from severe abuse and neglect from their parents. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in their favour and said that severe neglect and abuse was inhuman and degrading treatment, which the state has to protect children from.
In 2020, in a case called ABC v Principal Reporter and another, the UK Supreme Court recognised that there’s a need for siblings to be involved in decision-making in children’s hearings. Following the judgment, the Scottish Parliament passed the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, which paves the way for a new category of participation rights for siblings (and potentially other family members in the future), so that they are able to participate in a children’s hearing when they are not a ‘Relevant Person.’