UK To Sign The UN Convention On The Rights Of The Child

The BBC has revealed that the UK government is to sign the UN Convention
On The Rights Of The Child in full. The Convention obliges signatory
countries to "take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is
protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis
of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child's
parents, legal guardians, or family members."

For the past 17 years the UK has retained an opt-out the convention's "best
interest" rule, allowing child migrants and asylum seekers to be locked up
for weeks or months without judicial scrutiny. The change will force the UK
Border Agency to put migrant children's welfare first in deciding whether to
detain or deport them. This, together with the 'Child M' case, should mean
that the end of routine internment of migrant children in the UK.