Children's charity Coram calls for task force to secure children's rights as Britain leaves the EU

With Brexit at the forefront of the national agenda, Coram, the country’s first children’s charity, is calling on the government to take pro-active steps to advance the rights of children now and in the future.

Concerned that discussions so far have focused on the economic, trade and legal impacts of leaving the EU and the political considerations and process for leaving, rather than the interests of children, Coram has produced a briefing paper Brexit:  Children’s Rights at Risk or Future Opportunity in The Global Era? 

Dr Carol Homden CBE, CEO of Coram said:

'It will take a determined and difficult process to ensure that every child can face the future with safety and security through and beyond the transition out of the EU. Critical issues that need to be considered include the citizenship or residence of children, an impact assessment prior to any changes in initiatives currently funded by EU, the maintenance of international commitments which protect children, such as around sexual exploitation, and for there to be no tolerance of xenophobic bullying wherever it may occur.'

Coram is calling on the government to take the following steps to advance the rights of children now and in the future:

• As part of the Great Repeal Bill, secure and guarantee children’s rights continuously from the day we leave the EU.
• To provide children with safety and security by ensuring that all agreements and protocols supporting this are maintained or enhanced.
• To guarantee the positions of children and their family members who have made their home in the UK to ensure that children’s needs are met.
• To make sure that children and their families know their rights.
• To launch a task force on children’s rights and responsibilities that will propose and frame provision on children’s rights as part of the new British Bill of Rights.
• To incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its protocols fully into UK law.