NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY

National Health Policy Children Safeguarding



National Health Policy Children Safeguarding

Children Safeguarding

How Far does the UK meet the human rights of children? That is the question that Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights has been asking and has found a number of areas where this country comes up short. The committee has scrutinized the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN's recent comments on further steps the UK should take to comply with the convention. The convention came into force in September 1990, just after the Children Act 1989 became law in this country. The convention has much aspiration language about children's rights, but the underlying theme is that states must do all they can within the resources available to promote health, care, education and development of children. The major criticism levelled by the committee against the Government concerns children in the criminal justice system. Criminalizing children are not the best way to ensure that they turn away from a life of crime. The increasing level of imprisonment of a young person is a big concern, especially given increasing incidents of self-harm (Kirby, Lanyon, 2003, pp. 150-155).

Main problems faced by children in UK

Poverty

Over 20% of children, under 18 years of age, live below the poverty line in the UK. This is especially true of young people from immigrant or minority groups.

Abused children

In the UK, approximately one in ten children is abused. Abuse can take many forms: physical, psychological, sexual. It is estimated, for example, between 5 and 10% of girls are victims of sexual abuse against less than 5% for boys. Emotional abuse, that is to say the negligence or failure to protect the child, the form of abuse is most prevalent. Health staff and social workers must increase their research to find the risk factors and solutions to this problem.

Right to health

Despite the presence of equipment and personal quality healthcare in this country, some health indices are still too high. Indeed, an estimated 6% of babies are underweight at birth. The statistics in the UK indicate that eating disorders among children is increasing dangerously. Approximately three out of 100,000 aged under 13 suffer from these disorders. These food problems are illustrated by both anorexia and obesity. Experts have triggered the alarm and called the health services and the authorities to react quickly.

Child Trafficking

The UK is not immune to the trafficking of children. Generally girls are victims of this problem. Accosted in their country by traffickers who promise them a better life in the UK, they are guided by them, not knowing what to expect. Once they arrive, they are sold into prostitution in older men. This situation is catastrophic and terrible for these girls. Forced to work for these men, they fear daily violence and forced sex.

Female genital mutilation

Since the adoption of legislation in 2003, FGM is considered offensive, punishable by imprisonment for 14 years. Girls, victims of this scourge, are generally aged seven to nine years. Often this practice for children from immigrant families, especially of Egyptian origin, Eritrea, Ghana, etc.

Discrimination against children

Children from religious and ethnic minorities are particularly affected by the discriminatory ...