Strengthening Children's Rights in Scotland

Quakers in Scotland make a submission to the consultation on the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots Law

About Quakers in Scotland
Quakers are a faith group committed to working for peace, equality, truth, and
simplicity and sustainability. Quakers promote these values across Scotland through
practical action and advocacy.
In relation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, Quakers in Scotland are members of Together
(Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights). We wholeheartedly endorse Together’s
submission to this inquiry.
Here we submit our own additional response to Question 5 for your consideration. In
general, Quakers in Scotland support the Bill and the “maximalist” approach taken by
the Scottish Government to the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scottish Law.
5. Are there any relevant equalities and human rights issues related
to this Bill, or potential barriers to rights, that you think we should
look at?

Not all parents are informed of these visits, so they do not have
an opportunity to discuss the visit with their child, or with the
school or teacher concerned. Their right to conscientiously
object is thereby removed.
In 2016 Quakers in Scotland and Forces Watch submitted petition PE01603 (now
closed), calling on the Scottish Parliament to ensure greater scrutiny, guidance and
consultation on armed forces visits to schools in Scotland. Our concerns on this
matter still stand.
In addition to these concerns we would also recognise that Scotland has signed up
to, and committed to implementing, the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs),
which set out a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
As a faith group wholly committed to peace, we recognize that a culture of peace
and non-violence, expressed in SDG 4.7, requires intentional focus and
development. We are, therefore, calling on the Scottish Government to fulfil SDG 4.7
and ensure all learners get the knowledge and skills they need to promote
sustainability, peace and equality.
As Quakers we challenge the promotion of war and violence in schools and instead
seek to promote education rooted in positive peace and justice. We believe that
these issues are both pertinent and significant to the rights of children in Scotland
and the commitment of the Scottish government to make Scotland the best place in
the world to grow up. We therefore urge the committee to consider these matters in
light of the Bill.
Quakers in Scotland are committed to equality and peace and we would urge the
Committee to consider the implications of this Bill for the issues of peace education
and the role of the armed forces in schools.
In their 2016 Concluding Observations, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
raised concerns about the minimum age of voluntary recruitment into the UK armed
forces and the percentage of new recruits who are under the age of 18. We
recognise that the age of military recruitment is a reserved matter, and that the
relevant parts of the First Optional Protocol are redacted from the Bill. However,
there is considerable evidence that armed forces visits to schools are part of the
recruitment process, and the Scottish authorities do have the power to increase
regulation and guidance around these visits.
The lack of scrutiny around armed forces visits to schools is an equality and human
rights issue for three main reasons:
1. There is increasing evidence that the younger somebody joins the armed forces,
the worse their outcomes are, including death, disability, addiction and poor
physical and mental health.
2. There is a concern about informed choice regarding joining the armed forces.
Children and young people are presented with a glamorised image of life in the
armed forces that does not take into account the uniqueness of the career, its
dangers, and the ethical problems that soldiers and other people in the armed
forces might face. Schools are not required to present alternative viewpoints or
encourage pupils to think critically about issues regarding peace and conflict. 

Not all parents are informed of these visits, so they do not have
an opportunity to discuss the visit with their child, or with the
school or teacher concerned. Their right to conscientiously
object is thereby removed.
In 2016 Quakers in Scotland and Forces Watch submitted petition PE01603 (now
closed), calling on the Scottish Parliament to ensure greater scrutiny, guidance and
consultation on armed forces visits to schools in Scotland. Our concerns on this
matter still stand.
In addition to these concerns we would also recognise that Scotland has signed up
to, and committed to implementing, the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs),
which set out a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
As a faith group wholly committed to peace, we recognize that a culture of peace
and non-violence, expressed in SDG 4.7, requires intentional focus and
development. We are, therefore, calling on the Scottish Government to fulfil SDG 4.7
and ensure all learners get the knowledge and skills they need to promote
sustainability, peace and equality.
As Quakers we challenge the promotion of war and violence in schools and instead
seek to promote education rooted in positive peace and justice. We believe that
these issues are both pertinent and significant to the rights of children in Scotland
and the commitment of the Scottish government to make Scotland the best place in
the world to grow up. We therefore urge the committee to consider these matters in
light of the Bill.