Mark calls for action on Rights of Children in Prison

Winchester MP Mark Oaten will use a parliamentary debate today to call for government action to protect the rights of children held in prison.    

The debate comes on the same day that the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed shocking new figures showing that over 18,000 assaults took place in Youth Offenders Institutions between 2003 and 2006.    

Mr Oaten has called the debate to highlight the poor conditions and treatment still faced by many children in the juvenile justice system.  He will call on the government to take action to tackle these problems before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child next meet to discuss the UK in 2008.    

During the debate, Mr Oaten will address issues raised in the Howard League’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.  The submission, published in June, found that the government is failing in its obligations in at least 10 Articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

There is a growing consensus among NGOs that the situation in juvenile detention has deteriorated in recent years, with the Carlile Inquiry into the treatment of children in prison finding examples of treatment which in any other setting would have triggered a child protection investigation. 

Commenting, Mark Oaten said:

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to raise this important issue in Parliament.

“There are obviously some very challenging children in these institutions and we need to ensure that they are offered the care and support which they urgently need to get back on track.   

“These children are still children, even if they are in detention.  At the moment, there are too many cases of children being held in poor conditions and facing violent treatment. 

ENDS