Implementing the convention on the rights of the child in the UK: a problem of political will

This chapter focuses on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in relation to the United Kingdom (UK). The United Nations’ Committee report on the UK’s progression of the UNCRC was published in 2008. Here, the recommendations of that report are presented with illustrative examples of how the four UK member states are engaging with the children’s rights’ agenda. Obstacles to the full implementation of the UNCRC are discussed with an emphasis on the need for real participation on the part of children. Participation, it is argued in the chapter, is fundamentally allied to what a ‘child’ actually is and this ultimately impacts on children’s status in society. Without participation rights and without enhanced status children, the chapter concludes, remain powerless and full enactment of the UNCRC is somewhat limited.