Letter to UN Special Rapporteur Following Scotland Visit
The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Philip Alston, visited Scotland last week to inquire into rising levels of poverty and hardship across the UK. Poverty is the biggest human rights issue facing children in Scotland. Between 2014 and 2017, around 19% of Scotland’s population were living in relative poverty after housing costs.
Professor Alston met with OPFS and partner organisations including CPAG Scotland, Parenting Across Scotland, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights), Children in Scotland and the Scottish Refugee Council to talk about child poverty in Scotland and the importance of incorporating the UNCRC to ensure a child rights-based approach to tackling it. Read the joint letter below.
Satwat Rehman, director of One Parent Families Scotland said: “There’s lots of very good work going on but we have yet to understand what the cumulative impact will be. For example, with efforts to get more parents into work, will the link be made with public transport availability and affordability and childcare that is also affordable, available locally and fits with the hours parents have to work? It’s that kind of joining up on a micro level that is needed. For families already sinking deeper into poverty because of ongoing welfare cuts and the effects of austerity, 2022 is too late.”
See the Together blog on the visit.
