Human rights and the Scottish Youth Parliament

When I started secondary school, a flag flying above the building emblazoned with the words, “We’re working towards a rights respecting school” seemed slightly strange. Living in Scotland, you would assume they were already being respected. However, as I’ve advanced through the school and my knowledge of rights has increased, I can now see how this is still a work in progress It's the same for public places, shops, all the way up to the legal system across Scotland and the UK, with many fundamental rights breached daily not just by malpractice, but often by law. It was a breach of one right at school, the right to adequate sanitation, that caused me to run to become a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament to try and sort it all out.

SYP’s work is underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Now, having been an MSYP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley for three years, I have experienced first-hand what it's like to work in an environment which enshrines human rights at its heart. SYP’s work is underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly Article 12: the right for young people’s views to be heard on matters affecting their lives. This principle guides all of SYP’s work. We are a completely youth-led organisation, and all of our major decisions are made by people under the age of 25. Most of the time, our collective work goes toward a nation-wide campaign to tackle an issue that is important to young people. We can count many successful campaigns in our 16-year history, such as securing more rights for young carers and campaigning for equal marriage. An important part of our work includes engaging with young people to be more active in decision-making and getting their views to legitimise our drives for changes to law and practice. A shining example of Article 12 being played out in practice was having the opportunity to take part in the UK State Examination by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva last year. For a guy who started off campaigning for school toilets to be able to flush, this was quite a leap, and it felt exhilarating to speak to a group of people who actually help set down the rules from which our organisation works. In October last year, myself and a fellow MSYP had just a couple of minutes to talk before the massive delegation. But we managed to get our message on child poverty across, as well as other areas where the UK and devolved governments aren't hitting standards. However, the moment when I felt most empowered was having the opportunity to make a comment on votes at 16, an issue that has been paramount among young people, and a key means for Article 12 to be upheld. Votes at 16 was then included in a question to the government for the official examination just last month and we now wait for the UN’s final recommendations on the issue. With a clear set of problems to fix from the highest human rights authority in the world, SYP and many other groups who fight for the rights of children and young people have not only the wishes of young people but also the backing of the international community on our side. A human rights-based approach provides us with the tools we need to make the changes we, as young people, want to see. Taking a human rights-based approach doesn’t have to mean giving evidence to the UN. It is used every day in the work we do, getting young people’s voices included as part of the drive for positive change in Scotland.