Children and young people deserve better from government, the children’s commissioner has said.
The Stormont Assembly is unable to function after the DUP refused to nominate ministers or a speaker as part of a protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has called for action by the UK government over the post-Brexit trading arrangements before his party will re-enter the devolved government.
Commissioner for Children and Young People Koulla Yiasouma stressed she is not commenting on reasons for not going into government or questioning mandates. However, she said children and families deserve better from government.
The commissioner has given her assessment on how government is delivering on children’s right across a range of areas in her third a final Statement of Children’s Rights in Northern Ireland 3. It includes a recommended action list for future governments.
“My assessment is that it already is and the absence of a functioning government in the lives of children has, now and historically, adversely impacted their quality of life, life opportunities and prospects – particularly in this current cost of living crisis,” she said. “It is clear our children need a functioning, stable and robust government, with a clear and shared vision – delivering on the rights of all children and young people so they can have the very best start in life.
“This report demonstrates that we still have a long way to go. Children and young people in Northern Ireland deserve better.”
Ms Yiasouma said the first issue for government to tackle as soon as it is re-established, is poverty and that any government which does not act on poverty, “does not deserve the name”. She said: “Poverty is the tarnished thread that runs through the most egregious breaches of the rights of children and young people in Northern Ireland.
“Action has never been more important than now. It’s important to remember that a government has a responsibility to ensure everyone has access to fundamental human necessities, whether that government is in Westminster or Stormont.
“If it wilfully chooses, as historic governments have, not to properly tackle child poverty then it does not deserve the name.”
Ms Yiasouma said children from deprived backgrounds are more likely to do less well in school, to be in the care of the state and to have physical and mental health issues.
“Children with mental health issues are more likely to be living in struggling families. Armed groups target and abuse children living in working-class communities, and children and families subject to immigration control are deprived of an adequate standard of living,” she said.
Yiasouma has been children’s commissioner since March 2015, and will step down from the role next March. Reflecting on her time in the role, she said she is proud of many things, including her office’s contribution to societal shifts in attitudes towards the rights of children and young people.
“I have also seen positive moves in a range of areas, particularly mental health and special educational needs (SEN). The challenge remains to turn this into tangible actions where children and young people experience better outcomes and feel they are respected and valued,” she said.
“There is the beginning of a recognition that children are partners in the decisions made about them individually and collectively, the inclusion of children and young people in the ongoing Independent Review of Education and particularly the establishment of NI’s first Youth Assembly are testament to that.”
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