7 Conclusion
153. It is twenty years since the UN General
Assembly adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.[322]
The Convention entered into force for the UK in 1991. Since
then, there has been much to commend the UK on in relation to
its practice towards children, including positive developments
we cover in this Report. Key milestones include the UK's removal
of its reservations to Articles 22 and 37 of the Convention and
its ratification of Optional Protocols relating to Child Pornography
and Children in Armed Conflict. All of these steps have the capacity
to afford greater protection to children in the UK. However,
as we note in this Report, there is still much more for the UK
to do, particularly for those children who live on the margins
of society or who come from groups which do not always command
popular public support. We draw attention in our Report to the
particular problems faced by Gypsy and Traveller, looked-after,
asylum-seeking and trafficked children and those caught up in
the criminal justice system. We are especially concerned by what
appears to be an increasingly negative attitude towards children.
Our intention is for this Report to highlight some of the future
priorities for the Government in promoting, protecting and securing
the rights of children in the UK in the twenty-first century.
322 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was
adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by
General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989. The UK
signed the Convention on 19 April 1990 and ratified it on 16 December
1991. The Convention entered into force on 2 September 1990. Back
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