Our office is working to promote and protect the rights of children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Human rights don’t go away in a crisis, but realising them faces new challenges. Rights like the right to food, education and the best health possible still need to be fulfilled, but Scotland needs to take action so this happens for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society.
Position on wearing face coverings in school
SQA results 2020
The decision to cancel all 2020’s exams due to the coronavirus pandemic has had an enormous impact on young people’s rights in Scotland.
Since the decision was made in March, our office has raised concerns about how both it and decisions around alternative arrangements have been made.
And we raised further concerns following results day, when grades were calculated through use of an unfair statistical model.
Independent Children’s Rights Impact Assessment
We worked with the Observatory of Children’s Human Rights Scotland to conduct an Independent Children’s Rights Impact Assessment on how emergency laws and policies around coronavirus have affected children and young people in Scotland.
It’s the largest assessment of its kind to be done anywhere in the world around coronavirus laws and policies.
Our policy work on coronavirus
Emergency legislation passed by the Scottish and UK Governments has a significant effect on human rights protections for Scotland’s children and young people, and we are concerned it disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. Our MSP briefings outline our concerns around legislation as it was presented to the Scottish Parliament.
Our policy work on emergency legislation

Resource: Consultation Response
Submission to Covid-19 Committee- The Coronavirus (Scotland) Acts (Early Expiry of Provisions) Regulations 2020: The Coronavirus (Scotland) Acts (Amendment of Expiry Dates) Regulations 2020
October 2020. Our submission to the Scottish Parliament’s COVID-19 Committee around amendments to the expiry dates of Coronavirus legislation.

Resource: MSP Briefing
MSP Briefing: Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill (Stage 2)
Stage 2 Briefing on this emergency Bill before the Scottish Parliament.
Read a mobile friendly version of the briefing.
Size: 54.18 KB
File type: pdf
Download Coronavirus Scotland No2 Bill Stage 2 Briefing
Resource: MSP Briefing
MSP Briefing: Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill (Stage 1)
Briefing to MSPs ahead of the Scottish Parliament’s Stage 1 Debate of emergency coronavirus legislation on Wednesday 13 May.
Read a mobile friendly version of the briefing.
Size: 76.86 KB
File type: pdf
Download Coronavirus Scotland (No. 2) Bill: Stage 1 Briefing
Resource: Consultation Response
Response: Joint Committee on Human Rights Inquiry into COVID-19
Our response to the Joint Committee on the human rights implications of the government response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read a mobile friendly version of our response.
Size: 80.35 KB
File type: pdf
Download JCHR inquiry response
Resource: Parliamentary evidence
Parliamentary Evidence: The Coronavirus (Scotland) Acts (Early Expiry of Provisions) Regulations 2020/The Coronavirus (Scotland) Acts (Amendment of Expiry Dates) Regulations 2020
Size: 79.06 KB
File type: pdf
Download Parliamentary Evidence
Resource: Parliamentary evidence
Evidence to House of Lords Covid-19 Committee
August 2020. Evidence to the House of Lords Committee on Covid-19.
Size: 149.99 KB
File type: pdf
Download Evidence to House of Lords Covid-19 Committee
Resource: Miscellaneous policy
Joint letter: Equality and Human Rights and the Coronavirus in Scotland
Size: 333.55 KB
File type: pdf
Download Letter to Ruth Maguire MSP
Resource: MSP Briefing
MSP Briefing: Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill
MSP Briefing ahead of emergency legislation discussed around measures to combat the Coronavirus pandemic in Scotland.
Read a mobile friendly version of the briefing.
Size: 114.38 KB
File type: pdf
Download Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill MSP Briefing
Resource: MSP Briefing
MSP Briefing: Coronavirus Bill Legislative Consent Memorandum
MSP Briefing on this Legislative Consent Memorandum ahead of it being put before the Scottish Parliament.
Read a mobile friendly version of the briefing.
Size: 107.87 KB
File type: pdf
Download Coronavirus Bill Legislative Consent Memorandum BriefingOur policy work on reopening schools

Resource: Correspondence
Right to Education and School Closures
December 2020.The Commissioner wrote to John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 22 December 2020, outlining the support children will need to ensure their rights are realised while schools are closed to most children.
Size: 214.67 KB
File type: pdf
Download DFM letter – school closures Dec 2020
Resource: Miscellaneous policy
Return to School Planning: A human rights briefing paper for the Education Recovery Group and other education decision makers
Briefing paper providing a human rights framework to guide decision makers when planning children and young people’s return to Scotland’s schools.
Read a mobile-friendly version of the briefing.
Size: 135.34 KB
File type: pdf
Download Return to School Planning Briefing
Resource: Parliamentary evidence
Evidence to Education and Skills Committee on school closures, vulnerable children and exam cancellations
Our evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee around the impact measures taken around education are having on children’s human rights.
Read a mobile friendly version of the briefing.
Size: 84.21 KB
File type: pdf
Download Education and Skills Committee Evidence June 2020