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Our coronavirus work

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

Read our position on the human rights issues involved in requiring face coverings at school.

SQA decisions for 2020/2021

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.

We raised further concerns following results day, when grades were calculated through use of an unfair statistical model, and have more concerns around assessment plans for 2021.

Our work around SQA decisions.

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.

Find out more about the Independent Impact Assessment.

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

Cover for policy work created by the Commissioner's office.

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.

Read our submission.

Cover for policy work created by the Commissioner's office.

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

September 2020. Parliamentary Evidence to the Covid-19 Committee around proposed extension to emergency powers granted under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Acts.

Size: 79.06 KB

File type: pdf

Download Parliamentary Evidence
Cover of our joint letter to Ruth Maguire MSP

Resource: Miscellaneous policy

Joint letter: Equality and Human Rights and the Coronavirus in Scotland

April 2020

A joint letter urging a Scottish Parliament Committee to consider an inquiry into the equality and human rights impacts of the response to COVID-19.

Size: 333.55 KB

File type: pdf

Download Letter to Ruth Maguire MSP

Our policy work on reopening schools

Cover for policy work created by the Commissioner's office.

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

Other policy work around coronavirus

Cover for policy work created by the Commissioner's office.

Resource: UN Submission

Submission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms in responding to pandemics and other health emergencies

March 2021. The Commissioner’s submission to the High Commissioner’s office.

Size: 61.81 KB

File type: pdf

Download UN Submission
Cover for policy work created by the Commissioner's office.

Resource: Correspondence

UK Commissioners’ Letter to Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

January 2021. Letter from UK Children’s Commissioners urging the JCVI to include teachers and teaching staff in vaccination priority lists.

Size: 237.53 KB

File type: pdf

Download UK Commissioners’ Letter to JCVI
Cover for policy work created by the Commissioner's office.

Resource: UN Submission

Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

December 2020. Our office has submitted a response to a Call for Input from the UN Human Rights Office Report on Child Rights and the Sustainable Development goals.

Size: 175.34 KB

File type: pdf

Download Response to call for inputs

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