Bridget Fox says Put it Right! (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Bridget Fox says Put it Right!

February 19, 2010 12:00 AM

Bridget Fox visited Unicef to hear about the Put it Right campaign

Bridget Fox visited Unicef to hear about their Put it Right campaign.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Campaigner Bridget Fox visited UNICEF today to hear about their campaign to make the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child part of UK law. The UK agreed with the United Nations on the document, which promises a better life for every child, but has yet to make it legislation, where it could really make a difference for children and young people in the UK.

The Put it Right campaign seeks to make the UK Government listen to children and young people's views, giving them a say in policy making and in decisions that will affect them.

UNICEF want to ensure the government meet their target of ending child poverty by 2020, along with rolling out schemes to improve breastfeeding rates in the UK and encouraging child friendly communities to improve outcomes for children at a local level.

Bridget Fox said:

"I was very interested to learn about UNICEF's Manifesto for Children and fully support the Put it Right campaign. Children and young people ought to have a say in the decision-making process and they offer a unique perspective on many issues.

Climate change in particular is something that children need to be aware of, and we must make sure their voices are heard in finding solutions to the problem. They will be the ones most affected by alterations to our planet.

The government pledged to end child poverty by 2020, but did not invest enough in this when the economy was stable. Now in harder times we need to ensure that children from low income families are not losing out.

Children's well-being is vitally important. Islington South and Finsbury is one of the most deprived areas of the country, so we need to make sure our children and young people have the best start in life. That means making their human rights part of UK law, listening to their views and supporting communities and families so that no child loses out."