The United Kingdom has extensive international and domestic obligations towards children in general. However, a United Kingdom reservation to article 22 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child CRC89 concerning the protection of refugee children, supports the view that the UK does not believe refugee children should be afforded the same rights as other children. Unaccompanied refugee children seeking asylum are some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Denying them the rights enshrined in CRC89 is a cause for shame. The effects of the reservation are not just theoretical, and urgent steps need to be taken by the UK Government in order to end discrimination against the unaccompanied refugee child and to ensure their protection. Principal among those steps should be the adoption of guidelines for decision-makers and the establishment of guardians to ensure the well-being of the unaccompanied child and the creation of a durable solution to their protection needs. The article is based on case studies of a number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the United Kingdom and from general policy announcements.

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United Kingdom immigration policy legislation refugee Child Welfare