 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 14499 in the name of Rodgerick Campbell on universal children's day 2015. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would be grateful if members who would like to speak in the debate could press the request to speak buttons now, please. I call on Rodgerick Campbell to open the debate. Seven minutes, please, Mr Campbell. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It gives me pleasure to bring this debate to the chamber prior to the occasion that is universal children's day. What is universal children's day, you might well ask. Well, universal children's day was established by the United Nations in 1954 to encourage understanding between children and promote children's welfare around the world. It's held on the 20th of November, the same day the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and signed a convention on the rights of the child in 1989. The General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a universal children's day to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It's recommended that the day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the charter and the welfare of the children of the world. However, the Assembly suggested to Governments that the day be observed on the day and in the way in which each country considers appropriate. Countries around the world celebrate the day in many different ways. In some countries, children receive presents. In others, they take part in events and activities or, indeed, are often allowed a holiday from school. At home in Scotland, universal children's day has been chosen by the Scottish parliamentary cross-party group on children and young people as an appropriate time to launch their children's rights manifesto, to which I will refer later. However, it will not have escaped your attention. That, in fact, is to be launched tomorrow, the 20th actually being a non-parliamentary day. Childhood, Presiding Officer, is the great stage in every person's life when the building blocks of their adult life come together. For so many children around the world, that right is not respected or guaranteed. However, there is much to celebrate, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the coming into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, from declining infant mortality to rising school enrolment. However, that historic milestone must also serve as an urgent reminder that much remains to be done. Too many children still do not enjoy their full rights on a par with their peers. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said that the one thing all children have in common is their rights. Every child has the right to survive and thrive, to be educated, to be free from violence and abuse, to participate and to be heard. Sadly, this is so often not the case. Abuses of children's rights are an everyday occurrence in so many parts of the world. The latest data from UNICEF highlights the current state of children's rights around the world. For example, 16,000 children die every day, mostly from preventable or treatable causes. The births of nearly 230 million children under age 5 worldwide, about one in three, have never been officially recorded, depriving them of their right to a name and nationality. Out of an estimated 35 million people living with HIV, over two million at age 10 to 19-years-old, 56 per cent of them are girls. Globally, about one-third of women aged 20-24 were child brides. Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies as a result of violence. Nearly half of all deaths in children under age 5 are attributable to under nutrition. That translates into the unnecessary loss of about 3 million young lives a year. Sad statistics. Although those are most likely to originate from developing countries, we must not be complacent about our approach. Here in Scotland, the Children and Young People Scotland Act 2014 has put the wellbeing of children and young people at the heart of policy and was designed to support the effective and consistent implementation of getting it right for every child across Scotland. The act was based on the principles and aims of the UNCRC and marks a positive step in declaring Scotland's ambition to be the best place in the world to grow up. In addition, I welcome the changes brought about by the reduction in voting age bill that recognised the huge engagement of young people that were seen during the referendum. That response within the young population was a pleasure to behold and remains with so many of us. I also welcome the important role of the commissioner for children and young people, further enabled through the 2014 act, which places specific duties and all ministers to consider steps that can better give effect to the UNCRC and to promote public awareness and understanding of children's rights. Those provisions take us much further than any previous Scottish Government has gone. The current Education Scotland Bill seeks to reduce the attainment gap, mostly by tackling the social divide experience by so many children in Scotland. In my view, the Scottish Government should be commended for tackling this fundamental problem that often frustrates the ambitions of less well-off pupils. Can I commend the work of the many children's groups, such as Children First, Children in Scotland, Together and Youth Link, and the work of charities such as Bernardo Scotland? Within the Scottish Parliament, the cross-party group on children and young people exists to provide a forum for dialogue and exchange between the children's sector and Scottish parliamentarians and is made up of over 200 individuals and children's organisations, as well as over a dozen MSPs with a specific interest in children's policy. CPG members regularly work together to drive the children's policy agenda forward by bringing leading figures from the children's sector and decision makers together to debate and discuss issues of importance to children and young people. Further to that, a subgroup of the cross-party group has been working together to produce a children's rights manifesto based on the cumulative work of over three years of participative work with children and young people across Scotland. Over 3,500 children have had a direct say in formulating the manifesto. It includes a series of ars based on the things that matter most to young people and encourages MSPs and prospective parliamentarians to consider children's rights and calls on them to demonstrate their commitment to respecting and protecting those rights. It is a concise, values-based manifesto that does not include specific policy ars, but rather outlines the way in which children and young people expect decision makers to act in order for them to enjoy their rights as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The manifesto requests that the parliamentarians promote and protect children's rights, actively listen to and help to empower children to participate in the world around them, create respectful communities that celebrate difference and support children to live full, healthy lives where they can aspire and achieve. The manifesto has been produced to help to ensure that the rights of children are central to discussions in the run-up to next May's elections and to accelerate the culture change needed to ensure full implementation of the UNCRC across all areas of policy. The manifesto has been reviewed by groups of children and young people to ensure that it is accessible and reflects their views. However, issues such as the age of criminal responsibility remain as do issues of poverty which without a doubt impact on health as does homelessness. Let's not forget the need under article 19 of the UNCRC for states to take appropriate steps to protect children from physical or mental violence, whilst recognising that there remains a debate about the extent to parental rights to justizement that I am sure the Parliament will return to. In conclusion, by nurturing children and allowing them to achieve, they can grow into increasingly confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to our society. However, we must work hard to achieve and maintain that and not lose sight of those objectives. If we can continue to ensure that children can survive and thrive, learn and grow, have their voices heard and reach their full potential, we can be an example for others around the world to follow. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I, too, congratulate Roderick Campbell on securing a debate for his motion. Having had six children, I am very aware of the rights to which they were entitled and which they rightly demand. As the motion notes, the idea for a Universal's Day was established by the United Nations in 1954 and the reason that it's celebrated on the 20th of November is because the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted on that date in 1959 and it was 30 years later that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed on the same date in 1989. It goes like saying that there's been significant progress for children since this day was first celebrated. That doesn't mean that the world can be complacent, though progress has not been enjoyed equally by all countries and there's still much work to be done. Moreover, there must also be a recognition of the new and evolving challenges faced by children and their families in the 21st century. In 2000, all UN members, all the United Nations member states, agreed to eight millennium development goals, many of which related explicitly to improving the rights of children, such as Goal 2 for universal primary education, Goal 3 on gender equality, which aimed to reduce gender disparity within education and Goal 4, which targeted the reduction of child mortality rates. It was originally envisaged that these could be achieved by this year, 2015. However, uneven progress across developing countries for a variety of reasons has meant that child mortality reduced by half between 1990 and 2015 rather than by two thirds, which was the goal. The education target was missed as enrolment in private school education rose from 83% in 2000 to 91% this year, but it's still short of universal enrolment, which was the goal there. These goals have now been updated and enhanced in the new sustainable development goals which were agreed by the United Nations just two months ago in September. The more ambitious education goal has numerous targets, not only including gender equality in primary and secondary education, but wants to work towards ensuring quality early childhood development and care and increasing the number of learners with relevant technical and vocational skills. The health goal aims to end preventable deaths of children under five and reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 per 100,000 births. They also recognise the importance of economic growth and related employment for young people, improving the education opportunities for young people in conflict areas and ending hunger and poor nutrition. I'm proud that the UK has agreed to the goals which will continue to ensure the rights of children and young people are at the front of the minds of policy makers and governments across the world. I'm also very pleased that the UK became the first country in the G8 to meet the commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on international aid, and that it was a conservative led government which enshrined this in law. The UK's international aid continues to contribute to meeting these new girls in a variety of ways. Over the last parliament it helped 10.9 million children including 4.5 million girls to 10 primary and lower secondary school. It has trained 190,000 teachers, provided vaccinations for 55 million children, prevented 19.3 million children under five and pregnant women from going hungry and provided access to water, sanitation or hygiene to over 51.1 million people, which helps reduce illnesses and addresses the safety concerns of young people who are otherwise left in vulnerable situations without access to this. Moreover the UK has a 35 million programme to tackle the despicable crime of female genital mutilation which has helped to reduce this by 30% in 17 countries. I am glad that our country recognised the importance of children's rights and has done so much through our international aid budget to improve the rights across the world. I congratulate the member again for bringing this important topic to the chamber today. I congratulate my colleague Rob Campbell on bringing this important debate to the chamber today. I also apologise at the outset that due to a prearranged meeting I will have to leave at the end of my speech, so I will not be able to stay until the conclusion of the debate. Rob Campbell has quite rightly highlighted the work of the cross-party group on children and young people, of which I am one of the three co-conveners. I would like to just re-emphasise the opportunity for MSPs tomorrow to come along to committee room 1 between 1 and 2.30pm and sign up to be a child rights champion. As Rob Campbell has said, this is not about specific policies but values that will underpin the decisions that we take and the way that we work as parliamentarians. Like most members, I get invited to speak to groups of schoolchildren in my constituency on a regular basis. Often in primary schools, I am asked to go in and talk about the work of the Scottish Parliament and the work that we do. One of the things that I am always keen to emphasise to young people is that, even though they are not of voting age, they are still my constituents and they are still our constituents. We still have a duty as parliamentarians to represent them and represent their interests. I am always keen to emphasise to them that if they feel that there are things that should be happening or things that we should be taking account of as parliamentarians, they should be contacting us and getting in touch with us. Building on the work that is being done around us looking at respecting and protecting children's rights is also the opportunity for children themselves to feel that their voices are being heard and that we are open to receiving whether it is letters or emails or even visits from them in order to raise their concerns with us about the communities that they live in and how they can best be improved for them. I think that one of the things that many children who have spoken to me at both these visits and also in correspondence to me is that they often feel that adults take it upon themselves to speak on the behalf of children without taking the opportunity to enter into a dialogue with those children and find out what it is that they want first. That takes place across a range of areas of society, most notably in terms of education. I commend the fact that, in some places, we are now starting to see young people's views being taken much more into consideration in relation to education and it not simply being parents' views that are listened to but also looking at what pupils and what young people want as well. It is also very appropriate that we are discussing that motion today on the day when a number of Syrian families arrive in Scotland. Many children across the world are being displaced and affected as a consequence of conflicts, not just necessarily those in the Middle East but in other parts of the world as well. Their rights are often being violated horrendously in many other places. The work that is being done by the Scottish Government in sending out that message that we welcome refugees and that we want to see ourselves as a safe haven for those fleeing conflict is important in that respect. Finally, although it is not universal children's rights day today, it is nonetheless world prematurity day today. It is another opportunity for us to remember that there are many children who now come into this world with associated conditions and so on who, thanks to the wonders of medical science, now have an opportunity to live a much more fulfilled life or, indeed, to survive beyond birth who did not in the past. Their rights are equally important. The rights of disabled children, many of whom are non-verbal and unable to verbalise their views and opinions, are equally important to be protected and respected. We should remember that alongside those other groups who have been mentioned today. I commend Rod Campbell for bringing the debate to the chamber. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I start off by congratulating Rod Campbell on securing the debate on universal children's day and on securing so many signatories to the parliamentary motion. It is important that, not only do we celebrate this day but we also celebrate the importance of children. I know myself as the father of two teenage girls, how much my own children, how much joy they bring me and how much they keep my feet on the ground when I return home from Parliament. As politicians we all get, I can see the minister smiling. I know that she can draw on her own experiences, but as politicians we get so hit up at times about the crucial issues of the day. The great thing about having a family that grounds you and children that grounds you is that they make you realise that family is really important and that there are things that are more important than the political issues that we discuss in here. I also want to touch on the role that the UN plays in promoting the role of children, not just in this day but throughout the world. We have seen too many instances on our TV screens in recent times of how the rights of children have been undermined. It is important that you have a strong role for the UN in speaking out. That link goes straight to Scotland in terms of the work that the commissioner for children and young people carries out, and Roger Campbell did touch on that. It is important that you also bring that link into Parliament, because if you look at the issues that we discuss on the floor of this Parliament, there are so many of them that are impacted on children. The obvious one is when you look at the education portfolio from the early years straight through school and into college. That is all about producing policies and producing budget priorities that give our young people the best opportunity to set a good platform for themselves throughout education, but it also runs into other policy areas, including health, where health and wellbeing is very important. I also know, as a deputy convener of the cross-party group in sport, how important the role of sport plays in our communities and in our schools, bringing young people out and participating in so many events. We also see ourselves in our visits to constituency schools and in schools coming into the Parliament how much young people get out of coming to the Parliament and seeing that place, and in questioning the MSPs and holding them to account, because sometimes they give you a completely different insight. I also want to touch on the role played by the cross-party group on children and young people that, again, Roger Campbell spoke about. I will be interested to see the ideas that the cross-party group brings forward in terms of their manifesto for the forthcoming election. I believe that it is incumbent on all political parties to place children in the rights of young people at the central part of their election manifestos. In summing up, I congratulate Roger Campbell on securing the debate. It is excellent that we are able to celebrate the importance of children not only in our personal lives, but the importance that they should have in the priorities of this Parliament and the priorities of the Scottish Government. I now invite Aileen Campbell to respond to the debate. I also want to add my thanks and congratulations to Roger Campbell for bringing forward that motion and for drawing our attention to the work of the cross-party group and organisations seeking to improve the life chances of children and young people. I would also like to put in record my thanks to all those who have participated in this important debate. As Roger Campbell said, it is a timely debate because this week we will celebrate universal children's day and can reflect on Scotland's progress in recognising the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The universal children's day was first established, as others have said, by the UN in 1954. Back then, that generation was dancing to the sound of Bill Haley's rock around the clock, although I am sure that nobody in the chamber can remember that tune. I am sure that there are some rice miles happening across the chamber, but more seriously in 1954, the minimum voting age was 21. From next year, our 16 and 17-year-olds will now have their say in all Scottish elections. That, along with other measures, will ensure that the voices of children and young people are heard and the decisions that this Parliament will take. Thankfully, we have moved on from the days when children were encouraged to be seen and not heard. Unlike Mark McDonald, I take very seriously the point that he made that children and young people are also our constituents with values and views that demand our attention. Last week, I held a youth surgery with my MSYP colleagues, Rhys Harding and Megan Russell, and that was a very important message to send to young people that their MSPs want to listen to them and to their points of views and to make a difference where we can. 1954 was also the year in which food rationing officially ended in the UK. Yet, in 2014 and 15, against a backdrop of harsh welfare reforms, almost 118,000 people picked up a three-day supply of groceries from Trussell Trust's Scottish food banks, including 36,000 children. Having families and children align on food banks in our resource-rich nation is anathema to our shared desire to create a Scotland that is based on fairness, equality and social justice. That is why this Government and this Parliament will continue to spearhead activity to ensure the realisation and strengthening of children's rights. The UNCRC is the heart of our ambition to make Scotland the best place to grow up. Provisions in the Children and Young People Act demonstrates our commitment to children's rights. Part 1 of the act, which commenced in June this year, placed specific duties on ministers to consider steps that constitute to secure better or further effect to the UNCRC and to promote public awareness and understanding of children's rights. Those provisions take us further than any other previous Government. We have also developed a model for child rights and wellbeing impact assessments. All Government portfolios must now consider the possible impact of proposed policies and legislation on the rights and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland, and to hear the views of children in taking forward any new initiatives. We will also continue to work in partnership with the Children's Commissioner and third sector organisations in a whole Scotland approach to making children's rights real. Through the act, we will also support the effective and consistent implementation of getting it right for every child approach across Scotland. Girffic is firmly rooted in the UNCRC, and that means ensuring that we up the pace of change and increase our efforts because Girffic is and has to be about every child every time, and not some children, some of the time. That is why here in Scotland we are tackling poverty and inequality head on, because often it is the children who feel those harsh effects the most. For example, we have invested nearly £300 million in welfare mitigation measures. We have also extended the provision of free school meals to all primary 1 to 3 pupils, a measure benefiting an additional 98,000 children across Scotland. We also recognise the right of all children and young people in Scotland to fulfil their full potential. Research shows us that progress is being made to raise attainment and reduce educational inequity in Scotland, but that is not fast enough. For example, in 2008, just over two in 10 students from the most deprived areas of Scotland obtained at least one hire or equivalent. Last year, that figure was almost four in 10. For students from the most affluent areas, that figure is eight out of 10. In other words, when it comes to hires, school leavers from the most deprived 20 per cent of areas in Scotland currently do half as well as school leavers from the most affluent areas, and that is unacceptable. That is why we launched the Scottish attainment challenge and the £100 million attainment Scotland fund to make a difference. At that point, I think that what James Kelly said about focusing in on ensuring that all children get access to enjoy sport and culture is an important part of that attainment agenda. In recognising all of that, we want to make sure that literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing are at the top of our priority and our top of our agenda because we need to make sure that no matter what income a family has, that children are not forced into not fulfilling their potential because that represents a failing in their future. Recognising children's rights and ensuring that our children and young people know the inalible rights that they have for being children is a powerful tool because we want our children to be responsible citizens through the curriculum for excellence. That does not mean simply knowing that articles in the UNCRC by wrote, but instead ensuring that our children and young people have a deep and meaningful understanding of the rights and their application in Scotland and around the world. That is why I have been so impressed by the work of UNICEF through its rights-respecting schools and, of course, education Scotland's work in promoting rights, because rights-based learning means that we have children now in Scotland who understand that they have a right to play, that they have a right to learn to a name, to shelter and all the things that makes their life comfortable. They also recognise that those rights are not universally enjoyed by children across the world. Rights-based learning offers a really beautiful way to ensure that our responsible citizens and leaders of the future have empathy and tolerance and a realisation that we need to protect childhood for our global family. I do not think that that message has ever been more important than that important message that we need to promote of peace, tolerance and solidarity. That is what we have with an opportunity to do through our rights-based learning. It is clearly unacceptable that so many of the world's children are living in extreme poverty or are unable to attend school. Rod Campbell spoke of some of the harrowing statistics that highlight the tragic realities facing some of our children around the world. Two were mentioned by Jamie McGregor of infant mortality rates of poverty, eroding childhood for far too many. The gender-based inequity that Jamie McGregor mentioned is important to reflect upon, too. That is why the UN has agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals. Those outline a number of universal, high-level objectives for countries, including eroding poverty and ensuring access to education and achieving gender equality. Those goals will form the basis of a global partnership for sustainable development. I am very proud that Scotland was one of the first countries to sign to this impressive UN initiative. To conclude, it is clear that we have travelled a long way since 1954, but we still have challenges to face up to, especially if we want to say with any confidence that Scotland is the best place to grow up. The child's rights manifesto, as Rod Campbell has articulated in his speech, offers a useful tool for us to consider what more we need to do to make child's rights real in Scotland. I am committed to doing all that I can to ensure that children in Scotland get the best possible start in life that they deserve. Children only get one shot at childhood, and it is incumbent upon each and every one of us, regardless of the party that we represent, to make sure that we get it right for them. That means respecting the rights that they have as children. Once again, I congratulate Rod Campbell for his motion and his speech this evening and others for taking part in what is a very important and timely debate this evening in Parliament.