It’s a shame!!
Many children and young people suffer from being ‘named and shamed’ in the UK after committing an offence or crime. Some people think of naming and shaming as a positive, to teach the child a lesson and make sure people know what the child has done. However, there is reasons as to why it should STOP!
After being named and shamed children and young people experience many negative effects. For example, when people have read an article from a newspaper with a young person’s name printed on it for committing an offence, people autimatically think the worst of the child causing them to judge the child straight away.
A child could suffer being embarrassed, labled and singled out and no child deserves this. Being called names can knock a child’s confidence and the UNCRC says that every young person should have the best possible start in life so that they can reach their full potential… being humiliated is not the way!
Article 40 states that “any child convicted of any crime must be treated with respect”; if the UN says this is wrong why are children still suffering from humiliation and being judged at one first glance? The Government need to get involved more!
Article 16 says that “every child’s privacy must be protected”. – having young people’s details printed out in newspapers or on posters is not protecting their privacy. In many situations in real life young people’s stories are reported in the paper, revealing young people’s names and identity.
Children being named and shamed can also bring negative effects in the future too; for example, when a child or young person wants to apply for a job and the employee sees that they have comitted a crime it may be very hard to become employed.
Naming and shaming has to stop. If there’s any chance that the number of naming and shaming incidents could decrease, children would have a much better life and be able to make up for their wrongs with no one else knowing. Naming and shaming should stop as so many rights are being denied and children and young people are suffering trmendously.
I care about naming and shaming because even after the UN picking up on naming and shaming when they sent back their recommendations in 2008 and it’s still happening.
Kathryn, Report Right Campaigner
This article It’s a shame!!, was posted on Sunday, September 06, 2009 by Krishna Maroo
