News
Ban on Anti-Child Devices Welcomed by Children and Youth Experts
25 June 2010
Press Release
IMMEDIATE
25 June 2010
Electronic devices that have been widely used against under 25s to deter them from congregating in public places by emitting a high-pitched noise.
The national Buzz Off campaign kicked off two years ago to fight against the devices’ deployment.
Fiona Blacke, National Youth Agency chief executive, said:
“We are delighted to hear about the Assembly’s move to outlaw these devices. We have openly fought for this since we first learned of their use as we believe they are an inappropriate intervention and do not provide a positive solution to anti-social behaviour.”
Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England:
"This is great news and a positive step towards preventing discriminatory practices being used against our children and young people. The joint Buzz Off campaign was a success in raising awareness of the unfair use of the Mosquito device and many councils and police forces no longer support its use. I am thrilled that this has now been recognised by the Council of Europe, who have followed the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's recommendation for the Government to address the negative impact of the device on young people's lives. The Mosquito does not prevent anti-social behaviour; it just moves the problem down the road. Children and young people have told us that it is used to deter them from gathering in public areas, even if they are not making trouble. The sonic emissions cause just as much distress to babies and toddlers as teenagers. I hope that today's backing from the Council of Europe will result in a further decline in its use and that local authorities continue to work with children and young people in their area to find lasting solutions to problematic behaviour."
Debates over the legal use of the Mosquito include questions over their contravention of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, conferring the right to a private life, or Article 14 in that it is discriminatory on grounds of age.
It has also been argued their use impacts on the rights of young people by clearly limiting their rights to gather in public places, which is a right under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 15).
Concerns have also been raised by medical practitioners about their use.
ENDS
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Holly-Marie Draper
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Notes to Editors
About the National Youth Agency
The National Youth Agency (NYA) works in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations to support and improve services for young people. Our particular focus is on youth work and we believe strongly that by investing in young people’s personal and social development, young people are better able to live more active and fulfilling lives.
Working with young people, we advocate for more youth-friendly services and policies. We have four themes:
* Developing quality standards in work with young people
* Supporting services for young people
* Developing the youth workforce
* Promoting positive public perceptions of young people
We deliver our work through training and consultancy, campaigning, publishing and on-line communications. Through our activities we want to ensure that young people have a strong voice and positive influence in our society.
http://www.nya.org.uk/
About the Children’s Commissioner
The Children’s Commissioner has a legal duty to speak on behalf and in the interests of all children in England, in particular those whose voices are least likely to be heard, to the people who make decisions about their lives. For more information about the Office of the Children's Commissioner, go to: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk
For media enquiries please contact Denise Malcolm, Senior Communications Officer, on 0844 800 9113. Out of hours media enquiries: 07920 765 454.