UN Claims School Religious Assemblies Violate Children's Rights
- Updated Jun 29, 2016
A U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child has said that religious assemblies violate children’s rights.
In its report, the committee expressed concern over the fact that students in the U.K. are required to take part in daily worship services which are “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character.”
Although parents can choose to have their children opt out of the services, the committee said that children should have the opportunity to opt out of the services themselves.
According to CharismaNews.com, the committee recommended that the government "repeal legal provisions for compulsory attendance at collective worship."
Conservative MP David Burrowes strongly disagreed.
Burrowes called the committee’s recommendation “ludicrous,” and stated, “The collective act of worship is not an indoctrination exercise. It is recognizing and respecting the Christian heritage of the country and giving people an opportunity to reflect."
"The UN should spend more time doing its main job of preventing war and genocide rather than poking its nose in other countries' classrooms,” Burrowes said, continuing his scathing rebuke.
In addition to recommending that schools change their policy on mandatory religious services, the committee discussed other recommendations for the rights of children, including recommendations on corporal punishment.
Publication date: June 29, 2016
