Kids behins bars petition launched

A petition to press the United Nations regarding kids behind bars across the globe was released today. Emma Le Beau, of Jubilee Action, investigated the plight of imprisoned children in the Philippines and told ITV News: "This situation is like something from a horror film; the children are betrayed by a system that is treating them as adults whilst the process itself cannot cope. This is a critical step that the advice given in our report is now being undertaken." The petition calls on the UN to appoint a Special Rapporteur to deal specifically with the issue of children in prison. Jubilee Action want the 192 signatories of the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child to reduce the number of children held in prison, and enforcing the Convention's legally binding obligations in relation to the treatment of children in detention. Jubilee Action's investigation into children imprisoned globally has featured prominently on ITV News, and the petition, initiated by it's sister organisation Jubilee Campaign, is supporting the Kids Behind Bars campaign. Fr Shay Cullen, Columban missionary and the Director of the Preda Foundation in the Philippines is one of the people involved in the campaign. Jubilee Action is an ecumenical human rights charity dedicated to protecting children at risk and persecuted families who suffer as a result of poverty and injustice. Jubilee Campaign is a human rights pressure group, with consultative status at the UN. As charities are restricted in lobbying activities, Jubilee Campaign has launched the petition to support the report by Jubilee Action