Britain is one of the worst places in the world to bring
up children, says Blair advisor
17.05.07
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Sir Al-Aynsley-Green
Tony Blair's children's czar has condemned Britain as one of
the worst places in the western world to bring up children.
Youngsters face bullying at school and violence at home and
on the streets, said Sir Al Aynsley-Green.
He warned there is "a crisis at the heart of our
society" and said youngsters are being "demonised" by the adult
population.
The criticism by the Children's Commissioner follows a UN
report which found Britain is the worst country to bring up children among the
21 richest nations.
His attack introduced a five-year plan to ensure children
lead better lives.
However most of its points centre on the work of the
Commission and critics have described it a waste of money.
Sir Al, a 64-year-old former paediatrician and head of NHS
children's services, was appointed by Mr Blair two years ago to hear complaints
from children and guard their rights.
Introducing his plan yesterday, he said: "Children
exist in a state of great uncertainty.
"They feel unsafe in the streets, they often have
domestic violence at home and bullying in school.
"I am driven almost to despair when I see the awfulness
of so many children's lives. Many people are just not seeing the problem."
He condemned the use of Asbos and the 'mosquito' device
which clears gatherings by emitting a high-pitched noise audible only to young
ears.
And he added: "We are one of the most child and young
person unfriendly countries in the developed world."
He also blamed "endless testing" in school for
contributing to children's unhappiness.
Sir Al has renamed his office "Eleven Million led by
the Children's Commissioner for England", referring to the number of
children in the country.
He promises a "summer planning event" in which
children will guide commission policies and a "takeover day" when
they will run adult organisations.
But critics accuse the commission - which spent £93,000 on
its name and logo - of doing nothing worthwhile in return for its budget of
more than £3million a year.
Patricia Morgan, author of a series of studies of children
and the family, said: "This is entirely a waste of money. We have seen the
same sort of organisations set up in countries such as Sweden, where they throw
lots of parties in aid of diversity but don't have much else to do.
"The central problem for children in Britain is family
stability but Sir Al doesn't seem to have anything to say about that."
The Commissioner's five-year plan was launched amid deepening
arguments among political leaders about how the state should help families.
Mr Blair yesterday launched a 'fasbo' initiative to
help expectant mothers steer their children away from crime even before they
are born.
Gordon Brown is coming under pressure from some Labour
figures to do more to support two-parent families and marriage.
Sir Al's five-year-plan made no mention of family structure or its impact on children.
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