Strip Search of Children

Our key calls for change:

• Strip searching of children must be stopped
• Statutory guidance should be developed that focuses on children’s specific needs and rights
• There should be investment in alternatives to strip search (including alternative technologies)

Strip search of children is traumatic, inhuman and degrading and is a violation of children’s rights.

Current UK law and guidance in relation to strip search is not-fit-for-purpose for children and does not align with international human rights requirements. Significant reform is needed to make sure legislation and guidance is developed to support children and focuses on their specific needs and rights.

Until recently, there has been poor monitoring of the incidence of strip search of children across the UK.  Dr Croke has been researching and advocating to end strip search of children in Wales since 2022. Communicating to relevant agencies, including the Police in Wales, that there has been a lack of transparent monitoring and reporting on strip search of children.

Please find a blog by Dr Croke here and a statement outlining our recommendations here. We also co-hosted a global webinar in 2023 on strip search on children with Youth Justice Legal Centre, find more information

Dr Croke submitted evidence on strip search of children as part of the Wales NGO Alternative report, and at the pre-sessional hearing on the UNCRC at the UN in Geneva.  We were very pleased to see for the first time, a recommendation from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to end strip search of children, in its UK Concluding Observations.

Take legislative measures to explicitly prohibit, without exception, the use of strip searches of children (Recommendation 30a).

After ongoing advocacy and several meetings with Welsh Government, the Wales specific data was finally shared with the Welsh Government and with Senedd Members (March 2024). It is positive to see that Policing in Wales are developing better systems to monitor strip searching of children but there is still some way to go, to ensure the data at the very minimum meets the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Codes (PACE) of practice and the UK Equality Act 2010.

Dr Croke is working with partners at Children’s Rights Alliance England (part of Just for Kids Law), Youth Justice Legal Centre and recently submitted a joint response to the UK Home Office Pace Codes A and C Consultation (access the response here), calling for the urgent ending of strip searches of children through investing in alternative technologies and the revised statutory guidance must be specific to the needs and rights of children.