Legislative Gap Analysis

This report is the culmination of a year’s work – work that has required both a great deal of patience and expertise on the part of its authors. But their efforts have been worth it, because what we now have in these pages is a comprehensive, independent analysis of the extent to which Jersey legislation complies with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). For the first time, we have a clear understanding of where our laws meet the expectations of the United Nations Committee, and where they continue to fall short of them.

However, this report should not be viewed as a document that seeks to attach fault or blame for any lack of compliance with the UNCRC. Instead, it should be seen as part of an ongoing collaboration between my office and the Government of Jersey, the intended outcome of which is to achieve genuine progress – as opposed to nominal, tick-box compliance – with both the letter and the spirit of the UNCRC.

In order to do that effectively, though, we need to have an accurate map. This document provides that. It illuminates the areas of our statute which we can already chalk up as ‘wins’ in our journey along the continuum of compliance, and it also exposes those parts of the Island’s legislation that are most in need of attention.

Legislative Gap Analysis

Legislative Gap Analysis Oct 2020