The Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) very much welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Government’s Consultation on the functions of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner. We note the positive progress which has been made since our involvement in the thematic review of biometric data for children in 2023. As we outline in our response, however, greater detail is needed on the impact of the capture of biometric data from children and young people, in terms of their rights under the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This is particularly important in advance of future developments which may further threaten civil liberties, presenting challenges to the right to rehabilitation and reintegration for children and young people.
Our response draws from our practice knowledge, research evidence, policy understanding and participation work.