Health and Wellbeing Census

The Rights of Children

The ALBA Party is concerned that the Health and Wellbeing Census currently being issued in a number of council areas is unnecessarily intrusive. It does not take into account consent, nor does it take into account the effect on children that may have suffered sexual abuse.

It is of further concern that the child is identifiable, and answers given in the Census can stay with the child throughout their lives.

The Census ignores the rights of the child under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation in that the child has no right to have the data deleted. The child has no right over who the data is shared with. The child has no right to even see the data held on them.

The ALBA Party reminds the Scottish Government to be mindful of their obligations under Article 16 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which provides children and young people with an equitable right to privacy and the family’s right to privacy under the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We believe the Census violates the rights of both the child and parents and therefore demands that the Scottish Government withdraw the Census.

ALBA urges councils not to distribute the Census and urges parents and children to opt out of the Census.