These assessments show what action government has taken to carry out the United Nation’s (UN’s) recommendations, within the scope of our methodology.
They include recommendations from the UN committees associated with the human rights treaties that the UK government has signed and ratified (agreed to follow), which are:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT)
Overview of action taken
Ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system
What we assessed in the recommendation
Improve the collection, monitoring and analysis of data on ethnic disparities in the criminal and youth justice systems. This should include qualitative research to address the causes of disparities.
CERD concluding observations 2024, paragraph 36:
In the light of its general recommendation No. 31 (2005) on the prevention of racial discrimination in the administration and functioning of the criminal justice system, the Committee recommends that the State party take concrete and effective measures to eliminate racial discrimination, including its institutional and systemic dimensions, at all stages of the criminal justice system, in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and in particular that it: (e) Improve data collection, monitoring and analysis relating to ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system, including qualitative research to effectively address the causes of these disparities.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes statistics on ethnicity and the criminal justice system biannually, with their most recent report published in March 2024, covering the year 2022. These reports compile statistics from data sources across the criminal justice system to provide a combined perspective on the typical experiences of different ethnic groups in England and Wales. These reports include some qualitative analysis alongside statistics to help explain the factors behind disparities.
In August 2022, the MoJ launched its data strategy, with the aim of becoming a data-led department. The strategy committed to improving justice outcomes through data-driven insight and innovation, and ensuring data meets user needs. This strategy has not been updated since the CERD recommendation was made in September 2024.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB), a non-departmental public body sponsored by the MoJ, publishes annual youth justice statistics for England and Wales. The most recent report was published in January 2025, covering 2023 to 2024. In 2025, the YJB improved their monitoring and analysis of data by producing interactive data dashboards to accompany their statistical reports.
In October 2024, the YJB commissioned a report by a charity, Revolving Doors, to look at good and promising local practice to tackle ethnic disparity and over-representation in youth justice across England and Wales. ‘Addressing racial disparity in the youth justice system’ draws on qualitative and quantitative research about what approaches improve outcomes for children in the youth justice system.
Assessment up to date as of September 2025.
Racist hate crimes
What we assessed in the recommendation
Collect disaggregated data on racist hate crimes, including those with intersectional motives. Ensure that affected groups help develop measures to combat racist hate crimes. Conduct an impact assessment of the measures adopted.
CERD concluding observations 2024, paragraph 20:
The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to prevent and firmly combat racist hate crimes and hate speech and, in particular, that it: (e) Systematically collect disaggregated data on racist hate crimes, including cases involving intersectional motivations, ensure that measures to combat racist hate crimes are developed with the meaningful participation of affected groups, and undertake a thorough assessment of the impact of the measures adopted.
The UK government collects data on police-recorded hate crime related to race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity. From April 2021, it became a requirement for police forces to provide the Home Office with the ethnicity of victims of racially or religiously aggravated offences. However, these are considered official statistics in development. The data is published in the annual hate crime statistics, supplied to the Home Office by the 43 territorial police forces of England and Wales, plus the British Transport Police. The most recent report was published in October 2024, after the CERD recommendation was made.
The Home Office and police forces in England and Wales record five monitored strands of hate crime: race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity. The UK government has not yet adopted an intersectional approach to recording hate crime.
Hate crime in England and Wales is also measured by the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). Estimates from the CSEW are published every third year, but due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions when the face-to-face CSEW was suspended, estimates have not been published since 2020. New CSEW figures will be included in the statistical bulletin due for release in October 2025.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a non-ministerial department of the UK government funded through the Ministry of Justice, plays a key role in charging and prosecuting hate crimes. The CPS holds a regular national Hate Crime External Consultation Group (ECG) with communities affected by hate crime to gather feedback and better understand the lived experiences of those impacted by hate crime. Insight and feedback from these meetings are used to improve CPS policies and ways of working. The CPS also regularly publishes hate crime data as part of its quarterly data summaries. The CPS does not conduct impact assessments of the measures adopted from these consultation groups.
Assessment up to date as of September 2025.
Use of police powers and conduct
What we assessed in the recommendation
Improve the way information is collected and analysed on the victims and perpetrators of racial profiling, stop and search, strip searches and excessive force by police and public officials. This should include publishing better information on how stop and search is being used on children. Investigate all alleged cases of disproportionate or discriminatory use.
CERD recommendations 2024, paragraph 32:
In the light of its general recommendations No. 31 (2005) on the prevention of racial discrimination in the administration and functioning of the criminal justice system and No. 36 (2020) on preventing and combating racial profiling by law enforcement officials, the Committee recommends that the State party: (f) Create or strengthen effective mechanisms to regularly collect and qualitatively assess information on perpetrators and victims, for all incidents, complaints and investigations of racial profiling, stop-and-search, strip-searches and excessive use of force by law enforcement and other public officials.
CRC concluding observations 2023, paragraph 28:
The Committee remains concerned about the continued use of unnecessary stop-and-search checks on children and the fact that the majority of them are conducted on children belonging to ethnic minority groups. Recalling its previous recommendations,9 the Committee urges the State party: (c) To improve the monitoring of the use of stop-and-search checks on children, including through the collection and publication of related data, and investigate all allegations of their disproportionate or discriminatory use on children.
The CRC recommendation was made in June 2023, and the CERD recommendation was made in September 2024.
Since the recommendations were made, police forces across England have continued to collect data on the use of stop and search and the use of force in the same way. The Home Office publishes this data annually. It is disaggregated by ethnicity, sex and age. The latest data release was published in September 2024.
Since March 2024, the UK government has additionally collected data on strip searching. This is requested from police forces on a voluntary basis. The published data includes some analysis of the age, sex and ethnicity of those who were strip searched.
Decisions about whether to investigate allegations of disproportionate or discriminatory use of police powers are made by the police (for example, the use of excessive force), and in some cases the Independent Office for Police Conduct. These organisations operate independently of the UK government.
Assessment up to date as of September 2025.
Reporting on torture and ill-treatment
What we assessed in the recommendation
Collect and publish disaggregated information on all complaints and reports of torture or ill-treatment received by government authorities. This should state whether these led to investigations, disciplinary actions and / or prosecutions, and whether victims obtained redress.
CAT concluding observations 2019, paragraph 15:
The Committee urges the State party routinely to compile and publish comprehensive disaggregated statistical information relevant to all complaints and reports received of torture or ill-treatment – including information on whether such complaints led to investigations and, if so, by which authority, whether the investigations resulted in the imposition of disciplinary measures and/or prosecutions and whether the victims obtained redress – in a manner that will enable the State party to provide such information to the Committee and other relevant monitors in the future.
The UK government does not publish data on all complaints or reports of torture or ill-treatment received by government authorities.
The UK government publishes some data on acts that may meet the definition of torture or ill-treatment. For example, The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes safety in custody statistics for adults. The MoJ also publishes safety in custody statistics for children.
These publications include information on serious assaults, such as sexual assaults. For adults, this information is disaggregated in some ways, including by male and female establishments. For children, there is further disaggregation by several protected characteristics, including ethnicity. There is no information in the publications about responses to these incidents. NHS England also publishes information about restraint practices used in mental health services in England.
The UK government does not publish information about disciplinary actions taken against the staff of government authorities, broken down by complaints or reports of conduct, that would meet the definition of torture or ill-treatment.
The UK government does not publish information about whether victims of torture or ill-treatment obtained redress, such as through the civil justice system.
Assessment up to date as of December 2024.
Child protection issues and violence against children
What we assessed in the recommendation
Collect and analyse information on child protection and violence against children and use it to create national strategies on violence and child sexual abuse. Create a national database for missing children, collect information on cases that have been reported, investigated and prosecuted, and record 16- and 17-year-olds as children.
CRC concluding observations 2023, paragraph 33:
The Committee urges the State party: (k) To ensure the systematic collection and analysis of data on child protection issues and violence against children to inform the implementation of national strategies on violence and child sexual abuse, including by: (i) creating a national database for missing children; (ii) collecting data on cases that have been reported, investigated and prosecuted; and (iii) ensuring that 16- and 17-year-old persons are considered as children in the disaggregation of data on sexual exploitation and abuse.
Systematic collection and analysis of data
There are several data sources on child protection and violence against children. The UK government continues to publish annual ‘children in need’ statistics. Under section 17 (10) of the Children Act 1989, 'children in need’ include children who require local authority services to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development. This includes children who are on child protection plans.
The UK government’s children in need statistics include information on the number of referrals and assessments by children’s social care services. They also include information on the number of children categorised as ‘in need’ or who are on child protection plans. The statistics also describe the concerns identified by social workers after assessments have taken place. These include different forms of abuse and violence.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are currently scoping a new version of the Children’s Crime Survey for England and Wales. This is known as the Young People’s Safety SurveyYoung People’s Safety Survey. The ONS’ March 2023 update on transforming children’s crime statistics for England and Wales outlines their actions towards this. The ONS are also developing and piloting a distinct child abuse prevalence survey. Between 2023 and 2024, the ONS redeveloped the questions in the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), completed by adults. According to the November 2023 violence against women and girls research update, the ONS did this to improve:
- data on physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
- data on neglect experienced before the age of 18 years
- information on perpetrators of sexual abuse
- information on disclosure of sexual abuse
Using data to inform the implementation of national strategies
In 2021, the former government presented its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy. This strategy included an action to use data to make targeted interventions (page 5).
Missing Children database
The UK government does not maintain a national database for missing children. The Missing Persons Unit is a UK agency that serves all UK police forces and overseas police agencies. It maintains a central national database of unidentified people, bodies and remains to facilitate matches with missing individuals. This database includes information about missing children.
Collecting data on reported cases, investigations and prosecutions
The ONS has published criminal justice system data about child abuse cases, which includes physical abuse offences. The data includes the number of reported cases, details about investigation outcomes and the rate of prosecutions. However, the data has not been updated since 2020.
Ensuring data is disaggregated as children
The ONS’ criminal justice system data about child abuse cases also includes all cases labelled as involving ‘non-accidental infliction of physical force’ where the victim was under the age of 18 years. Previously, data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales focused on abuse ‘before the age of 16’. However, as mentioned in the November 2023 violence against women and girls research update, the questions for the survey have been redesigned to include everyone under 18.
Assessment up to date as of December 2024.
Page updates
Published:
29 January 2025
Last updated:
5 November 2025