Bad Britain: a catalogue of criticism from the UN

THE CRITICISM delivered today by the UN Advisory Group on Forced Evictions over the upcoming eviction of travellers from Dale Farm might have been headlined, ‘Now what have we done wrong?’ For this is not the first time the guardians of international law have rapped Britain on the knuckles...

WE ALLOW CELEBS TO GLAMORISE DRUGS USE In 2007, the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime accused supermodel Kate Moss and the late-singer Amy Winehouse - both British - of glamorising drugs, and thus contributing to problems associated with the industry in Africa. It pointed to Winehouse's popular song Rehab, and the lucrative contracts enjoyed by Moss despite being caught using cocaine. "A sniff here and a sniff there in Europe are causing another disaster in Africa, to add to its poverty, its mass unemployment and its pandemics," said the UN's Antonio Maria Costa, head of the Drugs and Crime department.

WE HELPED THE US WITH TORTURE RENDITIONSTwo years ago, the UN released a report in which it accused Britain of assisting the US with rendition - the practice of sending foreign criminals abroad to be interrogated - and associated acts of torture and other human rights abuses. UN Special Rapporteur Martin Scheinin also criticised the UK's use of "state secrecy provisions" to hide "illegal acts from oversight bodies or judicial authorities, or to protect itself from criticism, embarrassment and, most importantly, liability". The Foreign Office denied the allegations, saying that they "abhor torture" and condemn rendition to it. "We don't participate in, solicit, encourage or condone it."

WE ARE TOO QUICK TO PUNISH CHILDRENA UN report on the UK's slow progress in implementing the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child highlighted concerns over the youth justice system, poor education for children with special needs, and strong links between poverty rates and poor health and failing at school. The report noted that England and Wales' criminal courts were "dominated by a punitive approach and [do] not sufficiently distinguish between adult offenders and children". They also recommended a controversial ban on parents smacking their kids, and called for an end to the use of Taser devices to restrain youths.

WE DON'T LOOK AFTER OUR HERITAGEIn 2008 the UN criticised the UK for failing to protect some of its most important historical sites. The UN's cultural agency, Unesco, chastised the British government for failing in its duty to conserve parts of the country's globally significant heritage. It raised concerns about Stonehenge, the old town area of Edinburgh and the Georgian centre of Bath. The World Heritage Committee even suggested listing the Tower of London as a site deemed to be "in danger". It was concerned that the "iconic" Norman Tower would be overshadowed by Renzo Piano's London Bridge tower, the so-called "shard of glass".

WE SEND REFUGEES HOME TOO QUICKLYIn July this year, an audit by UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) highlighted "serious concerns" with the UK Border Agency's 'fast-track' refugee status determination. It condemned the emphasis on quick decision-making, which did not allow caseworkers "to reach well-reasoned decisions on some individual cases". The report found some fast track decisions demonstrated "a limited understanding of key concepts in refugee law" and failed to deal with the specific facts of the individual claims, particularly in relation to gender issues. In one case, the audit found that an asylum applicant claiming a history of rape, trafficking and prostitution was deemed eligible for fast track detention. ·