Skip to main content
Home

Information for:

  • Alumni
  • Applicants
  • Current Students
  • Staff
  • Parents
  • Job Vacancies
  • Covid-19
  • Cymraeg
My country:

Main Menu

    • Study Options
      • Study Home
      • Why Study at Bangor?
      • Undergraduate Study
      • Postgraduate Taught Study
      • Postgraduate Research
      • Executive Education
      • Part-time Courses
      • January Start Courses
      • Degree Apprenticeships
      • Study Abroad
      • Work Experience
    • Study Advice
      • Apply
      • Already Applied?
      • Fees and Finances
      • Scholarships and Bursaries
      • Get Ready for University
      • Widening Access
    • Explore Bangor
      • Open Days and Visits
      • Virtual Student Experience
      • Magical Bangor

    Find a Course

    Order a Course Guide

    Open Days

    Clearing

    • Student Life
      • Student Life Home
      • Bangor and the Area
      • Social Life and Entertainment
      • Student Accommodation
      • Clubs and Societies
      • Sport
      • Virtual Student Experience
      • Videos and Vlogs
    • Your Experience at Bangor
      • Student Support
      • Skills and Employability
      • Study or Work Abroad
      • Fees and Finances

    Student Profiles

    Student Videos and Vlogs

    Welcome 2022

    • Choose Bangor
      • International Home
      • Why Bangor?
      • Location
      • Accommodation
      • Student Support
      • Contact Us
      • Bangor University's China website
    • Apply
      • Entry Requirements
      • Tuition Fees and Scholarships
      • How to Apply
      • Already Applied
      • Study Abroad
      • Exchanges
      • Worldwide Partners

    Country Specific Information

    Bangor University International College

    Find a Course

    Clearing 2023

    • Research
      • Research Home
      • About Our Research
      • Research in our Academic Schools
      • Research Institutes and Centres
      • Research Portal
      • Integrated Research and Impact Support (IRIS) Service
      • Energy
      • REF 2021
      • Research News
    • Postgraduate Research Opportunities
      • Postgraduate Research
      • Doctoral School
    • Events and Training Opportunities
      • Researcher Development
    • The University
      • About Us
      • Our Mission
      • Strategy 2030
      • Annual Report & Financial Statements
      • Our Location
      • Academic Schools and Colleges
      • Services and Facilities
      • Vice-Chancellor's Office
      • Working with Business
      • Working with the Community
      • Sustainability
      • Health and Wellbeing
      • Contact Us
    • Working for Us
      • Job Vacancies
    • University Management and Governance
      • Policies and Procedures
      • Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
      • Management and Governance
    • University and the Community
      • Pontio
      • Sports Facilities
      • Conference Facilities
      • Places to Eat and Drink
      • Public Events
      • Widening Access
      • Services to Schools
    • Business Services
      • Business Services Home
    • Collaboration Hub
      • Collaboration Hub
    • Conferencing and Business Dining
      • Conferencing Facilities
      • Business Dining
    • Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialisation
      • Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialisation
    • News
      • Current News
      • Research News
      • Student News
    • Events
      • Events
    • Announcements
      • Flag Announcements
  • Open Days

    • Study Options
      • Study Home
      • Why Study at Bangor?
      • Undergraduate Study
      • Postgraduate Taught Study
      • Postgraduate Research
      • Executive Education
      • Part-time Courses
      • January Start Courses
      • Degree Apprenticeships
      • Study Abroad
      • Work Experience
    • Study Advice
      • Apply
      • Already Applied?
      • Fees and Finances
      • Scholarships and Bursaries
      • Get Ready for University
      • Widening Access
    • Explore Bangor
      • Open Days and Visits
      • Virtual Student Experience
      • Magical Bangor

    Find a Course

    Order a Course Guide

    Open Days

    Clearing

    • Student Life
      • Student Life Home
      • Bangor and the Area
      • Social Life and Entertainment
      • Student Accommodation
      • Clubs and Societies
      • Sport
      • Virtual Student Experience
      • Videos and Vlogs
    • Your Experience at Bangor
      • Student Support
      • Skills and Employability
      • Study or Work Abroad
      • Fees and Finances

    Student Profiles

    Student Videos and Vlogs

    Welcome 2022

    • Choose Bangor
      • International Home
      • Why Bangor?
      • Location
      • Accommodation
      • Student Support
      • Contact Us
      • Bangor University's China website
    • Apply
      • Entry Requirements
      • Tuition Fees and Scholarships
      • How to Apply
      • Already Applied
      • Study Abroad
      • Exchanges
      • Worldwide Partners

    Country Specific Information

    Bangor University International College

    Find a Course

    Clearing 2023

    • Research
      • Research Home
      • About Our Research
      • Research in our Academic Schools
      • Research Institutes and Centres
      • Research Portal
      • Integrated Research and Impact Support (IRIS) Service
      • Energy
      • REF 2021
      • Research News
    • Postgraduate Research Opportunities
      • Postgraduate Research
      • Doctoral School
    • Events and Training Opportunities
      • Researcher Development
    • The University
      • About Us
      • Our Mission
      • Strategy 2030
      • Annual Report & Financial Statements
      • Our Location
      • Academic Schools and Colleges
      • Services and Facilities
      • Vice-Chancellor's Office
      • Working with Business
      • Working with the Community
      • Sustainability
      • Health and Wellbeing
      • Contact Us
    • Working for Us
      • Job Vacancies
    • University Management and Governance
      • Policies and Procedures
      • Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
      • Management and Governance
    • University and the Community
      • Pontio
      • Sports Facilities
      • Conference Facilities
      • Places to Eat and Drink
      • Public Events
      • Widening Access
      • Services to Schools
    • Business Services
      • Business Services Home
    • Collaboration Hub
      • Collaboration Hub
    • Conferencing and Business Dining
      • Conferencing Facilities
      • Business Dining
    • Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialisation
      • Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialisation
    • News
      • Current News
      • Research News
      • Student News
    • Events
      • Events
    • Announcements
      • Flag Announcements
  • Open Days

Information for:

  • Alumni
  • Applicants
  • Current Students
  • Staff
  • Parents
  • Job Vacancies
  • Covid-19
My country:

Search

Close

Breadcrumb

  • Cymraeg

Share this page:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Bangor academics take S4C cuts to the UN

Carys Aaron (L) with Alison Mawhinney at the UN Conference.Carys Aaron (L) with Alison Mawhinney at the UN Committee.Cutbacks to the S4C budget in recent years may breach children’s rights, claim two Bangor University Law lecturers.

Dr Alison Mawhinney and Ms Carys Aaron of Bangor Law School argue that cuts made by the UK Government to the S4C budget over the last five years may violate the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises the important role played by mass media in allowing children to enjoy their rights and in developing respect for the child’s ‘cultural identity, language and values’.

They say that key rights affected by the cutbacks include the right of children to access, in their native language, information and material which is of ‘social and cultural benefit’ to them; and the right to ‘seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kind’ through media ‘of the child’s choice’.

The Bangor lawyers claim that in significantly reducing S4C’s funding, the UK Government could be in contravention of the Convention in two ways: firstly, by reducing the breadth and quality of children’s Welsh-medium programming; and secondly, by reducing S4C’s ability to offer its content and services across a wide range of media platforms.

They argue that S4C plays a critical role in ensuring that Welsh speaking children in Wales and elsewhere are able to enjoy the rights secured for them by the UN. If S4C is not sufficiently funded by the UK Government to carry out this role, they claim that the UK itself will then be in breach of its duties to protect the rights of Welsh children under the Convention. 

“The UK Government must recognise the vital role played by S4C – as the sole provider anywhere of Welsh-language children’s programmes –  in respecting, promoting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of children in Wales and beyond with respect to Articles 13, 17 and 29 of the Convention”, explained Dr Alison Mawhinney, Reader in Law.

This week, Dr Mawhinney and Ms Aaron travelled to Geneva, where the UK Government is appearing before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to account for the way in which it has implemented the Convention rights during the past five years – a standard requirement as a participating State.

During two days of intensive dialogue, the Committee questioned the Government on its performance under the Convention. Drawing on the Bangor submission, the Committee specifically expressed concern about how cuts to the S4C budget over the last five years has negatively impacted on the right of children in Wales to freedom of expression and the right to access information in their own language. The Government was asked how, in the future, it could ensure the delivery of high quality children's programming on S4C in order to fulfil the Convention rights of Welsh children.

The Committee will now deliberate on this and other issues raised under the Convention, and is expected to announce its recommendations for the UK Government at the beginning of June.

Publication date: 24 May 2016

Home

  • News
    • Latest News
    • News Archive
    • Events
Home

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn

Bangor University

Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DG, UK

+44 (0)1248 351151

Contact Us

Visit Us

Maps & Directions

Policy

  • Legal Compliance
  • Modern Slavery Act 2015 Statement
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy and Cookies
  • Welsh Language Policy
Map

Bangor University is a Registered Charity: No. 1141565

© 2020 Bangor University