Pain-inducing restraint ban: Government delays decision

Campaigners have criticised the government for failing to carry out a recommendation to ban pain-inducing restraint within the youth secure estate, which has been described as child abuse. A recently published government response to the joint committee on human rights’ report, Youth detention: solitary confinement and restraint, suggests it “remains undecided” on the practice, according to children’s rights charity Article 39. The charity backs the report, which calls for such techniques to be outlawed for breaching human rights and causing physical distress and psychological harm in both the short and longer term. The charity highlighted how the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse earlier this year also concluded the practices are a form of child abuse. Read more.