FROM the Covid-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine and now the cost of living crisis, the world has become a much more hostile place.

We know that the views of those who most need to be heard aren’t always listened to. Often young people’s voices are drowned out and it can be difficult for people out with the political system to be heard.

Since 2016, the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) has been calling for the introduction of legislation to incorporate the rights of children and young people into Scots Law – adopting the global "gold standard" for our rights in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Article 12 of the UNCRC gives young people the right to have their voices heard on issues affecting them. Incorporation ensures that the Scottish Government and our public bodies would legally have to respect this right.

The bill was unanimously passed by the Scottish Parliament last year and seen as a milestone on Scotland’s journey towards making rights real for every child and young person. Following a challenge from the UK Government, the Supreme Court ruled that parts of the bill exceeded the Scottish Parliament’s powers under devolution.

The Scottish Government is still committed to making the Rights of the Child part of Scots Law. However, children and young people are still being left in the dark about when they will have legal access to these rights. The Scottish Government has not given a timeline for when it will re-introduce the bill.

I’ve spent five years campaigning for the incorporation of the UNCRC and in that time I have become too old to reap the benefits. We need to see action now from the Scottish Government to ensure there is no further delay to incorporation, and for children and young people to be informed of when progress will be made in re-introducing the Bill in Parliament.

At the Scottish Youth Parliament, we give young people a platform to discuss and debate the issues that matter to them, and to campaign for these changes. Our vision is for Scotland to be a nation that values and really listens to young people’s views.

Being an MSYP has opened the door to a lot of opportunities for me and provided the platform and encouragement to be a voice for many young people across the country. That’s because SYP is a uniquely youth-led organisation. MSYPs listen to the issues that are most important to young people in every community and ensure that decision-makers at the highest levels of government, public sector and the third sector listen.

The challenges facing us all are vast, but they are not insurmountable. Decision-makers must now listen to, and actually hear, the voices of young people – to nurture them, to cherish them and to empower them.

Listen to the quieter voices in the room. If you listen carefully, the things you hear may surprise you.

Sophie Reid is Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP)