A/HRC/21/9 13. Responding to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom Government reaffirmed its commitment to the right to peaceful protest. It said it supported the targeted and proportionate use of containment by the police as a key tactic to manage risks of violence and disorder at protests and its use in a way that minimized the impact on those protesting peacefully. The European Court of Human Rights’ recent Austin judgment found that the use of containment as a police tactic was lawful if used proportionately. 14. Referring to questions from Sweden, Norway and Slovenia about policies on children’s rights, the United Kingdom believed that all children should be protected from violence and abuse. Any punishment that constituted violence or abuse was unlawful. In 2004 the law for England and Wales was amended so that parents could no longer use the “reasonable punishment” defence if prosecuted for assaults on their children which involved cruelty, or caused actual or grievous bodily harm. Similar measures had been taken in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Research showed that fewer parents now used physical punishment, and the Government hoped the trend would continue. 15. Regarding its commitment to end child poverty, the United Kingdom Government had published its first-ever child poverty strategy, which set out action to tackle the complex causes of poverty, including unemployment and welfare dependency, family breakdown, low educational achievement, poor health and disability and financial insecurity. The Devolved Administrations had their own strategies which complement each other. 16. Replying to Slovenia, the United Kingdom said it recognized the importance of supporting children of offenders, both for their own sake and to prevent intergenerational crime. The statutory framework set out in the Children’s Act 2004 required public bodies to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including children of offenders. 17. The Minister for State made statements on behalf of the Scottish and Welsh Governments and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Government was committed to creating a modern, inclusive Scotland that respects and realizes human rights. Scotland’s devolved institutions must observe and implement obligations entered into by the United Kingdom under the European Convention on Human Rights and other international treaties. The Scottish Government had been positively engaged in the UPR process and had sought to reflect Scottish best practice in particular areas. Internationally, the Scottish Government had been at the forefront of championing climate justice. Scotland had its own national human rights institution (the Scottish Human Rights Commission), which currently chairs the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions. 18. The Welsh Government was committed to making Wales a fairer, more inclusive society, where all of its diverse communities could thrive. The universal periodic review (UPR) provided an opportunity to demonstrate the unique approach that has been developed in Wales to meet its international obligations and the needs of the Welsh people. Since the 2008 review, there had been a number of successes in Wales, such as embedding the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) into Welsh law and development of its first strategic national policy to ensure equality of opportunity for the Gypsy Traveller community. 19. The United Kingdom Government was pleased to report that since its last review, Northern Ireland had enjoyed a period of political stability not seen in a generation. But, as in any society undergoing the transition from conflict, there remained difficult issues to resolve. The United Kingdom Government would continue to play a role, but believed the best way to resolve such issues was through solutions from within Northern Ireland. 5