BBC NEWS | UK | Politics | The UN report: At a glance

The United Nations has urged the British Government to change the law which allows parents to smack their children.
In a damning report, it has also criticised the UK's high teenage pregnancy rate, the growing numbers of young offenders in prison and mental health problems among children.
Here are the main conclusions of the document, compiled by the UN Committee on The Rights of The Child:

The UK Government should drop the defence of "reasonable chastisement" - some say doing this could lead to parents being outlawed from smacking their children.
There is concern that the age of criminal responsibility is eight in Scotland and 10 in the rest of the UK whereas in the majority of Europe it is 13.
The committee has worries about the increasing number of children in custody for lesser offences and for longer periods of time.
There is criticism of conditions in young offenders' institutions, with high levels of violence, bullying, self-harm and suicide.

Young offenders' institutions come in for criticism
The government's pledge to halve child poverty and eradicate it within a generation is welcomed, but the report says more can be done.
There is concern that children born out of marriage or as a result of IVF treatment, as well as adopted children, have no right to know the identity of their biological parents.
A recommendation is made that plastic baton rounds used for riot control in Northern Ireland be abolished because of injuries to children.
A call is made for measures such as better sex education at school, to address the problem of teenage pregnancies.
An increase in spending on education is welcomed along with measures taken to raise standards of literacy and numeracy.
There is concern at the high numbers of children suspended or expelled from school, many of whom are from ethnic minorities.
There are further fears that the detention of child asylum seekers may not be compatible with human rights conventions for children.