Issue - meetings

It was moved by Councillor Roscoe, seconded by Councillor J.J.Kelly and unanimously:

Mosquitto Devices

RESOLVED:           That:

This Council recognises that the Equality Act 2010 recognises age as a protected characteristic and that under the Equality Act 2010 people are protected from discrimination in many situations such as using public services.

Mosquito devices emit a high pitch noise designed to be heard only by those under the age of 25. They are designed to prevent anti-social behaviour from young people, but they are indiscriminate and have negative effects on all those who can hear the noise they emit, particularly babies and people with autism. They can cause distress and harm to certain segments in society, including causing nausea, dizziness and pain, as well as affecting children’s sense of balance. ⁽¹⁾

Albert Aynsley Green, who was appointed by the government to champion children's rights, has stated that they demonise all children, including babies regardless if they are misbehaving or not. ⁽²⁾

According to Liberty who have called for a ban on these devices ⁽³⁾

·            The Mosquito targets any young person in the area, including very young children and babies;

·            It affects law abiding children in the same way as those who are committing offences, which is degrading and discriminatory;

·            It assumes young people will behave badly, and doesn’t affect adult law breakers at all;

·            It is a disproportionate and unfair reaction to the bad behaviour of some children, often creating no-go areas for young people in their own towns;

·            It alienates young people from the community, which could prove counter-productive;

·            It exposes young people to extreme discomfort, and little is known about the long-term effects on people’s hearing.

Sefton Council commits to prohibit the use of these devices on any council-owned public space, amenity or park to ensure the protection of young people’s human rights, health and engagement within the community.

(1)       https://web.archive.org/web/20110927131822/http://www.baua.de/nn_5858/de/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2007/12/pm079-07.html (accessed Feb 2020)

(2)       https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/feb/12/mosquito.young.people (accessed Feb 2020)

(3)    https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/human-rights/fighting-discrimination/young-people/mosquito (accessed Feb 2020)