Petition · past parliament · Department for Education

Ban attempting to religiously convert or “revert” a child without parent consent

Closed 11,191 signatures

What the petition asks

Make it a specific legal offence to attempt to religiously convert (or revert) a child where a parent has not given specific permission.
As well as steep cash penalties, custodial sentences for prolific offenders should be on the table to protect impressionable young people that are under 18yrs.

We’ve a legal right to free speech in the UK, including street preaching. This is rightly a freedom we enjoy in the western world.

We believe that where this crosses a line is when an individual attempts to specifically push their religion on an individual one-on-one basis to a child without the consent of their parent. We think that an individual that has set up a table to hand out free copies of a holy book has no right to try and convert (or revert) a child to their religion.

Timeline

4 Mar 2024 Petition opened for signatures
2 May 2024 Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response
29 May 2024 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 11,191
Status Closed
Department Department for Education
Opened 4 Mar 2024
Closed 29 May 2024

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.