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Children’s calls for climate justice have been heard, but largely ignored  The world is experiencing an unprecedented mobilization of children acting to demand urgent action to address the ever-escalating climate crisis, which severely affects the lives of children and their future, amongst others. In the wake of the Fridays for [...]

The OPIC, a unique instrument that has yet to be ratified by many States   Seven years have passed since the entry into force of the Optional Protocol on an Individual Communications procedure (OPIC), an international human rights treaty that allows the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC [...]

Children have been historically excluded from discussions at the Human Rights Council  The 2017 Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution on the protection of child rights in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the importance of children’s rights as an integral part of sustainable development strategies and [...]

Why the OPIC is key to providing redress to children when national mechanisms fail to do so  Child human rights violations are on the rise, particularly given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating environmental crisis. According to UNICEF, 66% of countries reported a disruption in violence against children-related [...]

Why a Children’s Advisory Team (CAT)  There are multiple examples of child human rights defenders (CHRDs) from all horizons vibrantly advocating for the protection of human rights, the environment and social justice. The voices of children are out there. Ensuring the recognition, protection and empowerment of CHRDs is therefore a [...]

Reduced opportunities for bringing State parties to account on their implementation of the UNCRC  Civil society reporting is critical to informing the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee), the UN treaty body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights [...]

Key challenges faced by CHRDs in Moldova  The world is experiencing an unprecedent mobilization of children acting to address the most pressing challenges faced by humanity. Moldova is no exception. Children are increasingly acting as human rights defenders to realize human rights and advance social justice for all, speaking up [...]

Every Voice Counts UN Puts Spotlight on Children as Human Rights Defenders By Lena Ingelstam and Ulrika Cilliers, Save the Children, Tor Hodenfield, CIVICUS, and Beatrice Schulter, Child Rights Connect Many children want to defend their rights and the rights of others and when children speak out things change. [...]