Child Participation
Children have the right to participate in every decision-making process that may affect their lives, no matter if it is at local, national, regional or international level.
Promoting meaningful, safe and effective child participation and civil society space for children is one of the strategic priorities and key areas of expertise of Child Rights Connect. We have been a driving force to advance the debate, set the standards and build the capacity for child participation at international level. Our main achievement has been to successfully advocate for and support the UN Committee on the rights of the child to develop its standards and practices for child participation in all its areas of work. This has resulted in more children engaging in monitoring, reporting and advocacy processes in a more meaningful and effective way.
However, the broader UN human rights system is yet to incorporate effectively children’s views in its work. Child Rights Connect empowers children, children’s rights defenders and States so that they better understand and promote the role of children within the broader human rights framework and then strengthen the national level child participation processes accordingly.
Resources:
- Child participation session monitor: to keep track of developments in CRC standards
- Online repository of child participation resources
- Child Rights Connect’s statements and submissions on child participation
- Child participation in the UPR: child-led and child-informed reports
- CRC standards on child part (GC 12, and 20, WMs, etc.)