Our Impact

Every human being is entitled to human rights. Children represent around a third of the global population. Yet their rights are being neglected or violated across the globe. For four decades, we have been advancing the rights, empowerment and protection of children from the local to the global level, with children, our Network members and observers, and partners.

Here are examples of some of the recent impact we have made in advancing child rights around the world.

Impact Stories

Joint Submission to CRC concerning General Comment on Digital Environment

13 May, 2019
Child Rights Connect and its members including Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) presented a joint submission with the Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education of the Dublin City [...]

DGD Child Advisor Kurt quoted by the Representative of the Secretary-General at the opening of the 81st CRC session!

6 May, 2019
In his statement, the Representative of the Secretary-General Adam Abdelmoula, Director of the Treaty Mechanisms Division, quoted our DGD Child Advisor from Argentina Kurt, 16-year-old, to remind State parties that after [...]

DGD child speaker Gabriel talks to Michel Forst at the ICSW

15 April, 2019
Last week, 17-year-old Gabriel from Brazil participated in the International Civil Society Week (ICSW) in Belgrade, Serbia, between 6 – 11 April. Invited by the Bridge 47 and CIVICUS and [...]

OPIC Anniversary: 5 Years since Children can Lodge Complaints with the UN about Violations of their Rights

14 April, 2019
14 April 2019 marks 5 years since the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (OPIC). The [...]

Children Human Rights Defenders in Scotland have developed a report on CHRDs and a child-friendly Declaration on HRDs!

13 April, 2019
Exciting follow-up to the DGD! Find out more here: https://www.cypcs.org.uk/defenders The eight recommendations of the report are explained here: https://www.cypcs.org.uk/news/in-the-news/children-and-young-people-defend-our-human-rights-here-are-eight-ways-adults-can-help-them-do-it Also, they have produced a child-friendly version of the UN Declaration [...]

New advances in the empowerment and participation of children with disabilities

10 April, 2019
The inclusion and participation of children with disabilities in discussions and decisions that will affect them is as much a right as a pre-requisite to their empowerment. Moreover, children’s rights [...]

2024 by the numbers

2023 by the numbers

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Children’s rights defenders, including children, empowered to report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
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New / updated multilingual resources published to help children / adults engage with the United Nations
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Child advisors, aged between 13 and 17-years-old, from all regions of the world, including 8 girls
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Online workshops organised with How To Child Rights on how to engage children to FU to HR mechanisms in Africa
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Attendees at our joint side-event of the Human Rights Council to celebrate the first-ever UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders report on child and youth human rights defenders
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Individual or joint statements, letters or submissions delivered at the UN level

What others say about our impact ...

“Being a Child Advisor has been a source of empowerment for me in various ways. It’s the first time I’ve felt actively involved in making a positive impact on the world.”

Anghelina, 2023-2024 child advisor, Moldova

Without Child Rights Connect’s presence, the global civil society’s advocacy and influence on children’s rights and child rights mainstreaming would be hampered.”

External evaluation 2022

“[Child Rights Connect] have made it possible for me to carry the voice of the children and young people of my country and always respect my position from the point of view of disability.”

Jorge, 2021 child advisor, Bolivia

How we make our change happen

We know from experience that change takes time, can be incremental, and requires collaboration. The below graph shows how we make change happen.

A results-based approach

We work with a results-based approach. This means results are at the centre of what we do, and how we do it. We operate with a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan which outlines what information we track to assess our results, how this information is collected, how frequently and by whom. Every year, we undertake a comprehensive review of our results against our set objectives and identify lessons learned. We document this information in our public annual reports and reports to our donors. Periodically, we engage consultants to conduct an external evaluation of our impact. We use key findings to adapt what we do and how we do it to better and more sustainably advance child rights.

The change we seek to achieve is about shifting perceptions, attitudes, and practices, particularly towards empowering children and civil society, influencing decisions of States, and promoting legal and policy reform. Our methods for assessing impact therefore heavily rely on qualitative data. But we also collect quantitative data to track our reach. We strive to disaggregate the data we collect by age, gender, geography, and other criteria to assess how different categories of children and children’s rights defenders are impacted upon by our work and improve the inclusiveness of our actions.

Interested in helping us advance child rights?

Help us to create a world in which children enjoy their human rights.