Challenges to Children's Rights Today: What Do Children Think?

Abstract

This desktop study aims to establish the most important rights issues for children in Europe based on available research. In this way, it is intended that children’s views on their rights, and their recommendations for improving their enjoyment of those rights, can feed into the Council of Europe’s next Strategy for the Rights of the Child, 2016-2019. A broad range of research on children’s views from across Europe is reviewed in order to highlight the themes which children identify as most important to them. The methodology for identifying the most important information includes consideration of factors such as geography, disadvantaged groups, and principles of the UNCRC. The points outlined here are those made by children. Within this framework, the themes identified as most important to children are:

Violence: Children report experiencing high levels of violence in the home and elsewhere. They wish to be believed and supported where they report it. They give recommendations on how to tackle it, such as ending physical punishment, services better suited to children’s needs, and greater control over action taken to deal with the problems they report.

Child-Friendly Justice: Children wish to receive more information on their rights in the justice system, and authorities must seek ways to help children to trust those working in the system. Children should not be in custody: Alternatives such as community service should be used instead. Children in custody have numerous recommendations for improving living conditions, which are often dire in less industrialised countries. Children of prisoners require explicit acknowledgement and assistance.

Child Participation: Although children strongly believe that they should have a say in the key decisions that affect their lives, they face a range of obstacles in this regard, such as over-complex procedures and adult indifference. A wide range of mechanisms should be developed to facilitate participation across different groups and contexts, and children should always get feedback on how and whether their views have had an impact.

Children in Care: Being heard is of huge importance to children in care, but many feel that they are not listened to. Children think that better supports and interventions are necessary to avoid children being taken into care and to ensure the best care experience possible. Children in care place great emphasis on the quality of their placement, and on retaining links with birth families.

Discrimination: Children suffer discrimination on various bases, and can therefore suffer ‘double discrimination’ – i.e. on the basis of childhood and their other status. Discrimination against children on the basis of age is little understood or acknowledged and it should be tackled through awareness-raising and legislation. Children from disadvantaged groups such as cultural and racial minorities and children with disabilities wish for greater understanding of their experiences and cultures.

Education: Children want more opportunities to participate at school and on decisions concerning their education. Children from disadvantaged groups are especially concerned about education and require special measures to facilitate their participation. Bullying at school is an issue of huge concern to many children. It could be tackled better through more opportunities to discuss it and better responses from teachers.

Child Poverty and Austerity: Children are concerned about the current economic climate and the impact it may have on their own financial situation and that of their families. Their recommendations in the area include: Better work-based training and employment opportunities for young people; welfare systems which ensure adequate incomes and security for those out of work; and free services such as youth and leisure centres. Children want to be included in decision-making about government expenditure.

There are universal themes which emerge from the variety of views and experiences included here. First, children in Europe overwhelmingly wish to be heard and to have some influence on matters regarding their rights. Although there are some very good initiatives which seek to involve children, many are tokenistic and children quickly become disillusioned. Secondly, children enormously value their families and friends, and this has consequences for the enjoyment of their rights: Service providers should think about how to better involve family where children require information about legal proceedings, for example. Thirdly, children recognise that adequate protection of rights requires sufficient allocation of public resources, particularly targeting more marginalised groups. They are concerned about the current economic climate and cuts in expenditure. Resources are highly relevant to children’s recommendations on improving rights provision, as they wish to see education and training of professionals and others to ensure that they facilitate and understand children’s rights across many areas.