Council of Europe and its work on child participation: Building partnerships By Maarit Kuikka Programme Officer Building a Europe for and with children.

Council of Europe and its work on child participation: Building

partnershipsBy Maarit Kuikka

Programme OfficerBuilding a Europe for and with children programme

Eurochild Members’ Exchange Seminar on Child and Youth Participation

2nd October 2008, Cardiff, Wales

Structure of presentation

I What is Council of Europe and how it works?

II Building a Europe for and with children 2006 – 2008

III Stockholm strategy 2009 – 2011

IV Child participation

Council of Europe; institutions

•Committee of Ministers•Parliamentary Assembly•Congress of Local and Regional Authorities•Commissioner of Human Rights•European Court of Human Rights•Conference of INGOs

Council of Europe; secretariat

•Secretary General Mr Terry Davis•Debuty Secretary General Mrs Maud Boer de Buquicchio•DG Democracy and Political Affairs•DG Human Rights and Legal Affairs•DG III Social Cohesion•DG IV Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sport

Council of Europe; tools

1. Standard setting2. Monitoring3. Policy development4. Awareness raising, education,

training5. Bilateral cooperation and

technical assistance

Building a Europe for and with children; first three years

2006 - 2008• Third Summit Mandate

– To mainstream children’s rights in all CoE policies

– To coordinate all children-related activities in CoE

– To eradicate all forms of violence against children

• Building a Europe for and with children, 3-year-programme launched in Monaco 2006

Building a Europe for and with children; first three years

2006 - 2008• Establishment of a Co-ordination unit• Establishment of an Inter-secretariat task

force• Three-year-action programme Children

and violence• Nomination of a Thematic Coordinator on

children on the Committee of Ministers level

Building a Europe for and with children; first three years

2006 – 2008 - outcomes• Nearly 80 activities related to children’s

rights have been implemented by CoE bodies

• A pilot scheme in five countries to review their national policies for protecting children against violence -> guidelines

• Special focus on violence in schools, on the Internet, sexual abuse, corporal punishment of children

Building a Europe for and with children; first three years 2006 – 2008 - outcomes

Better use and combination of the 5 CoE tools• Standards:

– Revised convention on Adoption (2008), Convention for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (2007)

– CM Recommendations on gender mainstreaming in education (2007), on positive parenting (2006), on empowering children in the new information and communications environment (2006)

Building a Europe for and with children; first three years 2006 – 2008 - outcomes

• Monitoring– Implementation of existing CoE standards in

member states (Core conventions)– Commissioner for Human Rights; increased

references to children• Policy development

– National Policy Reviews on violence against children

– Human Rights education for children– Education of Roma children– Positive parenting– Rights of children in institutions– Integration of migrant children, children with

disabilities, street children

Building a Europe for and with children; first three years 2006 – 2008 - outcomes

• Awareness raising and training– A website www.coe.int/children– Training manual on human rights education

for children (Compasito)– Training manual to combat and reduce

violence in schools– On-line game Through the Wild Web Woods

on safe Internet for children– Campaign against corporal punishment of

children

Building a Europe for and with children; Stockholm strategy 2009 - 2011

”Provision, Protection and Participation for Children in Europe”

• Mainstreaming• Coordination• Cooperation • Child participation• Child-friendly justice• Violence against children• Most marginalized and vulnerable

children

Council of Europe work on child participation

• Featured in CoE standards and policies since 1980

• CM recommendation on citizenship and participation of young people in public life (2006), on the role of national youth councils in youth policy development (2006)

• Recommendation on the revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life by the Congress (2003)

– Have Your Say – manual

• PA Recommendation on Promoting the participation by children in decisions affecting them (on its way)

Council of Europe work on child participation

• DG IV; CoE and Youth – co-management

Council of Europe work on child participation

• Main aim for 2009 – 2011: Making article 12 reality in all decision and policy-making processes on local, national and international levels

• Support for integrated policies (mainstreaming), for law reforms, for dialogue between decision-makers and children, for new structures and methods

• Empowering children by human rights education, by developing information in a child-friendly language

Council of Europe work on Child participation

• Pilot scheme on child participation in interested member states

– Policy review– E-forum?– Media training?

• Recommendation on child participation• Schools, health-care systems, justice

systems, residental care• Vulnerable children• Cooperation with Youth sector!

Council of Europe work on Child participation

”If you think our ideas are wrong, it won’t stop us from thinking”

Carolyne Willow:

• Respect

• Routine

• Results

Council of Europe work on Child participation

Partnerships:- UN (OHCHR, UNICEF)- EU, FRA- ENOC- NGOs

www.coe.int/children

[email protected]

Thank You!