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
Thank You!