Shadowing the rights of the hild
team, as seen by a 17-year-old
In our world today, it is important that the protection and well-being of some of the most
precious members of our societies is guaranteed: The children’s. It is the job of the rights of the
child team which is located in the European Commission to make sure that this happens.
My stay here in the Commission was very interesting and also devastating, when being
presented with what children in Europe and across the world have to deal with on a daily basis.
I went to a few meetings on refugee children and heard about the living conditions of children in
refugee camps. There is a lot of violence in some of the camps and children are not safe. They
have little or no access to education and often have to wait months for things to improve.
I can confidently say that the entire Rights of the Child team works very hard every day to
improve the situation of children and to support the organisations that want to help children.
The law behind
There are a couple of documents, that all 28 member states of the EU have agreed on. There is
the “UN Convention on the Rights of the Child” and also the “Charter of fundamental rights in
the EU”, which also includes children’s rights.
Article 24 in that charter is the main article on the rights of the child. It says that for all children,
their best interests are always a main priority. Also, that all children have the right to every bit of
care and protection it takes to ensure their well-being. Lastly, every child has the right to contact
and have a relationship with their parents on a regular basis, unless this would be bad for the
child.
However, article 24 isn't the only one that has to do with the rights of the child. Article 7 and 9
both relate to families. They state that everyone should be respected for their family life and that
everyone is allowed to found a family according to the national laws.
The team ensures that in all member states, there are the right surroundings and requirements
set up, so that the European law that has to do with the rights of the child can be carried out.
Help through funds
It's also their job to work out and suggest new policies and laws to be put in place. This can also
be a reaction to recent events, like the migration crisis. Often, external organisations (IOs &
NGOs) whose goal it is to help and protect children, come up with suggestions for projects that
benefit the cause. The organisations can apply for funds, so they can set up support
programmes and grants. These could be any projects which involve multiple member states.
They could then exchange knowledge and experiences and help each other out, often on a very
particular topic. This is done in order to advance in that aspect in the future and it benefits the
entire European Union. The rights of the child team has to share the available funds across the
good projects so that they can take place.
Knowledge is power
Organisations can also send in information reports and materials on the Rights of the Child. The
team’s job is to gather information and then distribute it so that everyone can be informed. The
information
is
made
available
to
you
by
newsletters
and
websites
(ec.europa.eu/justice/fundamental-rights/rights-child/).
Another important job the team has, is to collect and compile huge amounts of data and
opinions on the Rights of the Child. The team is involved in a large amount of meetings with
other directorates of the European Commission, the member states and external organisations.
With their findings, they can work on improving the law if necessary - having in mind every
child's best interests.
July 2016
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