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EU policy makers must acknowledge children as individuals, heed their concerns, and protect their rights. This was the main conclusion of a public hearing held at the European Parliament on Tuesday, to help shape an EU strategy on the rights of the child. Violence in all its forms, including bullying, child abuse, and sexual abuse, is what worries children most, said the experts. On Thursday 17 April, the Independent Expert presented as part of the proceedings of a joint hearing of the EU parliament. This event was thoroughly applauded by speakers who acknowledged that a focus on child rights does not come automatically with economic development, but must be specifically and continually promoted. The Independent Expert urged the parliament to support implementation of the Violence Study recommendations, and to consider review of child rights as a regular item on their agenda and welcomed the attention to child rights. The need to properly safeguard the rights of children was discussed at a hearing in Parliament on 17 April. MEPs, international organisations and NGO’s came together to consider responses to a Communication from the Commission on a long term strategy on the rights of children. The hearing was told that poverty and violence are problems children face in the EU at present. Worldwide, 10 million children a year die from preventable diseases. The EU needs "a global strategy" to tackle all problems related to children, acknowledged Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini, who announced that the first European Forum on children’s rights, co-organised by the Commission and the Council Presidency, will be held on 4 June in Berlin.

Some of the objectives it proposes are as follows: creating a European Forum for children (a first meeting is scheduled for June) a single hotline for lost or kidnapped children support the banking sector and credit cards companies to combat the use of credit cards for sites dedicated to child pornography, involve children in the decision-making process, information on children’s rights in a child-friendly manner, continue and further enhance EU’s active role in international forums to promote the rights of the child. Among the participants were two girls from Denmark and Romania. Roberta Angelilli, from the Union of Europe for the Nations Group, is preparing a report that will reflect Parliament’s opinion on the issue. Although all EU member states have ratified a UN Convention on the rights of a child and explicitly recognise their rights they are not mentioned in the EU Treaties. UK Socialist Glenys Kinnock noted that "children are no additions, have their own rights but are often powerless, voiceless, seldom consulted". The point made by several speakers was that children have rights that need to be addressed now rather than always seeing them as "the future". The meeting was co-organised by the Civil Liberties’ Committee and seven other committees to help prepare Parliament’s response to the Commission communication "Towards an EU strategy on the rights of the child". Representatives of EU institutions, international organisations and NGOs shared their views with MEPs.

"Children may now systematically be considered as a self-standing concern in European Union budgets, policies, laws and programmes", said Marta Santos Pais, Director of the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. Ms Santos Pais reminded the audience that "in spite of the progress made, the lives of millions of children continue to be marked by poverty", adding that even in EU Member States Bulgaria and Romania, children are twice as likely as adults to be victims of poverty. Worldwide, a staggering 126 million children under the age of 17 are believed to be engaged in hazardous work with 250,000 serving as child soldiers. However, the most depressing statistic was given by Marta Santos Pais from UNICEF who said that 40% of all births are not even registered. She said that "a child who isn’t registered is a non person, not a member of society. That person cannot vote, not inherit, not get married, and not get a driving licence". She also said that 40,000 child deaths a day could be prevented by low cost immunisation against disease. Violence and sexual exploitation are two other dangers that children world wide are exposed to. In the EU children face, poverty, social exclusion violence and racism. Children currently account for a fifth of the population. The hearing was told that they have needs which are not identical to adults.

In 2006 the European Commission launched a Communication which aimed to look at the whole issue of children’s rights in the EU. Franco Frattini, the Commissioner in charge of the dossier said that "children should no longer be addressees of policies but protagonists". The need to mainstream consideration of children’s needs in EU policies was stressed by Civil Liberties Committee Chairman Jean-Marie Cavada (ALDE, FR) in his opening remarks. It is "important to take stock of the children’s rights situation in the European Union, to take account of children’s rights systematically in our policies, in our strategies and in our programmes", he said. Mr Cavada welcomed the Commission communication as a first step in the right direction, but noted that, unfortunately, "there is no specific legal basis that allows the European Union to act directly in this field".

Civil Liberties Committee rapporteur Roberta Angelilli (UEN, IT), hoped that the strategy being developed would not merely be a strategy "against", but instead would be "a positive strategy, which will affirm the fundamental positive rights of children and young people".

Involve children in shaping decisions, within and beyond the EU

Their main concern is violence, in all its manifestations: bullying, child abuse, and sexual abuse, said Clare Feinstein of the international NGO "Save The Children", reporting on replies to an online consultation of 7-17 year-olds, that used a child-friendly version of the Commission paper. Other concerns included discrimination and social exclusion, the effects of alcohol and drugs and child poverty. Young people are aware that they can "help adults to understand issues important to children" and had even asked to be "directly involved in decision making", said Ms Feinstein, suggesting that this could be done through a child rights specialist unit set up to assist EU lawmakers on permanent basis. Young people have far too little influence on the decision making process. We are still lacking understanding their problems", the Culture Committee’s shadow rapporteur, Lissy Gröner (PES, DE).

The EU also needs to take a more child-focused approach in its dealings with third countries, said Deepali Sood, speaking on behalf of the NGO Plan International. Ms Sood presented the findings of a similar online consultation of children and young people in developing countries. "I urge the EU institutions to listen to what the children have said and focus on these issues while formulating its external policies", she said. Like their EU counterparts, third country children listed concerns about poverty, sexual abuse and violence, but added others about unclean water, inadequate medical services and malnutrition. They too asked to be heard when adults take decisions.

Violence teaches contempt

Hitting a child is a sign of, and (for the child itself) a lesson in, contempt for the rights of the small and the weak, said UN expert Paulo Pinheiro. Despite commitments to protect children’s rights, violence against children persists “in every region of the world”, and so does acceptance of it, he said. Many types of violence – in the home or at school – are not even recognized as such. This is one of the reasons why Mr Pinheiro, in his UN report, advocates the “prohibition of all types of violence against children” by 2009 – with no exceptions. Hearing the children’s voice directly is important, Mr Pinheiro added. We want to have children involved in our meetings and consultations, he said, “not as an ornament, but as a real voice”.

Maja Eriksson, a member of the former Network of Experts on Fundamental rights, said that very few victims of child pornography and sexual abuse are given access to justice. She also pointed out that corporal punishment in the family is not prohibited by law in some Member States, such as Spain and Luxembourg. Christa Stolle, Secretary General of “Terre des Femmes”, spoke about violence against girls, particularly about genital mutilation and honour killings. She explained that the practice is still common in many parts of the world beyond the African continent: some 19,000 women have suffered genital mutilation in Germany, she said.

|19-20|Launch of the Study in Mexico, and field visit to Ciudad Juarez|

A declaration signed by the Ministers of Education and Health as well as the Director of the Family Institute, emerged from the national launch of the Study in Mexico. The Independent Expert emphasised the need to implement the recommendations of the Study in immediate follow up. The event received extensive press coverage. To see the declaration, click here. To see the program, click here.