From Wednesday, September 25, 2013 to Friday, September 27, 2013

The 17th ENOC Annual Conference will address the issue of "children on the move". A side-event is tentatively scheduled to take place the evening before the official opening of the Conference.Conference details and agenda will be published in May/June 2013.

From Thursday, May 30, 2013 to Friday, May 31, 2013

Seminar programme

Date: 17 May 2013

  On 13th May 2013, the National Assembly of Republic of Srpska adopted the Annual 2012 Report of the Ombudsman for Children of Republic of Srpska. The Report provides detailed statistics but also points out those parts of the system that need to be strengthened in order to protect the ri

Date: 22 April 2013

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights joined ENOC and thus became the 42nd member of the Network. The Ukrainian Commissioner has been granted associate membership while the Network currently counts 31 full and 11 asociate members. The ENOC expansion continues, and two new applicati

Date: 5 April 2013

  The Consortium for Street Children is once again looking forward to celebrating the International Day for Street Children on 12th April.  In 2012 84 events took place in 37 countries and there were over 580 pieces of media coverage highlighting some of the common misconceptions of stre

From Thursday, March 21, 2013 to Friday, March 22, 2013

  Annual Workshop of Baltic countries' Ombudspersons for Children's Rights   After a first workshop held in 2012 in Estonia, Latvia hosted the 2nd annual workshop on children's rights organized by and for Ombudspersons for Children's Rights in Baltic countries. The 2013 annual workshop

Date: 21 March 2013

Français / Español   The International NGO Council on Violence against Children is preparing a report on violence and the juvenile justice system and needs your help. The report will aim to compare the current violent reality children face when they come into contact w

Date: 14 March 2013

  Parliaments united in combating sexual violence against children 12th meeting on the Network of Contact Parliamentarians to stop sexual violence against children Theme: National strategies to fight sexual violence against children Panel discussion with the title: “The importance of

Date: 8 March 2013

 "Monitoring the Rights of the Child, and Parenting" The Office of the Chancellor of Justice of Estonia published a summary of the 2012 report on 'Monitoring the Rights of the Child, and Parenting'  in English. Monitoring maps out the society's awareness and attitudes concerning topics r

Date: 20 February 2013

"Europe: a corporal punishment free zone. Banning corporal punishment and supporting positive parenting in all European countries"   Since 2011, Save the Children Italy, Lithuania, Romania, and Sweden have been promoting a series of activities to prevent physical and humiliating punishment in

Date: 19 February 2013

Sibling relations in alternative care "Because we are sisters and brothers" describes the most important outcomes of research activities and documentations about sibling relations in alternative care from five different countries: The SOS Children's Villages associations in Germany, Austria, France

Date: 8 February 2013

ENOC's 16th Annual Conference "Juvenile Delinquency-Child Friendly Justice, Structures and Processes for Prevention and Intervention" took place from 10-12 October 2012 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Conference looked at: the development of policies and programmes that can contribute to the reduction of t

Date: 28 January 2013

  A report published today by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) presents the campaigning activities undertaken by forty children and young people in Austria, Cyprus, England, the Netherlands and Romania to try and create violence-free youth custodial settings in

Date: 17 January 2013

Summary in English of the 2012 thematic report of the French Rights Defender, dedicated to the issue of children and screens.The full report (only in French) is available under "Publications" (http://crin.org/enoc/resources/infoDetail.asp?id=29916)

Date: 10 January 2013

This report examines the potential of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to protect the rights of children in detention. Its aims are to: • Analyse country reports and Government responses to those reports with a view to identifying the major deficiencies in the countr

Date: 9 January 2013

  From being sentenced to death and life imprisonment, to suffering repression for participating in protests - if the past year has shown us anything, it is that children continue to suffer a wide variety of rights violations across the world. In this context, CRIN continued to identify persis

Date: 20 December 2012

The General Assembly of ENOC, meeting in October in Cyprus, agreed to on the terms of a common position statement on the negative consequences of the economic crisis on the level of protection and promotion of children's rights in the different jurisdictions within ENOC in general and more specifically on the impact of the crisis on Independent Children's Rights Institution (ICRIs).

Date: 18 December 2012

The nine candidates elected to the CRC are from: Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Italy, Malaysia, Russia, and Slovakia.

Date: 18 December 2012

René Schlechter takes over the chairmanship of the Ombudscommittee for the Rights of the Child of Luxembourg-Ombuds Comité fir d'Rechter vum Kand (ORK), set up in 2002, to monitor the safeguard and to promote the rights and interests of children.

Date: 6 December 2012

In the framework of the 2012-Year of Janusz Korczak, organized under the auspices of the Republic of Poland and coordinated by Poland's Ombudsman for Children, an International Congress on "The Rights of the Child to Respect-Challenges of the 21st century", took place on 4-6 December 2012 in

Date: 29 November 2012

European Conference on "Stepping up progress in combating violence against children" 27-28 November 2012, Ankara Turkey How to effectively implement integrated national strategies against violence and strengthen child protection systems? How to improve accountability and responsiveness when safegu

Date: 28 November 2012

This report covers the period 1 April 2011-31 March 2012 The activities described in the report relate to the Commissioner’s four Strategic Aims, as outlined in his Strategic Plan. Strategic Aim 1To maximise the impact of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Sc

Date: 28 November 2012

A l’occasion de la journée internationale des droits de l’enfant, le Défenseur des droits, Dominique Baudis, et la Défenseure des enfants Marie Derain, remettent le 20 novembre au Président de la République leur rapport consacré aux droits de l&r

Date: 26 November 2012

Ce 25 novembre, à l’occasion de la deuxième édition du Festival Zéro>18, organisé par la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles pour célébrer l’anniversaire de l’adoption par l’Assemblée générale de

Date: 22 November 2012

Ce 20 novembre 2012 (journée internationale des droits de l’enfant), le Délégué général de la Communauté française aux droits de l’enfant a publié un rapport thématique sur les conséquences du dessaisisseme

Date: 21 November 2012

"Keep me safe" is a newly launched television and web documentary developed by the Council of Europe. Specifically designed as a promotional tool for the Council of Europe ONE in FIVE Campaign to stop sexual violence against children. It sets out some good practices to fight sexual violence against

Date: 20 November 2012

  An ENOC study on the role of NHRIs/ICRIs in the protection of the rights of children in the juvenile justice system has been commissioned to an independent expert advisor, Ms. Nevena Vuckovic Sahovic (former member of the CRC). The survey has been developed through an extensive questionnaire

Date: 20 November 2012

The position statement on 'the rights of children in conflict with the law' has been adopted on the occasion of the 16th ENOC General Assembly held on 12 October 2012 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The statement has been preceded by an ENOC survey on NHRIs and child/juvenile delinquency, and is also based on proposals elaborated by the European Network of Young Advisors.

Date: 16 November 2012

  From Charybde to Scylla... De Charybde en Scylla... Bernard De Vos, Délégué Général aux droits de l'enfant de la communauté française, Belgium « Beginning of May, I went to Serbia to follow the track of a Roma family that has b

Date: 25 October 2012

  Press release „PROMOTING GOOD PARENTAL PRACTICE IN SERBIA: POSITIVE PARENTING AND BANNING CORPORAL PUNISHMENT“     Belgrade, 25 October 2012 – The initiative “PROMOTING GOOD PARENTAL PRACTICE IN SERBIA: POSITIVE PARENTING AND BANNING CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

Date: 12 October 2012

Today, the 16th ENOC General Assembly took place in the Hilton Nicosia Hotel in Cyprus. During the General Assembly meeting, three new Bureau members have been elected while Ms. Leda Koursoumba, Commissioner for Children's Rights in Cyprus, took over the Chairmanship of ENOC from Mr. Marek Michalak,

From Wednesday, October 10, 2012 to Friday, October 12, 2012

The 16th ENOC Annual Conference will take place on 10-12 October, 2012 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Conference will be hosted by the Commissioner for Children's Rights of Cyprus, Ms. Leda Koursoumba who will also take up the chairmanship of ENOC for a one year term at the beginning of the Conference. The Conference will be dedicated to the subject of juvenile delinquency (prevention & rehabilitation).

From Wednesday, October 10, 2012 to Friday, October 12, 2012

Click here to check the final Conference programme!

Date: 27 September 2012

[GENEVA/MANILA, 26 September 2012] – Thailand and Gabon are the first countries to ratify the new international treaty on children's rights, which allows children and their representatives to report rights violations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The ratifications are receivi

Date: 19 September 2012

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office in Ireland has been calling for stronger protection for children’s rights in the Irish Constitution since the Office was established almost 8 years ago. I am pleased that wording for a proposed amendment to the Constitution has been published and that

Date: 18 September 2012

In a letter sent to the Chair of the UN CRC, Mr. Jean Zermatten, the ENOC Chair calls the Committee to pay special attention to the situation of children in armed conflicts in general, and more specifically to Syrian children deprived of basic human rights.

Date: 17 September 2012

The Chancellor of Justice in Estonia acts as Ombudsman for Children as of 19th March, 2011. The annual 2011 report is the the first report where a whole chapter-see part Two of the report-is dedicated to the state of protection and promotion of children's rights in Estonia.

Date: 14 September 2012

In the course of the period June-September, three new institutions (NHRIs) joined ENOC. The new ENOC members, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia, the Chancellor of Justice in Estonia and the Independent Authority for Children and Adolescents in Italy, have all been granted full membership on th

Date: 13 September 2012

The European Network of Young Advisors-"ENYA" held its 3rd meeting (previous meetings : 2010 in Strasbourg, 2011 in Belfast) on 29-31 August, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. The meeting was kindly hosted by Poland’s Ombudsman for Children and ENOC Chair, Mr. Marek Michalak. The meeting brou

Date: 9 July 2012

While the French Rights' Defender has a broad mandate of action in a range of areas, its mission also includes the protection and promotion of the rights of the child. The annual report thus contains a separate chapter (Chapter 6) that looks at the state of protection of the rights of the child in France for the period covered by the report. The full report is available in French. A summary version in English will be available soon.

Date: 5 July 2012

Date: 4 July 2012

On 3-4 July 2012, the Council of Europe held an expert meeting to discuss how to make existing CoE and UN monitoring mechanisms more visible and accessible for children and how to make their use for the benefit of children's rights in Europe. Ms. Leda Koursoumba, ENOC Chair elect, represented ENOC and made a contribution on how to involve children and young people in the monitoring of their rights. The presentation is available below.

Date: 21 June 2012

The Office of the Children's Defender in the community of Madrid, Spain will be closed down as of June 30th due to important budgetary cuts that could no longer make the functioning of the institution possible.

Date: 21 June 2012

Mr. Reidar Hjermann steps down today after an eight year term as Ombudsman for Children in Norway.On behalf of ENOC, a letter has been sent to the attention of Mr. Hjermann by the ENOC Chair, Mr. Marek Michalak. A link to the copy of the letter may be found below.

Date: 14 June 2012

With Executive Order # 761 of June 1st, 2012, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, approved the National Children’s Strategy for the period 2012–2017 in accordance with the CRC in order to shape state policy to improve the situation of children in the Russian Federation. The National Strategy will be implemented through two stages: 2012-2014 & 2015-2017.The main points of the Strategy (this is NOT an official translation of the original text-in Russian-provided by the state authorities) are summarized in the attached document.

From Thursday, June 14, 2012 to Friday, June 15, 2012

Date: 13 June 2012

Dr. Anne Lindboe, a pediatrician, succeeds to Mr. Reidar Hjermann for a six year (renewable) term as Norway's Ombudsman for Children. Ms. Lindboe is Norway's fifth "barneombud", and is appointed by King Harald. The takeover will take place on June 25th, 2012.

Date: 7 June 2012

In a comprehensive, ex officio investigation the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights has asked responsible authorities about the reasons for children missing or playing truant, about the ways of prevention and intervention, about the measures taken to deal with the children concerned, and about how professionals working in the field see these problems. The full text of the press release is available in the attached document.

Date: 7 June 2012

Date: 7 June 2012

Date: 6 June 2012

Findings and recommendations of the Independent Authority on the implementation of children’s rights in Greece The Greek Ombudsman submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child a Parallel Report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Greece from 20

From Monday, June 04, 2012 to Tuesday, June 05, 2012

A short piece of information and the list of speakers is available in the outline document. ENOC member institutions that are interested in attending are invited to email the ENOC Secretariat. Please note that the participation costs are covered by participating institutions and thus of the speakers by ENOC.

From Friday, June 01, 2012 to Saturday, June 02, 2012

The ENOC Chair and Polish Ombudsman for Children, Mr Marek Michalak participated on 1-2 June 2012 in the International Seminar dedicated to Janusz Korczak in Geneva. The meeting was devoted to the Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The seminar was organized, i

Date: 31 May 2012

This toolkit is designed to explain the ways that legal assistance can be obtained free of charge for children and children's rights organisations, to review the international standards that underlie children's right to legal assistance, and to clarify the different types of legal assistance that may be appropriate across the various contexts in which children interact with the legal system.

Date: 31 May 2012

 On the 16th and 17th of May, the Ombudsman for Children of the Republic of Poland and ENOC Chair – Marek Michalak - has visited Kiev where he took part in a project “European experience: Poland”, and met with Ukrainian Ombudsman for Children Jurij Pavlenko and Polish Ambassad

From Wednesday, May 16, 2012 to Thursday, May 17, 2012

For this event you may also direct your requests to Mr. Ahmed Pjano, Programme Manager at Save the Children Norway, under a.pjano@scn-see.ba

Date: 15 May 2012

ENYA-The European Network of Young Advisors-has again the opportunity to discuss via an e-forum a number of issues touching upon two main questions, juvenile delinquency and the rights of children living in institutional care. Young people from 8 ENOC member countries joined the e-forum to speak about their own experience and/or to express opinion about how the juvenile justice and the institutional care systems could be more child friendly.

Date: 14 May 2012

Hungary's Commissioner for Fundamental Rights is deeply concerned about a provision in the draft Hungarian Criminal Code decreasing in some cases the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years, which may cause the deprivation of child's liberty in case of finding him/her guilty. Whi

From Thursday, April 12, 2012 to Thursday, April 12, 2012

The International Day for Street Children is celebrated every year on 12 April. The day provides a platform for the millions of street children around the world - and their champions - to speak out so that their rights cannot be ignored. This year’s theme is ‘challenging perceptions’ of street children. To mark the day CSC wants to ensure street children are not ignored and are asking governments, NGOs and the public to sign a pledge to stand up for the rights of street children at http://www.streetchildrenday.org/take-action/#addyourvoice.

Date: 10 April 2012

Adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on April 4th, the report points out the problem of unsufficient understanding of the importance of the rights of the child, lack of coordination between competent public bodies, the question of neglect in all its forms and various forms of violence against children. The increasing visibility of the Institution and more frequent cooperation between children and the Ombudsman for Children Office has contributed to an increase of the number of complaints lodged by children themselves.

Date: 29 March 2012

The CRC is in the process of drafting a General Comment on Children's Rights and Business and has prepared an annotated outline to guide its further deliberations. The Committee now welcomes submissions from interested organisations and individuals who have experience or information on State party obligations under the Convention in relation to the business sector.

Date: 22 March 2012

Keith Towler, Welsh Children's Commissioner, used for the 1st time his statutory powers to review the provision of independent professional advocacy for looked after children & young people, care leavers & children in need. The Missing Voices report outlines key findings and includes 29 recommendations to which the Welsh Government and local authorities have 3 months to respond.

Date: 19 March 2012

In a letter to the UK, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, urges more of a focus on rehabilitation of youth offenders.

Date: 19 March 2012

The Danish Presidency of the European Council 2012 in collaboration with the European Commission and the Intergouv. Group L’Europe de L' Enfance has held a conference on children’s rights and child poverty. The conference focused on the following aspects of social protection in order to prevent social exclusion:- Child poverty in EU Member States- Mainstreaming the child's rights approach in key policies- Access to family support measures, early childhood education and care(ECEC) and child participationMs. Leda Koursoumba, ENOC Chair elect, participated on behalf of ENOC.

Date: 16 March 2012

Demande d'information sur des pratiques traditionnelles néfastes affectant les droits de l’enfant Nous avons besoin de votre aide dans l’identification de ces pratiques traditionnelles néfastes affectant les enfants ainsi que les bons systèmes juridique et d&rsqu

Date: 16 March 2012

Following up on the ECtHR judgment in the case of Popov v. France and in respect of " the child's best interests" principle implying that a child, whenever unaccompanied or accompanied by his/her parents, can not be detained for administrative purposes in absence of any criminal grounds, the French Defender of Rights intervenes in individual cases to stop administrative detention of children pending their expulsion. The position of the French Defender of Children to alternatives to detention of minors in similar situations has also been reminded by the Court.

Date: 15 March 2012

The International NGO Council on Violence against Children needs your help in identifying harmful traditional practices affecting children and also good legal frameworks and other measures to challenge and eliminate them.

Date: 15 March 2012

In the aftermath of the terrible coach crash in Switzerland that caused the loss of 22 Belgian children and 6 adults, the ENOC Chair and Ombudsman for Children of Poland, Mr. Marek Michalak extended deep sympathies to his Flemish counterpart, Mr. Bruno Vanobbergen, and to victims' families and expressed full support and solidarity with the whole Belgian nation.

Date: 8 March 2012

On 8 March, States, NGOs and independent experts met for the Human Rights Council's 2012 day on the rights of the child under the theme 'children and the administration of justice'.  Identifying the problem "Why - how many years on? - do we still struggle with having children detained a

Date: 10 February 2012

The ENOC Working Group on "Justice Administration for Children" hold its 1st meeting on February 10th, 2012 in Athens. The meeting was hosted by Mr. George Moschos, Deputy Ombudsman for children's rights, Greece and Vice Chair of the WG. The WG concentrated its efforts on elaborating ToR for 2012, on designing the scope of a comparative study, and on discussing how the main issue will feed in the upcoming ENOC Annual Conference.

Date: 9 February 2012

Date: 27 January 2012

Le DG est régulièrement interpellé par des citoyens et des professionnels de différents secteurs, à propos de deux questions cruciales : le manque de places dans les structures de prise en charge pour mineurs et l’accompagnement inadéquat dont sont victimes certains d’entre eux en Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.Pour comprendre le “mauvais” accompagnement, le DGDE est parti à la rencontre des premiers concernés. Nous avons ainsi entendu et recueilli la parole des jeunes sur leurs expériences de vie, la manière dont ils se représentent l’accompagnement et leurs recommandations en la matière.

Date: 17 January 2012

The Landing in Dover report issued by Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England uncovered the `Gentleman's Agreement' between the UK and France which conflicted with the UK Border Agency's (UKBA) duty to safeguard children and promote their welfare. The report results from an investigation by the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) into the treatment of unaccompanied children asylum seekers when they first arrive in the UK. It has already led to changes in the way UKBA treats children seeking asylum.

Date: 10 January 2012

Date: 28 December 2011

Date: 19 December 2011

The UN General Assembly has adopted a new Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) establishing a complaints procedure for violations of children’s rights.

Date: 20 November 2011

Date: 20 November 2011

Date: 26 October 2011

This edition of the guide includes developments since the document was first published in 2008.

Date: 14 October 2011

During a conference to mark the end of the first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) - held on 13 October in Geneva - all actors in the UPR process (States, NGOs, National Human Rights Institutions and UN bodies) agreed that the new mechanism can only be deemed a success if implementation of the recommendations is carried out on the ground.

Date: 10 October 2011

Report by the International NGO Advisory Council for follow up to the UN Study on Violence against Children which was based on over 100 submissions by NGOs, UN agencies and academic research.

Date: 4 October 2011

This second annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, is submitted to the General Assembly in accordance with its resolution 65/197. It is guided by the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children (A/61/299) and builds upon the vision and the priority areas identified by the Special Representative in her initial report (A/65/292).

Date: 30 September 2011

CRIN has launched a "Children's Rights Wiki" to bring together all information about children's rights in one place.

Date: 15 September 2011

On Monday July 25th and Tuesday July 26th NICCY hosted young people from throughout Europe for an ENOC Network of Youth Advisors (ENYA) Seminar. The ENYA Seminar helped young people tell the annual ENOC meeting their views on: -Education -Health -Violence and -The internetA detailed ENYA Seminar has been produced and made available for all interested readers.

From Wednesday, September 14, 2011 to Friday, September 16, 2011

Date: 26 August 2011

[please note: changes are being made to this page] عر بية | Français | Español | РусскийThis guide has been compiled to help organisations with media activities and communications. The toolkit is arranged under se

Date: 25 July 2011

There will be regular updates with photos, quotes and video throughout out the 2 day seminar (25-26 July 2011). All updates will be posted on www.niccy.org/enya. Follow us on Twitter too

Date: 25 July 2011

Children and young people follow events on TV, the Internet and other media. Below, the Ombudsman for Children offers some basic rules on how you can communicate with children when dramatic events occur. A starting point for taking care of children’s needs in such situations is to understand that they often need to know what has happened, exactly like we adults do.

Date: 24 July 2011

At least 76 people were killed in Norway on Friday in twin attacks on the capital Oslo and on the island of Utøya, where most of those killed were young people. A large bomb blast in central Oslo, close to key Government buildings, killed eight people. On the island of Ut&oslas

Date: 30 June 2011

Date: 21 June 2011

On January 31, 2011, the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) submitted detailed comments to the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) on transnational corporations and other business enterprises as part of the Special Representative's public consultation process o

Date: 21 June 2011

Briefing on existing complaints procedures available to seek redress for violations of children's rights, including how the newly adopted Optional Protocol under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child differs from existing complaints procedures.

Date: 17 June 2011

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted the final draft Optional Protocol on a communications procedure for children’s rights violations crafted by an intergovernmental working group over ten days in December 2010 and February 2011. The new protocol will enable the Committee on the Rights of the Child to examine communications from children and their representatives alleging violations of their rights.

Date: 7 June 2011

The establishment of a complaints mechanism for the CRC moved a step closer as the Chairperson of the Working Group presented his report, including a draft text to be adopted by the Council.

Date: 5 May 2011

Date: 5 May 2011

Date: 5 May 2011

Date: 5 April 2011

The Ombudsman for Children's Office in Ireland has submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council in advance of the Council's dialogue with Ireland later this year as part of the universal periodic review process. The report sets out a number of key concerns regarding children's rights in Ireland and recommendations for change.

From Monday, March 07, 2011 to Monday, March 07, 2011

Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Tam Baillie, has been having ‘a RIGHT blether’ with over 80, 000 of Scotland’s children and young people over the last 8 months in a range of different ways. Children and young people in every local authority area of Scotland have taken part. Now that the vote is closed and the results of ‘a RIGHT blether’ have been counted, ‘a RIGHT BIG blether’ offers children, young people and adults who work with and for them the opportunity to hear the findings, compare priorities and plan together what will happen next.

Date: 3 March 2011

A new planner for young people leaving care has just been published by Commissioner for children's Office of Wales. It has lots of useful info about things like education, housing and health plus details of what young people are entitled to.

Date: 24 February 2011

"Performance pressures and loneliness overshadow childhood and adolescence in Finland", stated the Finnish Ombudsman for Children, Ms. Maria Kaisa Aula, when presenting her first report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, based on information gained from surveys and research conducted among children.

Date: 17 February 2011

States, UN agencies and civil society react to the Chairperson's proposal package for a new text for the OP.

Date: 16 February 2011

Chair's proposal on contentious issues flies in the face of children's rights, says Committee on the Rights of the Child; summary from the Second Meeting of the Working Group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure that took place in Geneva from February 10 to February 16, 2011.

Date: 14 February 2011

Date: 11 February 2011

Summary of the Second Meeting of the Working Group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure that took place in Geneva from February 10 to February 16, 2011.

Date: 10 February 2011

The report was prepared during "Child Year" in Azerbaijan and dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child and the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.It provides state policy on children's rights, international and national legislation in this field, proposals and recommendations aimed at better protection of children's rights.

Date: 9 February 2011

Submission by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro commenting on the revised proposal for a draft optional protocol to the CRC, prepared by the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-Ended Working Group (A/HRC/WG.7/2/4) in February 2011.

Date: 7 February 2011

Eight Countries were reviewed during the 56th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee have released their Concluding Observations.

Date: 31 January 2011

UN officials in Kabul honour human rights advocate and family killed in attack. Hamida Barmaki, was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, alongside her husband and four children.

Date: 20 January 2011

Date: 17 January 2011

Parliament's Constitutional Committee is seeking to give the Chancellor of Justice additional ombudsman duties under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Date: 17 January 2011

Children as young as 10 are being sexually exploited by organised gangs of men in cities across the UK, a leading charity says.

Date: 14 January 2011

Revised proposal for a draft optional protocol prepared the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-ended Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure.

Date: 21 December 2010

While the European Union promoted 2010 as the “European Year Against Poverty”, several member states presented austerity budgets which will inevitably push more people into destitution. There are already large numbers of children among the poor, and it is obvious that the struggle ag

Date: 14 December 2010

Given the current trends of reducing the functions and mandates of Ombudspersons for Children institutions across Europe, ENOC carried out in 2010 a survey on the role and scope of competences of ENOC member institutions. The aim of the survey is first to identify the current challenges and difficulties faced by individual member institutions and then to find common and efficient solutions on how Ombuds for Children institutions could be strengthened in order to ensure a better and effective protection of children's rights and to make sure children's views are taken seriously.

Date: 2 December 2010

Date: 26 November 2010

Date: 26 November 2010

Date: 24 November 2010

Date: 23 November 2010

Le Délégué Général de la Communauté française aux droits de l'enfant a remi son rapport annuel d’activité 2009-2010 au Président du Parlement de la Communauté française et au Ministre-Président du gouvernement de la Communauté française. Si les questions de maltraitance, de divorce et de séparation restent préoccupantes pour l’institution, il a constaté cette année, une véritable explosion des saisines pour des questions liées à l’enseignement, que ce soit en termes de demandes d’information ou de plainte.

Date: 23 November 2010

En cette année européenne de lutte contre la pauvreté, la Défenseure des enfants a choisi de consacrer son rapport thématique aux conséquences de la précarité sur la protection des droits de l’enfant (vie quotidienne, logement, parcours scolaire, maintien des liens familiaux).

Date: 17 November 2010

Click here for the adopted guidelines   [STRASBOURG, 17 November 2010] - The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted new guidelines on child-friendly justice which give European governments guidance to enhance children’s access to and treatment in justice, in an

Date: 15 November 2010

MENU: Resources / Latest developments / December meeting / submissions / Our objectives / What you can doBelow you will find an update on latest developments in the UN and what we as NGOs are doing. We are also sending you links to documents that you may find useful in your lobbying.They include:

Date: 15 November 2010

Date: 12 November 2010

This is toolkit is for activities leading up to the UN meeting in December 2010 to discuss the draft Optional Protocol. This toolkit also contains a commentary on the draft and an explanation about collective complaints.

Date: 29 October 2010

'Undesirables' are swept from the streets before being detained without trial, say human rights groups.

Date: 22 October 2010

Representatives of the 47 Council of Europe countries, the EU and the Roma community gathering in Strasbourg today unanimously condemned widespread discrimination against Roma and their social and economic marginalisation. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, who called the m

Date: 22 October 2010

Children feel that the most effective way of reducing corporal punishment is to help parents with their problems. A survey of children carried out by the Office of the Ombudsman for children also shows that it is important to increase children's confidence in services and the adults who provide them. Children were consulted when a committee prepared a national strategy to prevent and diminish the use of corporal punishment in Finland.

Date: 22 October 2010

The prosecutor general in Bulgaria has initiated criminal investigations into 166 deaths and 30 more cases of abuse of children living in state homes for young people with mental disabilities. This was an important signal not only for the Bulgarian authorities but for several other states with s

Date: 23 September 2010

Report of Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, submitted to the UN General Assembly. The is to be presented at the 65th session of the GA in October 2010.

Date: 23 September 2010

Funded by the European Commission, the Children's Rights Alliance for England is carrying out a research project looking at the extent of children's involvement in European and international decision-making. This project is being carried out with partners in Austria, Estonia, Ireland, the Republic o

Date: 15 September 2010

[9 September 2010] - Expressing "deep concern" at recent measures taken by the French authorities and other EU Member States, Parliament argued on Thursday that mass expulsions of Roma people violate EU law as they amount to discrimination on the basis of race. Members of the European Parliament

Date: 10 September 2010

The CRAG is an informal group of NGOs committed to working together on the follow-up and implementation of the European Commission Communication - Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child.

Date: 1 September 2010

This is the first draft of the Communications Procedure that will be discussed during the next session of the Open Ended Working Group in December 2010. The draft was prepared by the Chairperson-Rapporteur.

Date: 31 August 2010

This report details best practices and policy approaches in the field of children’s rights education for adults. It provides educational materials such as ideas for teacher trainings and a toolbox for practitioners. The book also suggests methods and strategies as well as a vision of current and future European Union and United Nations policies. Country reports and case studies include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

Date: 27 August 2010

CRIN's campaign to promote transparency in how candidates are appointed to the top jobs in children's rights.

Date: 24 August 2010

The real asylum policies in Europe today largely ignore children among refugees. They are often not listened to and rather treated as if they were possessions belonging to their parents. It is often forgotten that they could have their own reasons for seeking protection. Some of them do. When c

Date: 23 August 2010

An investigation into the imprisonment of two minors is to be launched by the Commissioner for Children, after various concerns were brought to her attention, regarding their imprisonment at Corradino Correctional Facility with seasoned criminals.

Date: 27 July 2010

There have been more than 3 000 casualties caused by landmines in Europe in the last ten years. Anti-personnel landmines continue to kill or maim indiscriminately long after wars have finished. They are therefore banned under international law. However, this prohibition has not been effectively impl

Date: 7 July 2010

Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, followed up his recent visit to Turkey, by sending letters to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Interior. The letters focussed mainly on juvenile justice, the implementation of anti-terrorist laws, the human rights of internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.

Date: 5 July 2010

Child Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) have persuaded the Information Commissioner to make public a secret manual detailing ways in which force can be used to restrain child prisoners.

Date: 2 July 2010

[STRASBOURG, 1 July 2010] – The Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse comes into force today. It is the first international instrument to tackle all forms of sexual violence against children, including abuse perpetrated within

Date: 30 June 2010

Date: 24 June 2010

[STRASBOURG, 23 June 2010] – There should be no general prohibition on wearing the burqa and the niqab or other religious clothing, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has said – though it added that legal restrictions may be justified “for security purposes,

Date: 16 June 2010

On the 11th June 2010, the Committee on the Rights of the Child released their Concluding Observations for the countries examined during the course of the 54th Session.

Date: 14 June 2010

This is an updated Advocacy Toolkit aimed to support those interested in joining the campaign for a communications procedure under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It contains background information about the campaign, lists of campaigning and lobbying activities you could undertake at national level, questions and answers, a glossary and a feedback form.

Date: 12 June 2010

Iran agreed on Thursday to review its widely condemned policy of executing juvenile criminals and pledged to uphold freedoms of expression, media and assembly, Western officials said.

Date: 3 June 2010

Au cœur du débat relatif au projet de loi organique présenté par le Gouvernement visant à déterminer le périmètre et l’organisation d’un nouveau Défenseur des droits, le Sénat a confirmé la spécificit&eacu

Date: 26 May 2010

[VIENNA, 21 May 2010] – Children's rights experts gathered in Vienna last week to share experiences and challenges in developing national strategies to combat violence against children. The meeting was opened by Chirstine Marek, Secretary of State for Economy, Youth and Families of the gove

From Thursday, May 20, 2010 to Friday, May 21, 2010

The conference is inspired by the recommendations contained in the 2006 UN Study on Violence against children and aims to promote the development and implementation of integrated national strategies on the rights of the child and elimination of violence against children; support the prohibition of all forms of violence, including within the family/home; and encourage better collection, analysis and dissemination of national data on violence against children.

Date: 17 May 2010

Anglais - Español En juin 2010, les membres de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail (OIT) entameront des discussions officielles à propos d’un éventuel nouvel instrument international visant à garantir un travail décent pour les travailleurs domes

Date: 7 May 2010

Date: 4 May 2010

In the framework of an expert group meeting organized by the European Commission on 11 March 2010 on the situation of the so called "invisible" children, ENOC submitted a written contribution taking among others a number of ENOC members' activities concerning groups of children that could be recongized as invisible children.

Date: 27 April 2010

Terms of Reference for UNICEF consultancy. Deadline is 7 May 2010

Date: 27 April 2010

UNICEF Namibia with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare plans to undertake a consultancy with the overall outcome of strengthening supported formal foster care systems.

Date: 21 April 2010

This report discusses the origins and evolution of PWYP from 2002 to 2007. It also assesses the effectiveness of PWYP’s advocacy and policy initiatives and examines how the Coalition has operated internationally. In this sense, the report is not only a narrative of PWYP’s history and accomplishments, but a practical tool to shine a light on the strengths and challenges which face a global civil society coalition.

Date: 20 April 2010

CHILD RIGHTS OFFICER – English/French, CRINLocation: London, United KingdomSalary: From £27,000 per annum (depending on experience)About CRINGuided by our passion for social and legal change, CRIN is building a global network for children's rights. We press for rights, not charity, and a

Date: 1 April 2010

Fewer countries than ever before are carrying out executions. While 58 countries retained the death penalty in 2009, only 18 actually used it. Amnesty International's campaign started in 1977 when 137 countries still had capital punishment. But it’s not all good news – there are some glaring exceptions to this positive trend.

Date: 17 March 2010

Séance plénière : le premier rapport de Mme Santos PaisMatra Santos Pais, la Représentante Spéciale du Secrétaire général (RSSG) sur la violence à l'encontre des enfants, a présenté son premier rapport annuel au Consei

Date: 15 March 2010

This call for papers is addressed to legal, health, social, research and education professionals wishing to contribute to a Council of Europe study on sexual violence against children. The study will serve as a background for the Council of Europe awareness raising campaign to stop sexual violence against children.

Date: 15 March 2010

Cet appel à articles s’adresse aux professionnels du droit, de la santé, de la protection sociale, de la recherche et de l’éducation désireux de participer à une étude du Conseil de l'Europe sur les violences sexuelles dont sont victimes les enfants. Cette étude sera le point de départ d’une campagne de sensibilisation du Conseil de l'Europe visant à lutter contre ce fléau.

Date: 12 March 2010

Continued from 11 MarchThe discussion on the first report to the HRC of the Special Representative on Violence Against Children (SRSG) resumed this morning. The representative of Egypt asked what further steps the SRSG was planning in order to implement her plan and priorities. A

From Wednesday, March 10, 2010 to Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Annual debate on the rights of the child at the Human Rights Council Session. This year, the debate is on sexual violence against children.

Date: 24 February 2010

The Council of Europe has launched an Online Questionnaire for children and young people under the age of 18 to solicit feedback on the Draft Guidelines for Child-Friendly Justice.  The Questionnaire can be taken online in English and French and can additionally be downloaded an

Date: 18 February 2010

Comme vous le savez probablement, le Groupe de Travail de l'ONU s'est réuni en décembre 2009 afin de développer une procédure de communication. La réunion s'est terminée sans recommandations. Cependant, il est espéré qu'une nouvelle réso

Date: 4 February 2010

This is the first report to be presented by the SRSG at the 13th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2010.

Date: 2 February 2010

Report of the open-ended working group to explore thepossibility of elaborating an optional protocol to theConvention on the Rights of the Child to provide acommunications procedure.

Date: 1 February 2010

Download the reports in: Francais and NederlandsContact details KinderrechtencommissariaatLeuvenseweg 861000 Brussel, BelgiumTel: +32 2 552 9800Fax: +32 2 552 9801Email: kinderrechten@vlaamsparlement.beWeb: http://www.kinderrechtencommissariaat.be/Index.aspx?Theme=Volwassenen Délégu&

Date: 13 January 2010

A Spanish clinic today revealed it had performed a male-to-female sex-change operation on a 16-year-old, making her the youngest patient to undergo the operation in the country's history.The unnamed teenager had been taking hormones to change her body since she was 15, according to doctors who treat

Date: 12 January 2010

This is a compilation of the daily updates that were produced during the UN Working Group meeting on the communications procedure. The meeting took place from 16 to 18 December in Geneva.

Date: 11 January 2010

Zurich police have raided and demolished an autonomously run school where undocumented migrants held language classes.The raid came as the Swiss government admitted that its harsh treatment of undocumented asylum- seekers has partly failed, and following an announcement that it is again planning a r

Date: 4 January 2010

The Commissioner for Children is proud to launch the official website www.tfal.org.mt, which aims to grant further accessibility to children and adults alike in communicating with the Office of the Commissioner for Children. Given that the Office of the Commissioner for Children at times confronts c

Date: 4 January 2010

 [28 December 2009] - The notorious large-scale institutions for orphans and children with disabilities are being phased out, including in the former Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This process of de-institutionalisation must continue, but it has to be pursued with care in t

Date: 22 December 2009

Teenagers aged 16 or 17 should have access to contraception and be entitled to confidentiality, according to the Law Reform Commission. The age of consent for sex is 17.In a consultation paper to be launched tonight by Minister of State for Children Barry Andrews, the commission proposes that 16- an

Date: 22 December 2009

[GENEVA, 18 December 2009] - The Working Group meeting ended on Friday with the adoption of the Chair's report. Mr Stefanek concluded that it was clear from the two days that children lack remedies when their rights are violated and that 'many considered a communications procedure would constitute

Date: 18 December 2009

Summary from discussion on topic four on unique rights of the CRC of the UN Working Group for the communications procedure.

Date: 17 December 2009

A Jewish school discriminated against a child when it refused to admit him because it did not recognise his mother as Jewish, Britain's highest court ruled Wednesday.Critics said the decision interfered with longstanding Jewish tradition and imposed secular standards on who belonged to the faith.Lon

Date: 17 December 2009

Submission for the UN Working Group discussing the communications procedure under the UN CRC.

Date: 16 December 2009

Chairperson, Excellencies, colleagues, and friendsUNICEF is pleased to participate in this important open-ended working group of the Human Rights Council. The near universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child reflects consensus among the governments of the world that there are

Date: 16 December 2009

Highlights from first day of the Working Group for the communications procedure under the UN CRC.

From Monday, December 14, 2009 to Friday, December 18, 2009

Meeting closes on Friday 18th. Read updates.

Date: 7 December 2009

[COPENHAGEN, 6 December 2009] - Young people from 44 countries are demanding that world leaders take decisive action on climate change. The time for talk is over, they declared at the end of a weeklong Children's Climate Forum here."Our plates are empty due to drought. Our future is at risk, an

Date: 3 December 2009

Meeting opens with election of Chairperson. More information soon.

Date: 3 December 2009

This Advocacy Toolkit has been prepared by the NGO Group for the CRC to support those who are interested in joining the campaign for a communications procedure under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It contains background information about the campaign, lists of campaigning and lobbying activities you could undertake at national level, questions and answers, a glossary and a feedback form.

From Thursday, December 03, 2009 to Friday, December 04, 2009

Held under the Swedish presidency of the European Union, this conference will examine the difficulties faced by child victims in navigating the criminal justice system and encourage the search for child-friendly solutions.PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CONFERENCE IS BY INVITATION ONLY AND NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

Date: 30 November 2009

Four successive archbishops of Dublin responded to clerical child sexual abuse over a 30-year period in their diocese with “denial, arrogance and cover-up”.This is one of the main conclusions of the report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.The thr

Date: 24 November 2009

The French Immigration Minister's proposals to address the needs of unaccompanied migrant children held at transit zones, especially airports, falls short of bringing France into compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Human Rights Watch said today. The treaty, to which France

Date: 23 November 2009

20 Novembre 2009Le 20ème anniversaire de l’adoption par l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies de la Convention internationale des droits de l’enfant (CIDE) devrait être une cause de fête. Cependant, en tant que institutions indépendan

Date: 19 November 2009

The 20th anniversary of the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) should be cause for celebration. But, as independent institutions established by legislation in 29 countries across Europe to safeguard children’s rights, our celebration is tempered with deep concerns.

Date: 19 November 2009

 There is much to celebrate as we mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20 – but children have so far been denied one crucial tool for safeguarding their rights. The CRC is the only core international human rights in

Date: 18 November 2009

Luxembourg has joined the list of countries prohibiting by law all corporal punishment of children, including in the home. This brings the total number of countries worldwide which have achieved full prohibition to 25, including 20 Council of Europe member states.

Date: 16 November 2009

This guide has been produced to help those working for children's rights to understand what strategic litigation is and consider this as an option for effecting change for children by using the law. The guide is aimed at legal and non legal NGO staff and can be adapted to local settings and procedures. We welcome comments, suggestions, feedback and links to further resources.

Date: 16 November 2009

Britain is punishing its children with custody orders and Asbos, failing to keep them safe and systematically breaching the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a major report has found.In a damning assessment of how the UK is looking after some of its most vulnerable people, the re

Date: 16 November 2009

Smacking a child serves no purpose and should be banned in France, a Paris MP and child welfare expert has recommended.Edwige Antier, who has 38 years' experience as a pediatrician and has written extensively about child behaviour, has put forward a proposed bill in parliament banning the practice.I

Date: 16 November 2009

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has become one of the most well-known and broadly supported international human rights treaties. Practically all the states in the world have ratified it and thereby legally bound themselves to implement its provisions. As a result, the situation of child

Date: 16 November 2009

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe and SOS Children’s Villages International finalised a youth-friendly information booklet addressed to children and young people in alternative care.Through comics, stories

Date: 4 November 2009

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against the use of crucifixes in classrooms in Italy.It said the practice violated the right of parents to educate their children as they saw fit, and ran counter to the child's right to freedom of religion.The case was brought by an Italian mother, Soile

Date: 3 November 2009

Preparation of the Council of Europe Campaign to stop Sexual Violence against Children 2010: Consultation with Partners on the prevention of sexual abuse of childrenStrasbourg, 10-11 December 2009BackgroundThe Council of Europe children’s strategy for 2009-2011, ‘Provision, Protection an

Date: 3 November 2009

This is a report on the findings and recommendations of a baseline survey conducted by OHCHR, based on responses to a questionnaire received from 61 NHRIs around the world. The purpose of the survey is to take stock of the current state of NHRIs globally to enhance OHCHR’s efforts – in partnership with other stakeholders – to strengthen the functional capacities of NHRIs, both individually and collectively.

Date: 2 November 2009

This report assesses the main arguments against the justiciability of economic, social andcultural rights, and shows how these rights can be adjudicated, that adjudication is desir-able, and practiced in many courts throughout the world.The case law examined provides a comparative tool from which to draw ideas and arguecases regarding economic, social and cultural rights.

Date: 2 November 2009

Sweden's government is meeting on Monday to propose new legislation that will prohibit the viewing of child pornography. The centre-right government is also hoping to put in place more rigorous age restrictions regarding the production of pornographic material.Once passed, the government's proposal

Date: 29 October 2009

France's system of detaining and deporting unaccompanied migrant children who arrive in Paris by air puts them at serious risk, Human Rights Watch said today. The conclusions are based on the 60-page report, "Lost in Transit: Insufficient Protection for Unaccompanied Migrant Children at Roissy

Date: 27 October 2009

This book was written by Mr. Shiro, Ombudsman for Children's Rights Mr. Golovan, and Save the Children Norway in Russia.

Date: 22 October 2009

This statement was delivered by Marta Santos Pais, the recently appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against children, at the Third Committee on 14 October 2009.

Date: 21 October 2009

A petition established to challenge a decision by the French government to close down the independent institution that is mandated to safeguard the Convention has attracted 39360 signatures. View them here The new bill would effectively close down the institution by merging a number of independent

Date: 20 October 2009

A row has broken out in England over the appointment of a new children's commissioner, with some questioning the nominee's independence and willingness to challenge the government on critical issues. Former head of children's services in Gateshead, Maggie Atkinson was nominated by UK government Chi

Date: 19 October 2009

Czech Human Rights Minister Michael Kocab has outlined his plan for an 'office of the public protector of children's rights' at a cabinet meeting this week. The office would investigate complaints for violations of children's rights, influence legislation to incorporate child rights principles, and

Date: 19 October 2009

More than 90 per cent of prisoners’ children get no special help when a parent is in jail, despite being at much greater risk of turning to crime themselves, according to research.Barnardo’s examined the provision of services in Britain’s 208 local authority areas. The charity foun

Date: 16 October 2009

“Confusion” and “diluted commitments” are the new agenda formers for Government, according to the Children’s Rights Alliance, in its comprehensive analysis of the Renewed Programme for Government. Published today (16 October), the Alliance’s analysis has fo

Date: 13 October 2009

Members of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) have criticised the Danish government’s proposals to lower the age of responsibility to 14, saying that the U.N. wants the age of responsibility around the world generally raised instead.Last week, Justice Minister Brian

Date: 13 October 2009

The European Union should press the newly elected Greek government to end the abusive detention and summary expulsions of migrants, including unaccompanied children, and to reform the country's broken asylum system, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.In a large-scale crackdown betwee

Date: 12 October 2009

[12 October 2009] - UK Members of Parliament Chris Mullin and Peter Bottomley are due to co-sponsor an Early Day Motion today calling on the Government to end the detention of asylum-seeking children.The Westminster motion from respected MPs on opposite sides of the House will be fol

Date: 9 October 2009

An annual report of the activities of the Commissioner for Children (Malta) in 2008.

Date: 30 September 2009

The Legislative Duma of the Khabarovsk Krai has reviewed two draft laws concerning child rights. One of them relates to children who were given up at birth, and the other one is on the imposition of an evening curfew on minors under 16 years old. Both draft laws were approved in their first reading.

Date: 28 September 2009

De nombreuses personnes parmi les centaines de migrants arrêtés par les autorités françaises suite à la destruction de leur camp de fortune à Calais risquent d’être expulsées vers la Grèce, a déclaré Human Rights Watch

Date: 24 September 2009

 To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 60th Anniversary of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe has developed some exciting new materials which shall enable children to discover their rights in an understandable and enjoyable way. The

Date: 24 September 2009

The two year Daphne research project Ways of Implementing the EU Directives on Violence against Women, Children and Youth: Good Practices and Recommendations has just been successfully accomplished. The main part of the project is the analysis of the legislations concerning violence against women, c

Date: 17 September 2009

MEPs have voted 349-218 to condemn the recently-passed Lithuanian Law on the Protection of Minors from the Detrimental Effects of Public Information. The law is due to come into effect in March next year.There were 46 abstentions when MEPs voted at the plenary session.“The Greens are satisfie

Date: 16 September 2009

The Broadcasting Standards Council of Macedonia will issue a written warning to TV station Sitel, because of a breach in programme principles and failure to keep its duty to protect the privacy and dignity of a 15 year-old girl, the victim of family violence, who spoke about being molested

Date: 16 September 2009

As the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of the UNCRC, the French government decides to close down the Children's Ombudsperson.

Date: 9 September 2009

Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, a grouping of 11 African nations, have taken an historic step forward with the establishment of a Regional Center which aims to strengthen good governance, democracy and human rights.The Regional Center for Democracy, Good Gove

Date: 2 September 2009

The needs and wellbeing of children are too often overlooked when implementing the Swiss asylum and foreigner law, according to a report presented in Bern on Tuesday.The monitoring body for the rights of asylum and alien law said that children's rights were being pushed aside by a "restrictive&

Date: 24 August 2009

An estimated 150 unaccompanied migrant children being held in a detention center on Lesvos Island were on a hunger strike for four days to protest their living conditions, Human Rights Watch said today. The protest, reported by local sources, follows recent police sweeps of migrant living quarters i

Date: 17 August 2009

A gap still exists between the rights proclaimed in human rights treaties and the reality in member states. Closing this implementation gap is crucial for all human rights work today. It requires a systematic approach, including effective collection of relevant data and comprehensive planning throug

Date: 14 August 2009

The European Committee of Social Rights, which monitors state compliance with the European Social Charter, has found that Croatia’s limited curriculum covering sex education discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. In a decision made public on 11 August 2009, the Committee stated tha

Date: 12 August 2009

UK MPs and peers are to scrutinise the Child Poverty Bill's controversial "get out clause" to ensure that it is compatible with human rights lawsThe Joint Committee for Human Rights has written to the government seeking an explanation of clause 15 of the Bill, which allows the government t

Date: 4 August 2009

The current economic crisis has made it particularly important to screen state budgets for their compliance with human rights. The allocation of resources will affect human rights protection - including gender equality, children’s rights and the situation of old or disabled persons, migrants a

Date: 4 August 2009

Judges in the UK have ruled in the case of a young girl repeatedly kicked and slapped by her parent, defining the point at which disciplining children becomes “physical abuse”.Law lords sitting at London’s Civil Appeal Court said there was a difference between “harm” an

Date: 15 July 2009

Lithuania's parliament has backed a bill that censors certain information, including on homosexuality, from reaching minors.MPs overturned a presidential veto of the child-protection law, which critics say could institutionalise homophobia.The legislation would ban the public dissemination of inform

Date: 13 July 2009

A "lost generation" of children vulnerable to crime and exploitation is growing up in Eastern Europe as their parents migrate abroad for work and leave them behind, migration watchdogs warn.Hundreds of thousands of children across the region are living with relatives, friends or in institu

Date: 9 July 2009

Many children fall victim to trafficking every year. There are extremely low numbers of convictions in child trafficking cases. Overall, the report finds that the EU must do more to address the issue. The FRA calls for better legislation to combat child trafficking. The protection and care for victi

Date: 8 July 2009

European Union countries are failing to protect vulnerable children from being trafficked for sexual and labour expoitation or organ extraction, and must step up efforts to fight the practice, an EU agency said Tuesday.Morten Kjaerum, director of the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, said an unknown n

Date: 8 July 2009

Italy’s centre-right coalition has adopted a tough law against illegal immigration, despite fierce criticism from the opposition, rights groups and the Vatican.The senate, Italy’s upper parliamentary chamber, endorsed a vote by the lower house in May bringing the package of measures into

Date: 3 July 2009

Children forced to work as prostitutes in the UK are being deterred from seeking help because of the threat of prosecution, according to a coalition of youth justice groups.Decriminalising the offence of soliciting for those aged under 18 would recognise that they are victims of abuse and aid detect

Date: 3 July 2009

The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, has vetoed a proposed new law, approved last week by the Seimas (Parliament), that has been condemned for institutionalising homophobia and potentially harming young LGBT people. The law, described by an MEP this week as “a spit into t

Date: 3 July 2009

The principal European child rights network will close after key funders failed to stump up the cash to keep it afloat.The European Children's Network (EURONET) has been working since the mid-1990s to promote children’s rights in European Union decision-making.But, according to outgoing Presid

Date: 3 July 2009

EspañolUpdate on the campaign – June 2009Latest news from GenevaOn 17 June 2009, the Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution establishing an Open-ended Working Group to «explore the possibility of elaborating an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of t

Date: 3 July 2009

Executive SummaryMany people across Europe are experiencing a great housing need which is exacerbated by the current economic crisis. Significant numbers of people cannot access housing in the market while others have nowhere to live or live in places unfit for human habitation. Among those facing m

Date: 19 June 2009

Date: 19 June 2009

The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) joins with other networks of human rights institutions for children to urge States at the current session of the Human Rights Council to initiate the process of drafting an Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to

Date: 15 June 2009

Ministers are making it a legal duty for the government, local authorities and other organisations to help to end child poverty across the UK.The government looks set to miss its own targets on cutting the numbers of children living in poverty.A new bill being published later will make it a duty to

Date: 10 June 2009

Report from the Council of Europe's launch of a platform on children's rights with a focus on ending violence against children. The meeting took place in Strasbourg from 2 to 3 June 2009.

Date: 8 June 2009

Ms Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, issued the following preliminary findings and recommendations at the end of her mission to Poland, which took place from 24th to 29th May 2009.“The Special Rapporteur wishes to

Date: 8 June 2009

Moscow's City Duma has backed the introduction of school classes aimed at teaching children how to avoid being manipulated by the news media."The aim of media education is to form a critical attitude to the mass media. We understand that we can't stop the flow of information ... but we can teac

Date: 5 June 2009

[VIENNA, Austria, 4 June] – As more and more teenagers seek refugee status on their own in Central Europe, they are finding that asylum systems which cope well with adults do not always adequately meet their needs.That's one of the chief findings to emerge from the first eight months of the la

Date: 4 June 2009

Amnesty International has condemned the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, for voting to proceed with a bill that institutionalises homophobia and violates the right to freedom of expression and the right to be free from discrimination.This week, the Seimas voted by an overwhelming majority to move

From Tuesday, June 02, 2009 to Wednesday, June 03, 2009

The Council of Europe is setting up a platform on children's rights, including a network of focal points and representatives of civil society, ombudspersons, international organisations and experts, and research institutions. Priority item on the agenda – endorse the future guidelines on integ

Date: 21 May 2009

Thousands of children suffered physical and sexual abuse over several decades in residential institutions run by religious congregations in Ireland, the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse has found.The report published yesterday describes how children lived in “a climate of fear” in

Date: 21 May 2009

Français / Arabic / Español Latest news from Geneva - May 2009Throughout the March session of the Human Rights Council, the Working Group of the NGO Group has been meeting with several key delegations to raise awareness about the campaign and assess States' positions. The aim is to cre

Date: 15 May 2009

The Rio Declaration and Call for Action which is the outcome document of the World Congress III against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. The Call for Action provides a comprehensive framework for the protection of children and adolescents from all forms of sexual exploitation. It also includes an Adolescent Declaration to End Sexual Exploitation.

Date: 14 May 2009

Maia Gedevanishvili, 48, of the Child’s Rights Centre in Georgia, is a trained psychologist and member of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children. The children here have experienced all the horrors that war can bring. They were there when their villages were burned, and they were th

Date: 12 May 2009

Summarised in English by CRIN

Date: 5 May 2009

Понятие Уполномоченный по правам человека (Омбу&#1076

Date: 5 May 2009

This handbook addresses the harmonisation of national legislation with international human rights instruments related to children, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The inspira

Date: 4 May 2009

This is an updated paper on advocacy for the campaign for a communications procedure to be established under the UNCRC. The paper contains questions and answers on the need for the mechanism as well as a list of unique rights that children have.

Date: 1 May 2009

[NEW YORK, 1 May 2009] - It has been a long time coming, and some lost heart altogether, but the UN has finally answered the calls of child rights advocates across the world and appointed a top-level official on violence against children.Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon today announced the appoint

Date: 1 May 2009

"Московская городская Дума приняла решение, противоречащее не только мировому опыту, но и политике

Date: 30 April 2009

The results of this major survey will be released throughout 2009 and 2010 in a series of “Data in Focus Reports” on different minority groups and key issues examined in the survey. The results will also be discussed at the FRA Fundamental Rights Conference in December 2009 in Stockholm,

Date: 30 April 2009

The Moscow Parliament (Moskovskya gorodskya duma) has agreed a new law that abolishes the office of the children’s rights ombudsman in Moscow as of October 2009.According to the head of the Moscow Parliament, Vladimir Platonov, children are well protected by legislation and a number of authori

Date: 28 April 2009

De nouveaux engagements à lutter contre l’antitsiganisme ont été pris à l’occasion de la Journée internationale des Roms. Au même moment, nous apprenions qu’un groupe d’enfants roms arrêtés à Kosice, dans l’es

Date: 24 April 2009

The Manifesto is targeted at candidates to the European Parliament and demands them to commit to representing the rights and interests of children in Europe. The key demands for future MEPs are: Help make the EU a leader in children’s rights by ‘child rights proofing’ all EU polici

Date: 23 April 2009

On Wednesday 22 April, a conference was held in London, UK, to discuss the representation of children in the media, ten years on from the Oslo Challenge. This was a collaboration between the Norwegian Government and UNICEF, and included the following challenge to media professionals at all levels a

Date: 17 April 2009

The FRA has published its new report "Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the EU Member States: Part II - The Social Situation". The report finds that discrimination, harassment and violence against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgen

Date: 16 April 2009

“Although efforts have been undertaken, serious concerns remain about the situation of Roma, migration policy and practice, and the non-respect of binding interim measures requested by the European Court of Human Rights” said today Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner fo

Date: 15 April 2009

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is deeply concerned about reports of torture and other forms of ill-treatment of individuals, including of minors, in police custody, in the aftermath of the protests that took place from 7 to 8 April 2009 in Chisinau.According to the informatio

Date: 2 April 2009

Moldova has prohibited corporal punishment of children in all settings, including the family home. They have amended their Family Code to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment by parents and others with parental authority.The new Article 53 of the code covers "the right of the child to be pro

Date: 30 March 2009

 A damning report by Britain's leading children's charities accuses the government of failing to protect children from discrimination by excluding them from the forthcoming equality bill.Young Equals, a coalition including the Children's Society, Save the Children and the Children's Rights Alli

Date: 26 March 2009

The Russian state Duma (parliament) has approved a bill introducing 'night curfews' for children, banning them from visiting public places during restricted hours without parents or guardians.The bill is an amendment to the law on the rights of a child, which bans minors from visiting gambling parlo

Date: 26 March 2009

The European Commission - the EU's executive arm - has set out plans for tightening EU law to protect children from sexual predators.The proposals - yet to be adopted by the 27 member states - would make online grooming and the viewing of child pornography criminal offences.Sex tourists from EU sta

Date: 26 March 2009

Germany's cabinet agreed on Wednesday on a law authorising the blocking of Internet pages containing child pornography to make it harder for criminals to profit from distributing the material.The legislation is modeled on action taken by countries such as Britain, Italy and the Scandinavian states.&

Date: 26 March 2009

The purpose of this guide is to help readers understand the ‘mechanisms’ working on child rights, such as different parts of the United Nations, or regional bodies like the African Union. This is the PDF version of the online mechanisms guide we have developed here - part of a broader l

Date: 25 March 2009

"There have been cases in which entire classes are made up of immigrant students, which is not ideal for true integration," said Mariastella Gelmini, of the Right-wing People of Freedom Party.Mrs Gelmini said at Italian parents were refusing to send their children top schools with high rat

Date: 24 March 2009

 The estimated 10 million Roma across Europe make up the continent’s largest minority and one of its most vulnerable groups. Without access to quality education, Roma communities remain trapped in poverty and isolated at society’s margins. Governments and civil society have recognis

Date: 23 March 2009

Serdar Kaya is 43 and has never been to court before; now he's suing the Turkish ministry of education.The father of an 11-year old girl, Mr Kaya is angry that she was forced to watch what he calls a "very bloody propaganda film" at school.Sari Gelin, or "Blonde Bride", was commi

Date: 18 March 2009

As part of CRIN's reporting activities at the Human Rights Council, we interviewed two young people who were attending the events as part of a group delegation organised by Y Care International. These are their stories.Daniella Abbate, 20, lives in YMCA housing, for young people, in the UK. She has

Date: 17 March 2009

Following a number of recent high profile incidents and ongoing complaints about bullying and violence to our advice lines, the Children’s Commissioner decided to undertake an inquiry into the safety of students at school. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises a c

Date: 13 March 2009

[TOLEDO, 12 March 2009] – Representatives of Council of Europe members states, including several Ministers of Justice, and experts are analysing in an international conference in Toledo how to improve the protection of children in European judicial systems, in particular with regard to viole

Date: 12 March 2009

20 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Achievements and Challenges for its full RealisationWednesday 11 March 2009, 10:00 – 13:00 and 15:00 – 18:00, during the 10th session of the Human Rights Council.Morning session - Promoting the implementation of the Convention at the

From Thursday, March 12, 2009 to Friday, March 13, 2009

In line with its adopted Strategy “Building a Europe for and with children”, the Council of Europe is continuing its action to promote children’s rights and to protect children from harm.

Date: 11 March 2009

Statement delivered by a member of the Working Group during the 10th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Date: 11 March 2009

Statement for the 10th session of the UN Human Rights Council during the one day debate on the rights of the child. Due to lack of time, the statement was submitted but not delivered orally.

From Monday, March 09, 2009 to Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The theme of the conference is violence against girls in the home and family setting. The UN Secretary-General’s study on Violence against Children by Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro will serve as a reference for discussion.

Date: 3 March 2009

[BRUSSELS] - A new coalition of police, Internet providers, financial groups and NGOs was launched Tuesday to tackle the growing flow of child abuse pictures distributed online, the EU commission announced.The European Financial Coalition (EFC) - led by Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protec

Date: 2 March 2009

 Edah Maina, Jia Yang, Mohammed Al-Tarawneh and Ron McCallum are among the 12 experts elected to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee, which meets for the first time from 23 to 27 February in Geneva, promotes and monitors the implementation of the Convention o

Date: 2 March 2009

The age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is to be raised from eight to 12, ministers have confirmed.It will bring Scotland into line with most of Europe, but the Scottish Government said the rise would not mean "letting off" younger offenders.

Date: 26 February 2009

Date: 26 February 2009

The tri-national EU Project “Respect Works Out!” has recently launched the internet portal www.respectworks.eu on the right of the child to a non-violent upbringing.The internet portal:provides information on the project and on the themes of positive parenting and equal protection in Eu

Date: 23 February 2009

Northern Ireland’s Children’s Commissioner yesterday lost her appeal against the law that allows parents to use smacking as chastisement.Judges ruled that Patricia Lewsley’s challenge must fail because she cannot be classed as a victim under the UK Human Rights Act.Her office was a

Date: 20 February 2009

The European Parliament adopted a report by Glenys Kinnock (PES; UK), welcoming the Commission's Communication on “A Special Place for Children in EU External Action” and the accompanying Council Conclusions as "important steps forward towards an EU strategy on the Rights of the Chi

Date: 18 February 2009

The ideal parliamentarian is also a human rights defender. Elected representatives of national parliamentary bodies should give priority to the promotion of freedoms and the protection of justice. More concrete discussion is needed about how this particular responsibility can be exercised to ensure

Date: 17 February 2009

Statement prepared by members of the NGO Group Working Group for the Complaints Mechanism under the UN CRC for the 10th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2009.

Date: 16 February 2009

UK ministers have ordered a review of child employment laws as a public outcry grows over the Channel 4 TV series, Boys and Girls Alone, which follows a group aged 8-11 who are left without adult supervision in isolated cottages in Cornwall.The review by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, the Children&rsq

Date: 11 February 2009

As of today, over 450 organisations from around the world have signed the petition to establish a communications (complaints) procedure under the UN CRC.  In order to establish a new Optional Protocol for the CRC, the Human Rights Council (HRC) must first issue a resolution to create an open-en

Date: 11 February 2009

AnglaisA ce jour, plus de 450 organisations dans le monde ont signé la pétition établissant un mécanisme de communication/plainte pour la Convention des droits de l’enfant (CDE).  De manière à établir un nouveau Protocole facultatif pour la

Date: 6 February 2009

Date: 5 February 2009

A new law which was designed to protect children in difficult custody cases has resulted in more children being dragged into the courtroom.At the beginning of the year, a child protection law went into effect which requires all children over the age of 12 to have their opinions heard in cases where

Date: 4 February 2009

The European Court of Human Rights has expanded the reach of privacy rights by ruling that a photographer breached someone's privacy just by taking a photograph, even though that photograph was never published.Privacy law expert Rosemary Jay of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM, said t

Date: 4 February 2009

There is a disturbing trend in Europe today to lock up more children at an earlier age. The age of criminal responsibility is already very low in some countries, such as the United Kingdom. Suggestions to lower the age limit to 12 years old have recently been made in France, while a similar law has

Date: 3 February 2009

Smacking children is a deterrent similar to electric fences being used to keep animals in a field, the Court of Appeal has heard.Lawyers for Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner Patricia Lewsley yesterday drew the comparison during a renewed attempt to ban the form of discipline.Even thoug

Date: 28 January 2009

The Swiss newspaper "Le Matin Dimanche" failed to respect properly the dignity of a victim of paedophilia in an article published in June 2008, according to a statement by the Swiss Press Council, published on its Internet website (see here in French).In the framework of the article "

Date: 20 January 2009

[19 January 2009] - The UK-based Howard League for Penal Reform has welcomed a judgment by the High Court that the chair of the SP public inquiry, Brian Payling, should step down. The SP inquiry is investigating the treatment of SP, a young girl whilst in prison service custody between 2003-2005. SP

Date: 20 January 2009

“The situation of Roma and immigration policy are still a matter of concern. But the commitments now made by the authorities to improve the situation are a positive step.” Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, concluded yesterday with these words a two-d

Date: 16 January 2009

[BUDAPEST, 7 January 2009]: The European Court of Human Rights has agreed to hear an appeal in an important case of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity involving Romani children forced into segregated classes in Croatia. The case was originally submitted in December 2004 by the European Roma Ri

Date: 9 January 2009

Leading children's rights charities last night urged the Irish Government to urgently pass legislation on the mandatory reporting of child abuse.Barnardos, the ISPCC and the Children's Rights Alliance all demanded that mandatory reporting of such abuse be put on a statutory footing.And the One-

Date: 7 January 2009

The economic downturn could be about to hit schools and children's services in the United Kingdom, a government committee has warned. "Serious economic problems" could undermine investment in education and related services, the Children, Schools and Families Committee report said. And Engl

Date: 18 December 2008

European Commission proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Date: 16 December 2008

The UK Government has this week ignored its human rights obligations to children in secure training centres (STCs) by endorsing the use of deliberately painful restraint techniques by prison staff on children as young as 12 (so-called 'pain compliant' techniques).The independent review of restr

Date: 15 December 2008

During a visit to a psychiatric clinic for troubled teenagers earlier this year, the French Justice Minister called for an overhaul of the juvenile justice system, calling it ill-suited to deal with ever younger and more violent criminals.Those under the age of 13 know they will not face detention,

Date: 10 December 2008

Date: 2 December 2008

Some schools are illegally discriminating against HIV-positive children and teachers, an investigation has revealed. Three teaching unions and the National Aids Trust are now calling on the government to write to every headteacher to underline their obligations and give specific guidance on this iss

Date: 2 December 2008

Eurochild press release

Date: 28 November 2008

From the Frontline: Shirin Aumeeruddy-CziffraShirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra is the Ombudsperson for Children for the Republic of Mauritius. She trained as a lawyer, has been a member of Parliament, Ambassador, worked with NGOs and is currently serving her second mandate as children's commissioner. She is

Date: 28 November 2008

[RIO DE JANEIRO, 28 November 2008] – The III World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents closed this afternoon with an unfinished outcome document, but a passionate statement from the children and adolescents present at the congress.Jaap Doek, Rapporteur for the Cong

Date: 27 November 2008

[RIO DE JANEIRO, 27 November 2008] - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during his speech at the opening ceremony for World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, in Riocentro, asked to stop hypocrisy. “Parents should be aware that giving sex education at home

Date: 26 November 2008

Statement prepared and delivered by young persons at the opening ceremony of the III World Congress on Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents taking place in Brazil from 25 to 28 November 2008.

Date: 25 November 2008

CRIN has carried out a comprehensive research of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to ascertain the extent to which children's rights are addressed in the UN mechanism. This page contains CRIN's main research report, individual country reports, upcoming sessions and deadlines, and more information on the UPR and how NGOs can engage.

From Tuesday, November 25, 2008 to Friday, November 28, 2008

Reporting from the Congress: 28 November 2008: Update from World Congress 327 November 2008: Update from World Congress 226 November 2008: Update from World Congress 1More news HERE.Note: CRIN will be reporting on this conference. Sign up for Violence CRINMAILs here: http://crin.org/email/subscribe.

Date: 21 November 2008

Español / FrançaisTwo years after the UN Study on Violence Against Children revealed widespread violence faced by millions of children worldwide, we are still waiting for the UN to act by appointing a Special Representative on Violence Against Children.In 2006, the Secretary-Gener

Date: 20 November 2008

Denmark's National Council for Children has recommended the legislation of a law banning circumcision of boys under the age of 15. "Circumcision is the irreversible damage to a child's body before he is given the chance to object," the National Council for Children argued.The proposal

Date: 17 November 2008

More than half the population believe UK children behave like animals, a survey has suggested. Half of the 2,021 adults interviewed by YouGov also felt children were increasingly a danger to others. Children's charity Barnardo's, which commissioned the study, said society "casually condemned&qu

Date: 5 November 2008

Date: 3 November 2008

[PARIS, 3 novembre 2008] - Le Conseil d'Etat a annulé vendredi les dispositions relatives aux mineurs d'un décret de 2006 fixant les conditions de placement à l'isolement des détenus, estimant qu'elles n'offraient pas de "garanties suffisantes" en terme de

Date: 31 October 2008

Estonia is taking clear steps to protect its children from prostitution, pornography and exploitation, but its young people remain at risk and continued vigilance from authorities is needed, an independent United Nations human rights expert warned after visiting the Baltic country.Najat M’jid

Date: 30 October 2008

School pupils, university students and teachers have staged demonstrations across Italy against a school reform law just passed by parliament. In Rome's Piazza Navona, a popular tourist spot, several people were lightly injured in a clash between left- and right-wing students. The reform package is

Date: 28 October 2008

A UK firm is marketing an electronic device, The Mosquito, which is claimed to work by emitting a high-frequency sound that older people should not be able to hear. The firm openly markets it as a way of driving away ‘annoying teenagers’. The UK's Children's Commissioner, and others incl

Date: 24 October 2008

Lessons about personal, social and health matters including sex and relationships will be compulsory in all England's schools from ages five to 16. But the government is setting up a review of how best to achieve this, saying there are "complicated issues". Schools Minister Jim Knight said

Date: 21 October 2008

[21 October 2008] - The last 12 months have seen rapid progress towards prohibiting corporal punishment in countries across the world. The Global Report 2008, published in October by the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children and Save the Children Sweden, documents this progres

Date: 21 October 2008

Press release - “United Kingdom must reshape its juvenile justice system,” says Commissioner Hammarberg [STRASBOURG, 17 October 2008] – “The system of juvenile justice in the United Kingdom should be reformed. It is too punitive and too little focused on rehabilitation”

Date: 20 October 2008

“The Children’s Rights Alliance is disappointed with the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan TD’s first budget, as the small print relating to its claims of targeted spending in education, health and social welfare becomes clearer. Amidst the international banking crisis, we acknowl

Date: 20 October 2008

Europe is at risk of experiencing severe social crisis as a result of the present world economic situation. This unquestionably affects the poor the most. On the 17th October, the International Day against poverty, Eurochild calls on EU leaders to ensure support for the most vulnerable groups of soc

Date: 17 October 2008

[BRUSSELS, 17 October 2008] – Spain’s accelerating effort to send back unaccompanied children who enter the country illegally might subject them to danger, ill-treatment and detention, Human Rights Watch said in a new report. The government needs to halt repatriations until it has a

Date: 16 October 2008

[BRUSSELS, 9 October 2008] - The European Union needs to develop a programme against child trafficking, the bloc's only directly elected institution has declared.Between two and four million people - most of them children - are estimated to fall victim to forced labour and other forms of t

Date: 15 October 2008

[13 October 2008] - Laws concerning children’s rights should be brought together in one comprehensive law, Labour family and equality spokesman Justyne Caruana said. In a statement issued this week, the Labour MP said that the right of children to express their own views in court needs to be s

Date: 7 October 2008

Human rights can only be realised if people are informed about their rights and know how to use them. Education about human rights is therefore central to the effective implementation of the agreed standards. While this was emphasised 60 years ago when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a

From Sunday, October 05, 2008 to Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Eurochild is holding its fifth annual conference under the title "Including Children: a child rights approach to child well-being". it is being co-organised with eurochild's member organisation Family, Child & Youth Asssociation in Hungary. The conference will gather high level representatives from member states and the European Commission, as well as government officials, NGOs and children, to discuss the EU social inclusion process and its impact on national and regional policies to combat child poverty and exclusion.

Date: 2 October 2008

Mentally ill children and young people are still being failed by the NHS, the Children's Commissioner for England warned.Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green said some authorities were making good progress towards achieving Government targets of ensuring no children or young people are inappropriately pla

Date: 22 September 2008

The UK government has indicated it will move reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.The UK has for the past 17 years retained an opt-out allowing child migrants and asylum seekers to be locked up without judicial scrutiny. The convention obliges nations to put the best i

Date: 19 September 2008

Region's governments urged to push through tough new measures on child prostitution, trafficking and online sexual exploitation(Geneva, Switzerland, 18 September 2008) -– Despite some progress in recent years in addressing the problem of sexual exploitation of children in Europe and Central A

Date: 19 September 2008

[LONDON, 18 September 2008] - The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) has just launched the latest edition of its Review 'Children's Right to the City'.In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half the world’s population will be living in towns or cities. New cities are rising acr

Date: 15 September 2008

[15 September 2008] - Children's charities and probation officers in the United Kingdom have voiced "grave concerns" over the launch of four pilot schemes which give parents the right to check whether anyone with direct access to their children is a sex offender.The trials will enable

Date: 11 September 2008

The European Commission has cleared controversial plans by Italy to fingerprint its Roma residents after the government agreed to make changes enabling them to comply with European Union rules. A spokesman for the EU's top justice official, Jacques Barrot, said good cooperation between the European

Date: 11 September 2008

The war destroys the life of the people involved in it, especially, that of old and disabled people and women.But nevertheless, the most painful blow comes on the country by mutilating the future generationsphysically and spiritually.The war that started on the territory of Georgia on 7 Au

Date: 10 September 2008

Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg and his delegation visited Vladikavkaz, Tskhinvali, Gori, Tbilisi and Moscow from 22 to 29 August 2008 in order to assess the human rights situation in the areas affected by the South Ossetia conflict. His mission was about human rights and humanitarian protection and

Date: 4 September 2008

Briefing on corporal punishment for World Congress against Sexual ExploitationThe third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children will take place in November in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Global Initiative’s briefing for the Congress is now available.Corporal punishment contribut

Date: 4 September 2008

Deadline for signatures: 13 October 2008.

Date: 4 September 2008

Children's Ombudsman calls for stronger legislationThe Children’s Ombudsman, Emily Logan, today called for the introduction of stronger legislation on children’s rights.Speaking at the annual conference of the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC), which is being held in Dubl

From Wednesday, September 03, 2008 to Friday, September 05, 2008

All details about the conference are available on the conference website below.

Date: 1 September 2008

Date: 1 September 2008

Date: 1 September 2008

A short overview of last year's activities of the commissioner for children's rights in Flanders

Date: 29 August 2008

Date: 28 August 2008

HandsOnScotland is an online resource for anybody working with children and young people. The website provides practical information and techniques on how to respond helpfully to children and young people's troubling behaviour, build up their self-esteem and promote their positive mental wellbeing.F

Date: 22 August 2008

[22 August 2008] - An immigration removal centre has wrongfully detained disabled children and transports families in metal cages, the prisons' inspectorate has found. HM Inspectorate of Prisons said children were detained for too long and left distressed and scared at the Yarl's Wood centre in Bedf

Date: 19 August 2008

The new institution, which will be up and running by January 2009, will meet a commitment the country made in April 2008, when its human rights record was examined under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council. At the time, Bahrain promised to abide by the Paris Principle

Date: 14 August 2008

[14 August 2008] - Child protection groups in Ireland have united to call on the Government to fulfil its pledge to hold a referendum on child protection and children's rights.This follows a report in The Irish Times in which the Minister for Children Barry Andrews signalled that legislation ra

Date: 12 August 2008

A Green Paper adopted by the Commission opens the debate on how education policies may better address the challenges posed by immigration and internal EU mobility flows. The presence of significant numbers of migrant children has substantial implications for European education systems. Key issues ar

Date: 12 August 2008

[WARSAW, 12 August 2008] - Poland's Education Minister plans to shut down Gypsy-only school classes following complaints they are discriminatory."There will absolutely be no more forming of separate classes for Roma children," Katarzyna Hall told radio Tok FM on Friday. "We must put a

Date: 12 August 2008

[HELSINKI, 12 August] - Finland is cracking down on Roma, or gypsies, who beg with their children, threatening to send mothers and children back to their country of origin or to take the children into foster care. The aim, authorities say, is to protect the children.But human rights groups say

Date: 11 August 2008

[11 August 2008] - The government should adopt a Bill of Rights for the UK which includes a commitment to the rights of children, a cross-party committee of MPs and peers has urged.The Joint Committee on Human Rights said the bill should go further than current human rights legislation. The bill sho

Date: 8 August 2008

[4 August 2008] - A restrictive refugee policy in European countries has affected the possibilities of reunifying separated families. Governments have tried to limit the arrival of close relatives to those refugees who already reside in the country. The result is unnecessary human suffering in

Date: 6 August 2008

The office of the Commissioner for Protection of the Rights of the Child in Cyprus has set up a special website to encourage more contact with the public.Rights of the Child Commissioner Leda Koursoumba said her office expected to have frequent contact with the public through the interactive we

Date: 5 August 2008

[5 August 2008] - Children in the UK are being denied adventurous play because their parents are nervous about exposing them to risk, a new survey suggests. The UK-wide poll, commissioned by Play England, found half of 7-12 year olds have been stopped from climbing trees. It also showed 21 per cent&

Date: 4 August 2008

STATEMENT ON THE E.U. ‘RETURN’ DIRECTIVE OF 18.6.2008Français - EspañolThe European Network of Ombudspersons for Children is deeply concerned about the recent agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council of E.U. on the ‘Return’ Directive (18.6.20

Date: 31 July 2008

Contents:News from Eurochild Staff changes in Eurochild’s SecretariatOutcomes from Eurochild General Assembly and Policy Forum 18-19 June Upcoming Events News from the European Institutions European Commission Renewed Social Agenda Migrant children and education: a challenge for EU education s

Date: 31 July 2008

 48TH SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD19 MAY - 6 JUNE 2008Contents  Opening and Adoption of the Agenda Examination of State party reports under the Convention Examination of State party reports under the OPSC Examination of State party reports under the OPAC Concluding O

Date: 28 July 2008

[28 July 2008] - The UK Court of Appeal has upheld the human rights of children in secure training centres by quashing restraint rules introduced by Ministers last summer. The rules were brought in following the damning inquest into the death of a child caused by restraint. Instead of increasing chi

Date: 25 July 2008

[25 July 2008] - Large numbers of Romani children are still being segregated within Slovakia’s public school system according to a new Amnesty International report.A tale of two schools: Segregating Roma into special education in Slovakia documents the violations of the human right to educatio

Date: 24 July 2008

This report was prepared by the Coalition in July 2008 following extensive field and desk research on the recent deterioration of the human rights situation of Roma in Italy. With this report, the Coalition highlights key concerns about the impact of discriminatory legal and policy developments targ

Date: 22 July 2008

[GENEVA] - Ten independent human rights experts of the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council have expressed, in a letter to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (France), their concerns regarding the proposal for a so-called 'EU Return Directive'. This Directiv

From Wednesday, July 09, 2008 to Wednesday, July 09, 2008

PROCÉDURE DE COMMUNICATIONS: Le Comité des Droits de l’Enfant approuve la campagne Une manifestation parallèle sur la campagne visant à établir une procédure de communication en vertu de la Convention des Nations Unies relative aux droits de l'enfant a eu lie

Date: 2 July 2008

In every nation in Europe it is illegal to hit people. Children are people too, yet in two thirds of Council of Europe member states, the criminal assault laws that protect adults from violence fall far short of protecting children. Everyday children are hit in the name of “educative” di

Date: 1 July 2008

A rise in court costs could be deterring local authorities from applying for protection for vulnerable children, the BBC has learned. Fees for care orders in England and Wales have risen 25-fold since April. An increase in local authority funding should cover the increase - but some council official

Date: 30 June 2008

Children under 14 should not be held criminally responsible and should never be locked up for their crimes, according to a scathing report from a British NGO.The Prison Reform Trust said it was unacceptable that more than 3,000 under 18s were in custody while nearly 100,000 young people entered the

Date: 27 June 2008

Lecture by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of EuropeWarsaw, 30 May, 2008

Date: 25 June 2008

In ArabicComments were invited on the draft version of this document some weeks ago, and the Stop Child Labour thank all those who contributed.On 27 of May 2008 the Council of the European Union published its conclusions on the rights of the child in the EU's external action. In point 4 the Council

Date: 19 June 2008

[ZAGRAB, 15 June 2008] – The Council of Europe launched a Europe-wide initiative against corporal punishment of children in Zagreb, Croatia on Sunday 15 June.The initiative, under the slogan "Raise your hand against smacking" aims at achieving full prohibition of corporal punish

Date: 19 June 2008

[ZAGREBM 15 juin 2008] – Le Conseil de L’Europe a lancé une initiative européenne contre les châtiments corporels à l’encontre des enfants.Cette initiative, dont le slogan est « Levez la main contre la fessée ! », a pour objec

Date: 19 June 2008

[BRUSSELS, 18 June 2008] - In what has been described as one of the European Union's "darkest days", the European parliament has voted to allow rejected asylum-seekers be detained for up to 18 months before being deported.The EU's "returns directive" - approved by members of

From Sunday, June 15, 2008 to Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Council of Europe is launching its Europe-wide initiative against corporal punishment of children. This event is organised by the programme 'Building a Europe for and with Children'.

Date: 14 May 2008

Call for Expressions of Interest: Presentation of successful children’s participation projects at the Seminar on “Meaningful and sustainable children’s participation” which will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, on 8 September 2008.

Date: 6 May 2008

[6 May 2008] - Advice on emotions and relationships should be made a compulsory part of sex education in schools, the UK's children's charity NSPCC says. It said nearly 50 children a day were calling its Childline helpline because they felt under pressure to have sex. They also lacked basic knowledg

Date: 1 May 2008

[1 May 2008] - The Council of Europe has strongly criticised Ireland's record on human rights and has called on the Government to take action on issues such as the treatment of asylum seekers and the detention of children in adult jails. The Human Rights Commissioner for the Council called on the Go

Date: 25 April 2008

[25 April 2008] - A new report released by the Council of Europe has acknowledged that suicide rates among young LGBT people are "significantly higher" than the general population.The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council (PACE) is now appealing to European Union (EU) member states to take

Date: 19 April 2008

A drive to cut the number of children behind bars in England and Wales – the highest in western Europe – has failed.The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has missed its target to reduce by 10 per cent the number of youngsters in custody between 2005 and 2008, it will announce later this month.Th

Date: 11 April 2008

[MOSCOW, 11 April 2008] - The Russian State Duma [parliament] has discussed the protection of the rights of orphans, and decided to allow the functioning of private orphanages. The MPs approved the new version of the law “On guardianship.” The first reading of the document

Date: 6 April 2008

الأمم المتحدة: اتفاقية حقوق الأشخاص المعوقين تدخ&#1604

Date: 4 April 2008

In Arabic[3 April 2008] – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the entry into force of the first international treaty on the human rights of persons with disabilities, after the required twentieth country ratified the landmark Convention today. "It is a historic moment in our que

Date: 3 April 2008

This report is the outcome from the seminar on the development of independent human rights institutions for children which took place in Stockholm on 18 February 2008 and was organised by Save the Children Sweden.Participants in the meeting included the Commissioner for

Date: 1 April 2008

Latest viewpoint from the Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe

Date: 31 March 2008

[31 March 2008] - The Swedish children's ombudsman, Lena Nyberg, has called for an state campaign to inform schoolchildren of their rights; one of the suggestions in a new government report.The report from the children's ombudsman (BO) entitled "Sweden rules! Children and youth talk about their

Date: 26 March 2008

In Arabic[GENEVA, 26 March 2008] - The Human Rights Council has adopted a list of candidates for UN Special Procedures positions today without a vote. The list, which was proposed by the President of the Council, includes the name of the new Special Rapporteur on Sale of Children, Child Prostit

Date: 25 March 2008

This report examines the law, policy and practice on the age of leaving care for young people in Scotland. The Commissioner was shocked to learn that young people were still expected to leave care at 16 or 17 when they are not ready to face the challenges this presents. Scottish law and policy strongly advises that young people should be encouraged and supported to stay in care until 18 years of age when their welfare requires it. This report explores the reasons why young people are still being pushed out of the care system before they are ready.

Date: 18 March 2008

Jamaica’s Children’s Advocate Mary Clarke was a teacher and then manager of the country’s Social, Gender and Development Institute before taking on her new role in 2006. The role is independent from the Government, and Ms Clarke reports directly to parliament. Her office investigat

Date: 17 March 2008

ملف وثائق حملة آلية شكاوي اتفاقية حقوق الطفل من أ&#158

Date: 7 March 2008

NGO Side Event: Communications Procedure for the CRC[GENEVA, 6 March 2008] – Over sixty participants, including 19 government representatives attended a briefing meeting at the Human Rights Council Session yesterday on the need for a communications procedure for the UN Convention on the Rights

Date: 5 March 2008

[5 March 2008] - Child welfare advocates have come to the defence of a law giving police the right to recommend the censorship of websites. Finland's Ombudsman for Children Maria Kaisa Aula and the director for Finland's branch of Save the Children, Hanna Markkula-Kivisilta, say the law does not go

Date: 5 March 2008

[5 March 2008] - A major study of four European countries has prompted alarm over the increasingly repressive policies towards children in conflict with the law, the rising numbers of children in detention, and the prevalence of violence in youth custodial institutions. The report emphasises that th

Date: 4 March 2008

[4 March 2008] - Ministers are under pressure to include offenders aged 16 and 17 years old in the children's hearings system.The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will be in Scotland later in the year holding meetings and assessments to check on progress made since its report in 2002.Then, it

Date: 29 February 2008

  Societies should invest in children and young people rather than drive them away. . .The Mosquito is an instrument that repels children and young people by means of high pitch sound signals. The frequency is that high, that it can only be heard by children and young people. In England childr

Date: 27 February 2008

This report examines policy and practice in the moving and handling of children with physical disabilities. The Commissioner has heard from a number of children and young people with disabilities and their parents about moving and handling practice. The children and young people describe feeling emb

Date: 26 February 2008

[26 February 2008] - Most adults in the UK believe that children's well-being is being damaged because childhood has become too commercial, a lifestyle poll has found. Some 89 per cent of adults in the GfK NOP survey of 1,255 people believed today's children were more materialistic than previou

Date: 21 February 2008

Arabic - EspañolA group of organisations recently launched a campaign to establish a Communications/complaints mechanism to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Such a procedure would provide a mechanism that would ensure the availability of legal remedies for children at the inte

Date: 14 February 2008

[14 February 2008] - The human rights of at least 13,500 children are being ignored when parents are imprisoned in Scotland, warned the country's commissioner for children and young people, Kathleen Marshall, last week. She said the children were “invisible victims of crime”, who are sil

Date: 12 February 2008

[12 February 2008] - Smacking children, however lightly, should be outlawed because it increases the chances of aggression and anti-social and criminal behaviour in later life, a new report concludes.An outright ban would 'reduce criminality in the long run but also send out a message about the kind

Date: 11 February 2008

A voice for children “CHILDREN have a voice” was the message from newly-appointed Child Commissioner Leda Koursoumba yesterday.Koursoumba, who is also Law Commissioner and president of human rights institution ETHNOPAD, officially received her new duties from President Tassos Papadopoulo

Date: 6 February 2008

Reporte Internacional Humanitariosobre la Infancia afectada por la Guerra y la PobrezaMas de 250.000 niños y niñas en los Conflictos ArmadosDesde Colombia hasta Somalia…

Date: 31 January 2008

An information pack, composed of a handbook, a questions and answers booklet and a leaflet, all on the need to abolish corporal punishment of children, has just been issued by the Council of Europe. This pack will be one of the pillars of the awareness-raising initiative that the Council is launchin

Date: 23 January 2008

[23 January 2008] - The Netherlands is failing to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to the first annual report on children's rights in the Netherlands from UNICEF and the Defence for Children organisation. The criticism mainly targets the country's treatment of childre

Date: 22 January 2008

[22 January 2008] - Outdated language used to justify corporal punishment of children is set to be removed from new translations of the Christian Bible in Norway.Church leaders have given the green light to the proposal, put forward by the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children, to replace the word &ldquo

Date: 21 January 2008

An increasing number of European countries are showing determination to ban domestic violence against children. In his latest viewpoint, the Commissioner comments this important step towards the promotion of non-violent methods in child-rearing and equal protection of children and adults against corporal punishment.

Date: 18 January 2008

In March 2008 the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council is expected to appoint up to 16 human rights experts to serve as Special Procedure mandate-holders. The Special Procedures in question deal with issues such as the right to adequate housing, the right to food, human rights defend

Date: 17 January 2008

[17 January 2007] - A fifth of the children in the EU live in poverty, a new report has concluded. Yet despite such widespread hardship in one of the most economically advanced parts of the world, the rights of children go largely unrecognised. Although the Union’s treaties, which guide a

Date: 16 January 2008

[16 January 2007] - Pressure is mounting on the Irish Government to fast-track child sex abuse laws after the collapse of a rape case.The legal "shambles" arose after the man, known as Mr C, took a successful Supreme Court challenge in 2006 which led to the crime of unlawful carnal kn

Date: 7 January 2008

An estimated 100,000 vulnerable children are condemned to a childhood of poverty, uncertainty and fear after being caught up in a UK asylum backlog that may not be cleared until 2011. These vulnerable children frequently live in intolerably poor accommodation from which they are moved over and over

Date: 4 January 2008

[4 January 2007] - Parents who smack their children could face assault charges if the force they use is deemed "excessive" as part of far-reaching plans recommended to the Government. But Child Rapporteur Geoffrey Shannon has stopped short of calling for an all-out ban on the use of p

Date: 3 January 2008

This is a policy paper which sets out the reasons why special mechanisms for a child going through the parole process should be introduced. The report, published by the Howard League for Penal Reform, argues that the lack of a child centred approach within the parole process is an anomaly in th

Date: 21 December 2007

[NEW YORK, 19 December 2007] - The global campaign against the death penalty secured a landmark victory on Tuesday when the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the call for a worldwide moratorium (suspension) on executions. In a landslide result, 104 UN member states voted in favour of the grou

Date: 14 December 2007

[14 December 2007] - The European Children’s Network (EURONET), representing children’s rights NGOs from across Europe, welcomes the signing of the Reform “Lisbon” Treaty on 13 December by European leaders in Lisbon.“The new Treaty is a significant step forward for the

Date: 14 December 2007

[STRASBOURG, 12 December 2007] – The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg today presented his report on the human rights situation in Austria. Mr Hammarberg underlined the positive steps undertaken by the Austrian authorities to improve the protection and

Date: 12 December 2007

Statement delivered at the UN General Assembly follow up meeting to the 2002 Special Session on Children on behalf of children's ombudsmen, commissioners and advocates representing national independent human rights institutions for children from around the world.

Date: 11 December 2007

[NEW YORK, 10 December 2007] – The second global meeting of children’s ombudsmen took place at the UN General Assembly this week prior to the ‘World Fit for Children’ event. The first global meeting of ombudsmen took place five years ago during the Special Session on Children

Date: 11 December 2007

[11 December 2007] - There was mixed reaction at the end of the first day of the follow-up meeting to the Special Session on Children, taking place at the United Nations headquarters in New York, United States, this week.Children, NGO representatives and State delegates came toge

Date: 11 December 2007

Informal dialogue with government delegations, members of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and children and young people during the special session follow up meeting at the UN General Assembly.

Date: 30 November 2007

This is an analysis of alternative reports that have included children.

Date: 29 November 2007

[LIMA, 22 November 2007] - The first Ibero-American network of ombudspersons for children was created at a meeting this week in Lima, Peru. Eleven ombudspersons from Central and South American countries attended the meeting, as well as one representative from Spain.The meeting, which

Date: 27 November 2007

Rights Groups Welcome Establishment of New Representative to Secretary-General.

Date: 22 November 2007

The viewpoint below by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, was published on the 18th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Date: 21 November 2007

When governments fail to recognise and respect children’s rights, they must be held to account. However, few child rights violations are brought before the international and regional human rights mechanisms which can be used to hold States to their legal obligations. At CRIN, we receive many e

Date: 21 November 2007

Statement prepared by ENOC during its Annual Meeting 2007 in Barcelona in light of the adoption of the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Date: 20 November 2007

[LONDON, 19 November 2007] - The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) has launched its latest review A Generation On: Enforcing children’s rights. Published to coincide with the 18th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, this edition reflects on the international chil

Date: 13 November 2007

[12 November 2007] - The bullying of children with disabilities is not being taken seriously enough, says UK mental health charity, Mencap. Children with learning or physical disabilities faced repeated taunts and violence in school, parks and on transport, says the report. UK Children's Commissione

Date: 9 November 2007

[9 November 2007] - UK campaigners have called for greater protection for refugee and asylum seeking children. The UK Government has signed up to the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child but opts out when it comes to immigration. The Scottish Refugee Council wants Westminster to chang

Date: 8 November 2007

As a membership organisation, we very much value and rely on the feedback we receive from our members. Your opinion is key to developing our services and long term priorities. We would therefore really appreciate your time in filling out this questionnaire. It should not take you more than five to t

Date: 31 October 2007

The Human Rights Council has established new procedures to identify mandate holders and NGOs are invited to submit candidates that meet the criteria and requirements to be part of the roster that is going to be managed by OHCHR.

Date: 29 October 2007

[29 October 2007] - Youngsters are missing out on their childhood because we over-protect them, a United Kingdom child play expert claims. A reluctance to let children take risks could stop them developing vital skills needed to protect themselves, he adds. Tim Gill's new book says that instead of c

Date: 25 October 2007

The numbers are staggering Every day around the world, millions of children experience violence. Consider the following. In one year, 53,000 children die of homicide, 150 million girls and 73 million boys are sexually assaulted, 126 million children are employed in hazardous work, almost 2 million m

Date: 24 October 2007

[STRASBOURG, 24 October 2007] - The Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings (CETS n° 197) will enter into force on 1 February 2008, after Cyprus became the tenth country to ratify it. Terry Davis, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, made the following st

Date: 23 October 2007

[23 October 2007] - Children as young as ten are being given the power to mete out justice to teenage offenders. They will deal with youngsters guilty of spraying graffiti, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and under-age drinking. They will have the power to make the offenders clean up thei

Date: 22 October 2007

[22 October 2007] - The government is to consider allowing staff at young offenders institutions in England and Wales to use batons to control children as young as 15. Staff are currently allowed to use them only against those aged 18 and over, but that policy is to be reviewed. The Prison Officers

Date: 19 October 2007

Statement delivered at the UN General Assembly 62nd session on behalf of NGOs that signed the petition calling the UN to establish a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children.

Date: 16 October 2007

[16 October 2007] - Adults are often too scared to work with young people for fear of being branded a paedophile, according to a new report. A survey by Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People revealed that the fear of being accused of harming young people was the main deterrent. Kathl

Date: 10 October 2007

[10 October 2007] - New research published by the charity Victim Support today reveals a complex cycle of violent crime among young people in the UK that challenges pre-conceived ideas that young people are simply either victims or offenders. The report Hoodie or goodie? shows that certain atti

From Wednesday, October 10, 2007 to Thursday, October 11, 2007

The International Juvenile Justice Observatory is coorganising the International Conference on 'The migration of unaccompanied minors in Europe: the contexts of origin, the migration routes and the reception systems.', which will take place at Poitiers (France) on the 10th and 11th of October 2007.T

Date: 8 October 2007

[8 October 2007] - The mother of a severely disabled teenager has asked doctors to give her daughter a hysterectomy to stop her from starting menstruation. Alison Thorpe, 45, from Essex, says 15-year-old Katie, who has cerebral palsy, would be confused by periods and they would cause her indignity.

Date: 5 October 2007

Click here for link to story[STRASBOURG, 4 October 2007] – Parliamentarians from the 47-nation Council of Europe have urged its member governments to “firmly oppose” the teaching of creationism – which denies the evolution of species through natural selection – as a sci

Date: 5 October 2007

This is an eight page summary of the UN Secretary-General Study on Violence Against Children. The document gives the background and process of the Study, lists some of the key findings and the overarching recommendations.

Date: 4 October 2007

[4 October 2007] - A crackdown on human trafficking has been launched by police forces across Britain and the Irish Republic. It aims to rescue women and children forced to work in the sex industry and prosecute gangs who are profiting. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she could not guarantee smuggl

Date: 27 September 2007

[27 September 2007] - It was a big day for Jordan Mulikat, who was all polished shoes, neatly knotted tie, shiny red lunchbox and a wide toothy grin as he arrived for his first day at Ireland’s most controversial new school. The four-year-old was one of around 80 black children arriving at Bra

Date: 24 September 2007

[24 September 2007] - Schools in the United Kingdom are being given guidance urging them to take firm action against pupils who use mobile phones and the internet to bully other children and teachers. More than a third of 12 to 15-year-olds have faced some kind of cyberbullying, according to a gover

Date: 24 September 2007

Schools leave out 14 million children in Ex-Soviet Union and Eastern Europe each year

Date: 20 September 2007

ENOC Statement on Implementation of the UN Study on Violence Against Children recommendations August 2007 We, members of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), call upon our governments to vote on a strong resolution on the rights of the child at the United Nations General Assemb

Date: 18 September 2007

This report is submitted to the 62nd session of the General Assembly pursuant to Resolution 61/146. It provides information on the dissemination of the United Nations Study on Violence against Children and on progress made in the initial phase of follow-up to the Study. It also sets out the necessary strategy to further promote the implementation of the Study's recommendations.

From Monday, September 17, 2007 to Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The Council of Europe programme “Building a Europe for and with children” counts amongst its objectives the improvement of children’s access to justice.The objective of the conference “International Justice for Children” will be to examine the functioning of internation

Date: 17 September 2007

[17 September 2007] - A leading United Kingdom children's charity has warned ministers that they must reverse the law that allows parents to smack their children, amid evidence that it is fuelling 'invisible abuse'.The Children's Act 2004 was meant to protect children, and prevented anyone claiming

Date: 10 September 2007

[10 séptembre 2007] - A peine la décision d’accession à la pension du Délégué général aux droits de l’enfant officialisée, les partis font état de leur volonté de confisquer une nouvelle fois cette fonction (voi

Date: 10 September 2007

[10 September 2007] - Within the framework of a three-year partnership, SOS Children’s Villages, International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) and Fédération Internationale des Communautés Educatives (FICE) developed a set of quality standards for out-of-home child care in

Date: 7 September 2007

[LONDON, 7 September 2007] - Children from disadvantaged backgrounds need to do more than just attend a good school to boost their educational achievement, a report has claimed. The report for charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlighted how a quarter of poor children in England gain five good GCS

Date: 6 September 2007

[LONDON, 6 September 2007] - Parents are to be warned of the dangers of giving their young children drinks, sweets and cakes containing specified artificial additives, as a result of new findings being made public for the first time today which confirm their link with hyperactivity and disruptive be

Date: 6 September 2007

[DUBLIN, 6 September 2007] - Almost all the children who could not find elementary school places in a Dublin suburb this year were black, the government said this week, highlighting Ireland's problems integrating its increasingly diverse population.The children will attend a new, all-

Date: 5 September 2007

[5 September 2007] - Norwegian authorities are worried that more Chinese children are being smuggled into the country. Seven arrived alone at three different airports last week. It's given rise to suspicions that organised gangs are smuggling the children into country, on the hopes they'll be g

Date: 5 September 2007

[THE HAGUE, 5 September 2007] - One child in five will be obese in the Netherlands by 2015, according to a study carried out by the Nicis research institute in the country's major cities, the Dutch news agency ANP reported.Fewer than 10 per cent of children in primary school manage to aver

Date: 5 September 2007

Date: 5 September 2007

Date: 3 September 2007

[PRAGUE, 3 September 2007] - When Austrian authorities announced in February that they had uncovered an online child pornography ring, paedophiles around the world suddenly became potential targets of criminal investigations - but not the ring's 63 customers in the Czech Republic, where do

Date: 31 August 2007

[31 August 2007] - One in four children has put themselves in potential danger by secretly meeting strangers they have contacted online, a Government report shows. Of those, 69 per cent took a child friend along, risking their safety as well, and 25 per cent went alone. Only six per cent took an adu

Date: 31 August 2007

The Annual Report 2006 of the Norwegian Ombudsman is to presented at the ENOC annual meeting in Barcelona in September 2007.

Date: 22 August 2007

[GENEVA, 22 August 2007] - The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched the Handbook on HIV and Human Rights for National Human Rights Institutions today, at the eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the

Date: 15 August 2007

[15 August 2007] - The number of children being treated for drug or alcohol abuse in Northern Ireland has more than trebled in the past two years. Figures from the Department of Health show that in March 2005, 271 under-18s were receiving treatment for substance abuse. In March this year, some 847 y

Date: 14 August 2007

[14 August 2007] - The recruitment of two sixteen-year-olds as police support officers has caused an uproar in the United Kingdom.The body representing rank-and-file police officers has described the hiring of the two boys as a "nonsense" that could endanger lives.Alan Gordon, the vice cha

Date: 7 August 2007

[7 August 2007] - Up to 80 per cent of children in west Belfast's most deprived areas are living in poverty, an academic has claimed. Eilish Rooney from the University of Ulster said poor Catholics and Protestants were missing out on Northern Ireland's peace payoff. She told the West Belfa

Date: 7 August 2007

A weak formula for legislation - how loopholes in the law are putting babies at risk [report]UN urges breastfeeding right after birth to reduce infant deaths [news]Information and resourcesA weak formula for legislation - how loopholes in the law are putting babies at risk[7 August 2007] - A coaliti

Date: 6 August 2007

[6 August 2007] -  Migrant children are one of the most vulnerable groups in Europe today. Some of them have fled persecution or war, others have run away from poverty and destitution. There are also those who are victims of trafficking. At particular risk are those who are separated from

Date: 6 August 2007

[6 August 2007] - A child prostitution ring which is sexually exploiting immigrant Roma children as young as nine is operating in Glasgow, Scotland. Police have been running undercover surveillance operations in empty homes and unmarked cars in the Govanhill area in the southside of Glasgow for

Date: 3 August 2007

[3 August 2007] - Sex abstinence programmes do not stop risky sexual behaviour or help in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, a research team has concluded. The United Kingdom's Oxford University team reviewed 13 US trials involving over 15,000 people aged 10 to 21. They found abstinence programme

Date: 1 August 2007

[LONDON, 1 August 2007] - Children born from donated sperm or eggs will have the information marked on their birth certificates under sweeping changes to fertility laws proposed by an influential group of ministers and peers in the United Kingdom.The move, designed to bolster childrens' right to kno

Date: 31 July 2007

[31 July 2007] - Some of the world's leading food manufacturers have begun marketing to children on social networking websites and internet chat programs.Brands such as McDonald's, Starburst, Haribo and Skittles are using the internet to target children now that new rules from the UK media regu

Date: 30 July 2007

[30 July 2007] - UK teachers are demanding that YouTube, the hugely popular video sharing website, be closed down for refusing to remove violent, threatening and sexual content involving children and staff.Members of the Professional Association of Teachers have accused the company of encouraging cy

Date: 19 July 2007

[19 July 2007] - The coroner who presided over the inquest into the death of a 15-year-old who died after being restrained in a child jail has warned the justice secretary, Jack Straw, that it would be "wholly unforgivable" if the lessons were delayed by a general review of the use of rest

Date: 11 July 2007

[09/07/07] - Poverty among children and young people was one of Gordon Brown’s priorities when he formed his new government. This is to be welcomed. It is important to give new strength to the fight against child poverty, not only in the United Kingdom, but all over Europe. Clearly, the f

Date: 19 June 2007

In 2002, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published standards for independent human rights institutions for children. Download the young people's version of these standards here.

Date: 19 June 2007

In 1993, the UN published rules for national independent human rights institutions, called the Paris Principles. Download the young people's version here.

Date: 19 June 2007

Statement delivered by the Chairman of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children at the launch of the European Forum on the Rights of the Child that took place in Berlin on 4 June 2007.

Date: 19 June 2007

European Forum on the Rights of the Child in BerlinTwo hundred children’s rights experts participated in the first meeting of the European Forum on the Rights of the Child in Berlin this June. The forum was organised by the German Ministry of Justice and the DG Justice Vice President

Date: 13 June 2007

Statement from the Ombudsmen for children in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Denmark. The Nordic Ombudsmen for children hereby call on the governments in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Denmark to actively work for the UN General assembly to appoint a Special Representative to the Secretar

Date: 10 June 2007

Date: 1 June 2007

Date: 31 May 2007

Schools should not be allowed to promote marriage over homosexual partnerships, academics have said. The University and College Union said any negative characterisations of homosexuality by teachers should be regarded as discrimination.The UCU said new regulations to outlaw discrimination against in

Date: 29 May 2007

A senior Polish official has ordered psychologists to investigate whether the popular BBC TV show Teletubbies promotes a homosexual lifestyle.The spokesperson for children's rights in Poland, Ewa Sowinska, singled out Tinky Winky, the purple character with a triangular aerial on his head. "I no

Date: 23 May 2007

The government will fail to halve child poverty in Britain by 2010 unless it spends another £3.8bn, a children's charity has warned. Barnardo's said ministers were a long way from honouring the pledge Tony Blair made eight years ago. The charity's research shows one million children who should

Date: 22 May 2007

[22 May 2007] - An Italian politician has sparked a furore by urging state broadcaster Rai to block the transmission of a controversial BBC documentary. The programme, aired in the UK in October, investigates the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church. Italian journalist Michele Santoro has

Date: 21 May 2007

[BELGRADE, 16 May 2007] – UNICEF’s study Breaking the Cycle of Exclusion: Roma Children in South East Europe, focuses on the 1.7 million Roma children living in South East Europe. Roma children suffer from poverty, discrimination and a lack of prospects for their future in eight states o

Date: 18 May 2007

Français - Español - Arabic - Russian------------------------------------------AN INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR ACTION TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN: Establish a Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General on Violence against ChildrenViolence is a daily reality for millions of

Date: 11 May 2007

A new NGO council is being formed specifically to support strong and effective follow-up to the UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children. Its primary purpose is to encourage and maintain NGO involvement at national, regional and international levels in follow-up advocacy with

Date: 25 April 2007

[NEW YORK, 24 April 2007] - A United Nations expert today urged governments from across the world to boost national and international efforts to combat violence against children, including sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse.“Much violence against children, whether inside homes,

From Tuesday, April 17, 2007 to Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Full-day hearing on children's rights. The results of the hearing will feed into the European Parliament report on the Commission's Communication: Towards an EU Strategy on Children's Rights

Date: 2 April 2007

"Call for commitment to ensure experiences of children with disabilities inform Human Rights Council review of governments' human rights records"Statement on behalf of the International Save the Children Alliance at the Special Session on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which was held on 26th March 2007 during the 4th Session of the Human Rights Council.

Date: 2 April 2007

[NEW YORK, Mar 30 2007] -  Eighty-one Member States and the European Community signed a landmark new treaty at the United Nations that aims to improve the lives of the world’s estimated 650 million people with disabilities, a record for the first day of signature of any convention.Ja

Date: 27 March 2007

Disability: Special event on the adoption of the new Convention[GENEVA, 26 March 2007] - Sheikha Hessa Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, Special Rapporteur on Disability, today warned countries that merely signing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was not enough to safeguard the we

From Monday, March 26, 2007 to Monday, March 26, 2007

NEWS: Read about the event here (in English) (in French) Special Event at the 4th Session of the Human Rights Council on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesDate: Monday, March 26, 3:00 to 4:00 pmParticipants: Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, President of the Human Rig

Date: 26 March 2007

CRIN is providing daily updates from the Human Rights Council Session.

Date: 13 March 2007

Written Statement prepared by World Vision for the 4th session of the Human Rights Council (12 March - 5 April 2007). The statement is submitted in light of the recently adopted UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities which will open for signatures on 30 March 2007.

Date: 13 March 2007

A global petition in support of the system of Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council was opened on 6 March 2007 on a dedicated site.

Date: 7 March 2007

On 6 March 2007, a new law prohibiting all corporal punishment by parents and carers was passed in the Senate. The law amends the provisions in the Civil Code on parental authority so that article 1:247 now states (unofficial translation): “(1) Parental authority includes the duty and the righ

Date: 6 March 2007

[4 March 2007] - Proposals to fingerprint children aged 11 to 15 as part of new passport and ID card plans are being considered. Immigration minister Liam Byrne told ITV1's The Sunday Edition the proposals were being "looked at". Under existing plans every passport applicant over 16 will h

Date: 1 March 2007

Written Statement submitted to the Human Rights Council for its fourth session by Members of the NGO Group Subgroup on the Human Rights Council

Date: 20 February 2007

[19 February 2007] - There has been much talk about trafficking of human beings - but not enough action. UNICEF and Terre des Hommes recently reported about the failure to protect children from traffickers in South Eastern Europe. They requested stronger action to address the root causes and the pat

Date: 20 February 2007

[15 February 2007] - The EU will set up a single hotline for parents to report missing children. Calls to the new phone number - 116000 - will be free of charge and it is expected to be launched by summer. Several of the EU's 27 member states already have their own missing children hotlines, but thi

Date: 16 February 2007

New Commissioner for Children within a month by Juan AmeenCommissioner for Children Sonia Camilleri said yesterday that a new commissioner would be appointed and be in office within a month. Mrs Camilleri’s three-year term ended on 15 December, and she had already informed the Office of the Pr

Date: 14 February 2007

Date: 14 February 2007

[BERLIN/FLORENCE, 14 February 2007] – The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre today releases the Report Card 7 which focuses on the well-being of children and young people in the world’s advanced economies and provides the first comprehensive assessment.The six dimensions taken to measure t

Date: 13 February 2007

Presentation by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights for the Council of Europe, at the Children's Law Centre Annual Lecture.

Date: 29 January 2007

Date: 24 January 2007

In an address to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly today, Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg said the work in the field of child protection has to focus on implementation. “The first necessary step is to legally ban any kind of violence against children, whether it takes place in schools, in institutions or at home,” he said.

From Tuesday, January 23, 2007 to Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The Council of Europe launches European action on the UN Study on Violence against Children.

Date: 21 January 2007

Date: 16 January 2007

[15 January 2007] In a preliminary consultation with ombudsmen, Commissioner Hammarberg proposed enhanced cooperation as part of an effort to support the long-term effectiveness of the European Convention of Human Rights control mechanism. The meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue with national hu

Date: 8 January 2007

In a Viewpoint on juvenile crime, Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg argues that young offenders should be treated in the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and authorities should be seeking family-based or other social alternatives to imprisonment.

Date: 28 December 2006

The Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit is a standardized and cross-referenced set of tools designed to enable United Nations agencies, government officials engaged in criminal justice reform, as well as other organisations and individuals to conduct comprehensive assessments of criminal justice sys

Date: 27 December 2006

The result of research carried out by Anti-Slavery International between 2005 and 2006 with the aim of finding out more about trafficking for forced labour in the United Kingdom. This was a qualitative rather than quantative project, which aimed to provide information about how migrants become traff

Date: 27 December 2006

[STRASBOURG, 22 December 2006] - In a report made public today, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteur on child victims, Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), explains that maltreatment, physical violence or neglect is the cause of death of three children per week in France and

Date: 22 December 2006

Date: 15 December 2006

This research has been carried out amongst children adn young people, heads of school, parish priests, some NGO representatives, sport associations and cultural centres. The aim was of establishing what recreational and cultural activities children and young people engage in during school hours as well as i n their free time, during the week and on the weekends.

Date: 12 December 2006

ENOC Statement on State Obligations for the Treatment of Unaccompanied Children, approved in the Annual Meeting in Athens on 26-28 September 2006.

Date: 12 December 2006

The European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC) has released its latest statement on governments' obligations for the treatment of unaccompanied and separated children coming into European countries. ENOC drafted this statement at its last annual meeting in Athens, in September 2006 as Europe

Date: 28 November 2006

The third Policy Brief illustrates the main findings of a professions analysis carried out by Renate Kränzl-Nagl from the European Centre and Christa Pelikan from the Institute for the Sociology of Law and Criminology. This analysis was part of the "Evaluation Study on the Effects of the Implementation of the Children's Rights Amendment Act 2001, with Particular Reference to Joint Custody after Divorce" (commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice).

Date: 23 November 2006

The United Nations General Assembly votes on a Resolution on the Rights of the Child which includes recommendations on the outcome of the Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children that was presented to the GA in October 2006.

Date: 21 November 2006

The Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children was launched in Geneva on the occasion of the Universal Children's Day.

Date: 20 November 2006

This Statement was delivered by Hanne Walsegard from Denmark and Milos Vojnovic from Serbia, the young participants in the UN Study process, at the UN in Geneva on 20 November 2006.

Date: 20 November 2006

On the occasion of the Universal Day of Children's Rights, the Commissioner appealed to governments and local authorities to take into account the particular vulnerability of children within the migration process.

Date: 16 November 2006

“I came to Slovenia in order to better understand what happened in Ambrus in the end of October and what can be done to avoid repetition of such unfortunate developments. Irrespective of the background and history to the tensions, it is unacceptable that a group of people have to leave their h

Date: 16 November 2006

[FLORENCE, 15 November 2006] – European governments who signed up to the ‘World Fit for Children’ agenda more than four years ago are being reminded to involve and consult with children if their pledge is to remain credible. A call to action to those governments, made in Italy

Date: 13 November 2006

[13 November 2006] - Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg last week sent a letter to the Greek Foreign Minister welcoming the recent adoption by Parliament of a law on domestic violence, under which corporal punishment of children has become prohibited. Greece became the fifteenth European count

Date: 13 November 2006

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography entered into force in 2002, and States that have ratified it have recently started to submit their initial reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child con

Date: 10 November 2006

More than a 250,000 homeless people under the age of 25 in England and Wales do not show up in official data, a BBC investigation has concluded. Many left home as teenagers after rows with their parents and now live in poor quality hostels or on friends' sofas. Campaigners working with vulnerable te

Date: 6 November 2006

This statement looks at the Public Administration's responsibilities on the issue.

Date: 20 October 2006

A Fair Deal: A Study on Children and Young People with Very Challenging Behaviour is a collection of presentations and research reports on children and young people with very challenging behaviour in Malta.The aim of this porject organised by the Office of the Commissioner for Children was to draw up proposals of how children and young people with Very Challenging Behaviour may be helped in a dignified and respectful manner.

Date: 19 October 2006

On 19 October 2006, the Greek Parliament passed Law 3500/2006 on the Combating of Intra-family Violence, under which corporal punishment of children within the family is prohibited. Article 4 of the new law states: “Physical violence against children as a disciplinary measure in the context of

Date: 17 October 2006

Following the launch of the Violence Study that took place last week in New York, a number of regional events have taken place or will be taking place in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, negotiations for a resolution on children's rights of the UN General Assembly are underway.

Date: 16 October 2006

This volume compiles the papers and comments delivered and the conclusions reached at the seminar "The Status of International Treaties on Human Rights", which was organised in Coimbra, Portugal, on 7 and 8 October 2005 by the Venice Commission in co-operation with the lus Gentium Coimbrig

Date: 11 October 2006

Maud de Boer Buquicchio on the occasion of the launch of the UN Study on Violence Against Children in New York.

Date: 11 October 2006

Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg welcomed the UN General study on violence against children, and calls for a total ban of all forms of corporal punishment.

Date: 10 October 2006

Date: 9 October 2006

Speech by Peter Newell at a side event at the General Assembly during the week of the launch of the UN Study on Violence Against Children, October 2006.

Date: 8 October 2006

The final report of the United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children will be presented on 11 October 2006 in the Third Committee at the 61st session of the General Assembly in New York.

Date: 5 October 2006

The Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children will be launched next week at the UN General Assembly by the Independent Expert leading the study, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. The launch will begin with the presentation of the report to the General Assembly and will be followed by a series of o

Date: 5 October 2006

Two conferences on the work of independent institutions for children took place last week in Athens.

Date: 4 October 2006

The European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC) seeks an end to all corporal punishment of children in Europe.

Date: 2 October 2006

Speech by Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe at a conference on Ombudswork for Children held in Athens from 29 - 30 September

Date: 2 October 2006

The following key findings have been prepared by Members of the NGO Advisory Panel in light of the launch of the Study. These form part of a letter submitted to governments in order as part of the Advisory Panel's recommendations for action to follow up on the launch of the Study.

Date: 30 September 2006

[30/09/06] - The Commissioner for Human Rights held a conference entitled “Ombudswork for children” in Athens on 29-30 September, bringing together over a hundred participants, including national and regional ombudsmen, the European Ombudsman, Council of Europe and UN experts as well as

From Friday, September 29, 2006 to Saturday, September 30, 2006

This event will be coorganised by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, the Russian Ombudsman and the Greek Ombudsman.

Date: 20 September 2006

[20/09/06] - Jointly with the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights will be holding the 4th Round Table of European National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and the Commissioner for Human Rights in Athens on 27-28 Se

Date: 18 September 2006

All children have a right to protection from abuse,violence and exploitation. EveryChild works to createa safe environment for children who benefit fromEveryChild programmes.

Date: 18 September 2006

In his latest Viewpoint, the Commissioner for Human Rights discusses the importance of guaranteeing the independence of ombudsman institutions across the Council of Europe region.

Date: 15 September 2006

The General Day of Discussion of the Committee on the Rights of the Child taking place in Geneva on 15 September is looking at the child's right to be heard.

Date: 6 September 2006

[6 September] - The NI Children's Commissioner has applied for a judicial review into proposed new legislation about physically punishing children. New laws will make it illegal for a parent/guardian to hit a child only if it results in lasting harm or marks. Commissioner Barney McNeany said the gov

Date: 4 September 2006

The ENOC Annual Meeting took place on 21-23 September 2005, and was hosted by the Ombudsman for Children in Poland, Pawel Jaros, and his team.  There were 59 participants at the meeting, including 25 from various Ombudsperson’s Offices (covering 22 countries) and 16 observers (see list of

Date: 4 September 2006

The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) is a not-for-profit association of independent children’s rights institutions (ICRIs). Its mandate is to facilitate the promotion and protection of the rights of children, as formulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Whil

Date: 30 August 2006

Date: 19 August 2006

Date: 9 August 2006

This Convention is open for signature by the member States of the Council of Europe and the non-member States which have participated in its elaboration, in Strasbourg, on 25 January 1996.Entry into force: 1 July 2000.

Date: 31 July 2006

[ANKARA, 31 July 2006] - The Initiative to Structure Children's Justice System consisting of children rights activists and backed by a number of leading Turkish NGOs has asked for the newly ratified version of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) to be abolished on the grounds that it violates children's right

Date: 24 July 2006

An information and training pack developed by the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children for all those engaged in the development of independent statutory offices to promote the human rights of children - children’s ombudspersons and commissioners for children’s rights.

Date: 20 July 2006

The Better Care Network launches a new website in collaboration with CRIN.

Date: 23 June 2006

The programme “Building a Europe for and with Children” of the Council of Europe aims to promote the rights of the child and to protect children from all forms of violence. It was decided upon by the 3rd Council of Europe Summit of Heads of States and Governments held in Warsaw, Poland, in May 2005.

Date: 2 June 2006

Date: 11 May 2006

Report launched at the conference on Violence Against Girls in Africa, organised by the African Child Policy Forum, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 11 May 2006.

Date: 1 April 2006

Date: 28 March 2006

THE Office of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People today announced the Commissioner has died following a two-year battle with cancer.Mr Williams passed away at his home in Glenarm this morning. Chief Executive of NICCY, Barney McNeany, who is currently Acting Commissioner

Date: 30 January 2006

Date: 17 October 2005

[NEW YORK, 17 October 2005] Madam/Mr. Chair,In no country are children truly safe from violence. Physical and mental violence against children takes place in the home and family, in schools, in governmental institutions and in workplaces. Children are beaten, molested, tortured, sexually abused, hel

Date: 5 July 2005

ENOC Submission to the Europe and Central Asia Regional Consultation for the UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence against children, Ljubljana 5 – 7 July 2005.ENOC is committed to working closely with the Council of Europe, whose strong human rights mechanisms have already done much to assert children’s human rights – including their rights to protection from all forms of violence.

Date: 1 June 2005

Date: 17 October 2003

Stockholm, 17 October 2003 As children’s ombudspersons in 21 European states, we are very concerned at the tone of political and media debate and the direction of public policy and legal changes concerning juvenile offenders in many of our countries. Children in conflict with the law are

Date: 17 October 2003

We, as children´s ombudspeople in 21 European states, are concerned at the lack of special protection for children from unfair business practices in the proposal for a new EU Directive.Unfair business practices are recognised as a problem in all EU countries and harm consumers as well as respe

Date: 1 February 2002

Comment and additions to the government's report to the Committee.

From Monday, September 24, 2001 to Friday, October 12, 2001

The European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC)urges the governments of all European countries, the European Union, the Council of Europe and other European institutions and nongovernmental organisations to work collectively and individually towards ending all corporal punishment of children.