Child Rights Connect: Enhancing Child Participation Through CRC Reporting

1. CRC Reporting and Child Participation FU Berlin Lecture Series 6 November 2013

2. Child Rights Connect • «A coordinated platform for NGO action and plays a central role in key child rights developments at the international level.» • Secretariat • 6 permanent members of staff • Advocacy and CRC Reporting • 80 Member Organisations • Engagement with broad range of stakeholders

3. Strategic Planning • Goal-orientated planning for NGOs and coalitions • Planning for outcomes: • What do you want to change? • What will your advocacy strategy be to bring about that change? • Who will your key partners be? • Engaging with the CRC Committee through the reporting mechanism is one way to reinforce your national-level advocacy work • Concluding Observations and Recommendations

4. CRC and Child Rights in Practice DutyBearers and RightsHolders NGOs & OTHER SECTORS GOVERNMENT CHILDREN PARENTS / GUARDIANS

5. Meaningful Participation • Charity and service delivery work  Advocacy • A shift from perceiving the child as someone vulnerable and in need of protection only, to perceiving the child as a rights holder. • Children can, in theory, engage with the CRC Committee in the same way as other non-State actors • The opportunities for children to be involved in advocacy show there is still work to be done.

6. Reporting by non-State Actors Priority problems & violations Gaps on child rights Proposed solutions Child rights & realities

7. How Children can Participate • CRC reporting: child participation cantakevariousforms • A children’ssubmissiondoes not have to be a formalwritten report. • Children or child-led organisations, accompanied by adults • An NGO writes an alternative report using information gatheredduring a survey or studyconductedwithchildren. • Children interactingwith the Committee • Children canparticipate in the pre-session and session meetings • Additionalmeetings between the children and Committeemembersonly, canbearranged, usually on the sameday as the pre-session. • Role of Child Rights Connect.

8. Child Participation – CRC Committee • A child isanypersonunder the age of 18 • Meaningful participation • Children of all ages and backgrounds, including the mostvulnerable • Child-centric and builtaround the needs and interests of children • Environment of learning and expression • Understanding of the entire CRC reportingprocess • Managing expectations • Part of an on-goingprocess, not a one-off event or selection • Planning for sustainability

9. Obstacles Identified by Children • Finding the time • Age • Understanding documents • The words adults use • UN languages • Following the translation in the meetings • Understanding the reporting process • Disability • The way people talked to children • Being able to go to Geneva

10. Challenges We See • Is italwaysappropriate? • Communicating information to children • Impact: How will the children’s inputs beused? • Managing expectations • Manipulation and tokenism • Representation vs testimonials • Whatyoucan and cannot control from Geneva • On-going or instituationalised participation withoutsigning up for life • Capacity

11. How we are Responding • Workingwith the Committee • Guidelines • Internalworkingmethods • Discussion on good practice and standards • Communications • Websitedevelopment • Case studies • Capacity building • Engagingbroaderchildrightscommunity - capacity • Networking • Connecting people to sharetheirexperiences • Participating in research and conferences: communicatingresults

12. Useful Resources • Child Rights Connect: Secretariat Staff • Reporting and Child Participation guides • www.childrightsconnect.org • Section of the website for U18s • Alternative Report Database www.crin.org • Look at past examples of reports • CRC Committee’s website www.ohchr.org

13. Thank you for listening. • Questions?