15.05.2012Partner meeting on the Speak Up! project took place in Brussels.
A working session of the partners working on the “Speak Up! Giving a voice to Europe’s most vulnerable children” project took place in Brussels in April. The meeting was held in the office of Eurochild – the leading organization in the project. The aim of the meeting was to assess the achievements of the partnering countries and to compare the results on focus groups sessions with vulnerable children. The participants represented NGOs from Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Netherland, Poland, Sweden and Universal Education Foundation.
The project addresses the protection of the rights of the child. It falls under the programme objective "to promote fundamental rights and to inform all persons of their rights including those derived from citizenship of the Union, in order to encourage Union citizens to participate actively in the democratic life of the Union".
Within the European Union, children's rights have attracted increasing attention since the adoption of the 2006 Communication "Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child" (COM2006 367). This policy document recognised the need to improve cooperation with stakeholders, including children, and to raise awareness on children's rights. It also committed the EU to "involving children in the decision-making process".
However, this project addresses an important gap in the work carried out to date. Children who are particularly vulnerable - either due to their situation (in conflict with the law, living in inadequate housing, separated from their parents, living in residential care etc.) or due to their characteristics (children with a disability, children of an ethnic minority or migrant background) - are much more likely to have their rights violated. They are also less likely to have their voices heard.
The partners involved are skilled in listening to children views and transmitting these messages to a wider audience. The children involved are frequently the subject of adult policies and intervention. It is important their views are heard regarding their perception of the situation, their needs and the specific policy intervention approach that is required. The views and experience of the children will provide valuable input to the development and implementation of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. They will also feed into the important EU work on tackling child poverty and social exclusion in the European Union - a policy area that Eurochild is following closely.
