The 9 basic requirement for meaningful and ethicial children’s participation

The expansion of children’s rights at the global level is unprecedented. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is an instrument for the protection of human rights with an almost universal level of acceptance within the United Nations, except for a single State that has decided not to incorporate it into its legal system. This level of recognition is an indicator of a new sensitivity that the international community embodied 31 years ago with the first legal instrument on human rights for children.But the challenges children face are still too many for our societies to recognize them as subjects of rights. Within these challenges, participation is one of the central issues.

Listening to children is still being neglected by adults and institutions. During these times of pandemic, we have witnessed how the voices of children have been practically absent in decision-making. Children were seldom consulted about their feelings, fears, expectations and proposals, which is an indicator of how much progress still remains to be done. Forms and formats, usually developed by adult logic and perspective, must be re-thought so that girls and boys can be active protagonists of our societies. Language that is adapted to their age and level of development and
child-friendly formats are central for them to be able to get involved in social processes.

For us to achieve this, we must learn and free ourselves from preconceptions that currently block the presence and participation of children in our societies.

These 9 steps for children’s participation is a good text which guides our actions, the processes aimed at children and helps us to create environments that promote children’s participation.