Protecting children’s rights — 2017 guidelines

SUMMARY OF:

EU guidelines for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child (2017)

Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THESE GUIDELINES?

They update the approach of the European Union (EU) which aims to ensure the rights of the child* are taken into account in all EU external policies and actions. To this end, the guidelines promote a systems-strengthening perspective that underpins the measures, structures and actors which need to be in place to protect all the rights of all children.
They also emphasise the need for a rights-based approach as set out in the 2012 EU strategic framework for human rights and democracy. This approach seeks to integrate the standards and principles of children’s rights into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all policies and programmes.
They are based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and reflect Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union, which states that the EU, in its relations with the wider world, must ensure that it upholds and promotes its values and interests and, in particular, the rights of the child.

KEY POINTS

The Working Party on Human Rights (COHOM) in the Council is responsible for supporting the implementation of the guidelines.

The 2017 guidelines (like the previous guidelines from 2007) strive to make the work of all officials of EU institutions and EU countries less ad hoc as regards children’s rights.

To achieve the objective of protecting the rights of the child, the EU will use operational tools, such as:

political dialogues that include children’s rights in negotiations and discussions held with organisations and non-EU countries;
human rights dialogues that stress EU concerns on and explore solutions for human rights violations with non-EU countries;
statements and démarches (i.e. diplomatic representations on a particular issue from one government to another) to remind non-EU countries of the need to take appropriate measures to protect children;
EU human rights and democracy country strategies that give an in-depth analysis of the situation of children in a given country and identify gaps and the necessary actions needed to protect the rights of children;
bilateral and multilateral cooperation to draw up humanitarian assistance and development aid programmes with an emphasis on children’s rights;
partnerships and coordination with international stakeholders such as the UN, regional organisations, the European Forum on the Rights of the Child, research institutions, civil society organisations and international financial institutions;
The ‘Trade for all’ strategy, which makes sure that economic growth goes together with social justice, respect for human rights and environmental standards.

The EU will take concrete actions to implement these guidelines, such as encouraging non-EU countries to:

adopt national strategies on the rights of the child;
design child-sensitive national budgeting, making children visible in budgets, especially those who are in vulnerable situations;
develop/strengthen independent institutions on the rights of the child;
collect and use disaggregated data, as they make inequality and discrimination visible.

Actions for the EU include:

ensuring relevant staff is trained on a rights-based approach to development cooperation, encompassing all human rights;
drawing on the EU–Unicef Child Rights Toolkit to reinforce child-sensitive programming in all sectors.

BACKGROUND

Many children face a wide range of threats and lack opportunities for access to education, healthcare and social care. They are victims of child labour, violence, sexual abuse, diseases and armed conflict and are exposed to discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion. Girls face specific risks and require particular attention.
The EU is a key player in protecting human rights (and children’s rights in particular) around the world. It promotes other initiatives that aim for the betterment of children, such as the UN sustainable development goals.
For more information, see:
- EU guidelines on the promotion and protection of the rights of the child (2017) (Council).

KEY TERMS

Child: any human being under the age of 18.

MAIN DOCUMENT

EU guidelines for the promotion of the rights of the child (2017) — Leave no child behind, Brussels, 2017

Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union `— Title I: Common provisions `— Article 3 (ex Article 2 TEU) (OJ C 202, 7.6.2016, p. 17)