Last December, there was a lot of excitement about the adoption of an unprecedented UN Resolution on Child Rights (you can read the blog about that HERE). It raised a lot of hope that there would be a real boost in making sure Governments take measures to ensure that children can grow up in their own families or in family-based alternative care. And then the pandemic happened.
When I was looking up some details in this Resolution, recently, I was really struck by how far away this all seems now. As if all the good intentions were blown out of the window in one fell swoop when things got more complicated. So in this blog, I would like to highlight some points from the resolution that are particularly relevant at this moment.
“…recognizing that a strong focus is needed on poverty, deprivation and inequality to prevent and protect children from all forms of violence and to promote the resilience of children, their families and their communities”
“Reaffirms paragraphs 1 to 5 of its resolution 71/177 of 19 December 2016 and that the general principles of, inter alia, the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, participation and survival and development provide the framework for all actions concerning children;”
“Notes with concern the large number of children belonging to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, migrant children, refugee or asylum-seeking children, internally displaced children, children of African descent and children of indigenous origin who are victims of discrimination, including racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, stresses the need to incorporate special measures, in accordance with the principle of the best interests of the child and respect for his or her views and the child’s gender-specific needs, including children with disabilities, into education programmes and programmes to combat these practices, and calls upon States to provide special support and to ensure equal access to services for those children;”
“Urges States to improve the situation of children living in poverty, in particular extreme poverty, deprived of adequate food and nutrition, water and sanitation facilities, with limited or no access to basic physical and mental health-care services, shelter, education, participation and protection, taking into account that, while a severe lack of goods and services hurts every human being, it is particularly threatening and harmful to children, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, to reach their full potential and to participate as full members of society, and exposed to conditions that lead to increased violence;”
“Calls upon States to scale up scientifically accurate and age-appropriate comprehensive education, relevant to cultural contexts, that provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school, consistent with their evolving capacities,”
“Urges all States parties to intensify their efforts to comply with their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to preserve the identity of children, including their nationality, name and family relations, as recognized by law, to protect children in matters relating to birth registration, family relations and adoption or other forms of alternative care, recognizing that every effort should be directed to enabling children to remain in or swiftly return to the care of their parents or, when appropriate, other close family members and that, where alternative care is necessary, family and community-based care should be promoted over placement in institutions;”
“Notes that children without parental care are more likely than their peers to experience human rights violations, such as exclusion, violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, and in this regard expresses deep concern on the potential harm of institutionalization and institutional care to children’s growth and development;”
“Stresses that no child should be forced to give up family connections in order to escape poverty, or to receive care, comprehensive, timely and quality health services or education, or because they are in contact with the law;”
“Also recognizes that financial and material poverty, or conditions directly and uniquely imputable to such poverty, should never be the only justification for the removal of a child from the care of his or her parents or primary caregivers and legal guardians, for receiving a child into alternative care or for preventing his or her reintegration, but should be seen as a signal for the need to provide appropriate support to their family, benefiting the child directly;”
“Urges States to strengthen child welfare and child protection systems and improve care reform efforts, which should include increased multisectoral collaboration, inter alia, between child welfare and health, education and justice sectors, active coordination among all relevant authorities, improved cross-border systems and improved capacity-building and training programmes for relevant stakeholders;”
“Urges States to take effective action to provide support to families and to prevent the unnecessary separation of children from their parents, including by:
(a) Prioritizing investments in child protection services and social services to support quality alternative care, including families and communities in order to prevent the separation of children from their families, with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration;”
“(b) Adopting and enforcing laws and improving the implementation of policies and programmes, budget allocation and human resources to support children, particularly children with disabilities and children living in disadvantaged, stigmatized and marginalized families, to address the root causes of unnecessary family separation and ensure that they are cared for effectively by their own families and communities;”
“(f) Developing and strengthening inclusive and responsive family-oriented policies and programmes for poverty reduction, also designed to promote and strengthen parents’ ability to care for their children, and to confront family poverty and social exclusion, recognizing the multidimensional aspects of poverty, focusing on inclusive and quality education and lifelong learning for all, including initiatives to promote involved and positive parenting, health and well-being for all at all ages, equal access to economic resources, full and productive employment, decent work, social security, livelihoods and social cohesion and promoting and protecting the human rights of all family members;”
Help remind governments what they agreed to last December, and hold them accountable for whether they take into account children, as they deal with the pandemic and its aftermath.
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