Children’s rights on the EU agenda

Earlier this year, the European Commission presented a communication for an EU agenda for the rights of the child. Strange as it may sound, there is no EU legislation that deals with children’s rights in one, single, consolidated law. True, a number of EU laws do affect children directly or indirectly but no single law puts them together.

The new communication does not propose one single law but it does present a holistic approach for the first time. So it is to be welcomed.

The communication presents an action plan that the European Commission intends to follow in the coming years. It covers a wide span of affairs and is made up of 11 initiatives where the EU can give added value to policies that can strengthen children’s safety and well-being.

Needless to say, the communication attracted a great deal of attention because children’s rights are in everyone’s interest. I hope it can also attract attention in Malta and that interested stakeholders from Malta can give their input too. So, today, I wish to briefly highlight the action points to help raise awareness and encourage readers to have their say.

Firstly, protecting child victims. The European Commission is proposing a new law on victims’ rights in which it will highlight the special situation of children as vulnerable persons who might need special protection. This proposal was published just a few days ago.

Secondly, protecting children who are suspected or accused persons. Here, too, the Commission will propose a new law on suspected and accused persons that will take account of the special position of children who find themselves suspected or are accused of criminal offences.

Thirdly, decisions on parental responsibility. New EU law will be proposed on the enforcement and recognition of court orders on parental responsibility. The objective will be to enable such decisions to be taken more swiftly in the best interests of the child.

Fourthly, child-friendly justice. The Commission will promote the use of the Council of Europe guidelines for child-friendly justice and these will be taken into consideration in future legal instruments enacted in this area.

Fifthly, training of judges. The Commission will take initiatives to support and encourage the development of training for judges and other legal professionals at European level regarding the participation of children in judicial systems. This, too, will help make the judicial system more child-friendly and better take children’s views and rights into account.

Sixthly, exchange of best practices for training guardians. A framework will be developed for supporting the exchange of best practices and to improve training for guardians, public authorities and other actors who are in close contact with unaccompanied children.

Seventh, Roma integration. The Commission will lay emphasis on children in the context of its strategy on the integration of Roma people (commonly known as gypsies) in Europe.

Eighth, a hotline for missing children. Action will be taken so that child alert mechanisms and the 116 000 hotline for missing children are fully functional across Europe. This is not yet the case.

Ninth, children and the internet. The Commission will bolster its action to enable children to make the most out of online technology. At the same time, there will be measures to fight cyber-bullying and to prevent children’s exposure to harmful content. A specific law on the sexual exploitation of children via the internet is going through the legislative process and we hope to reach an agreement on it as soon as possible.

Tenth, combating violence against children. The Commission will step up the implementation of the EU Guidelines on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of the Child, which already deal with violence against children. At the same time, it will also implement the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflicts.

And, finally, the single entry point for information. The Commission will deliver a single entry point of information on “the EU and the rights of the child”. This single entry point will provide easy access to information that can be understood directly by children of different age groups.

This Communication is an important step in the quest to put children’s rights firmly on the EU agenda. In so doing, the European Commission heeded the calls of the European Parliament that has long insisted on a coherent European approach on children’s rights.

At the European Parliament, there is a growing interest in this area. We feel that children are EU citizens no less than the rest of us and it is proper to direct specific EU attention to them and to make sure that high and common European standards are established on children’s rights.

It is a start and we now need to see these action points are implemented as soon as possible. Then, we will build on them and take things further.

I shall be closely following these initiatives in the Civil Liberties Committee in the European Parliament and I welcome any feedback that readers might have.

www.simonbusuttil.eu

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.