Presidential candidates 2022, make children a priority!

22 November 2021

Create a dedicated ministry for children and youth.

A few days before the International Day for the Rights of the Child (20 November), the 24 member organisations and collectives of the "From Convention to Action!" Dynamique are calling on the presidential candidates to finally make children a priority, starting by giving France a ministry dedicated to children and youth. 

On the strength of their experiences concerning children and youth policies, the 24 organisations gathered within the Dynamique "From Convention to Action!" call on the candidatesˑeˑs to the presidential election to commit themselves to the creation of a ministry dedicated to children and youth. Such a ministry would facilitate the elaboration and implementation of more efficient public policies in favour of children and young people by getting out of the current "silo" logic; and thus giving them more importance and visibility. 

Although the cause of children and young people is mobilising and arousing growing interest in public opinion, the issues involved are still insufficiently considered by the public authorities. Admittedly, the appointment of a Secretary of State for Children and Families and the development of a national strategy for the prevention and protection of children are significant advances. However, they are still insufficient to deal effectively with the many difficulties faced by children (physical and moral violence, poverty, poor housing, disability, lack of access to healthcare, difficulties at school, etc.) and the lack of effectiveness of their rights. One child in five lives below the poverty line in France, i.e. nearly three million children. A 2018 INSEE study shows that the under-3s and 15-18s are the most affected by poverty. Despite the public policies deployed over the last few years, this figure has not fallen in the last ten years, while the consequences of the health crisis are likely to worsen these situations and push new families into precariousness. 

For the members of the "From Convention to Action" dynamic, only a global and multidimensional approach to the situation of children and young people will allow the implementation of a real strategy for children and young people as well as the active participation of children and young people in the elaboration of public policies that concern them. The member organisations of the Dynamique have worked this year on these issues and have drawn up concrete proposals for the public authorities. These are now gathered in a document entitled "One more step towards children's rights", the 2021 Observatory of the "From Convention to Action" Dynamic, which focuses on the issues of governance and participation. 

Who we are 

Since 2019, the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the organisations and collectives that are members of the "From the Convention to the Acts" dynamic have come together to raise awareness about the situation of children's rights in France and in the world. Together, they bring awareness-raising messages and recommendations to the French public authorities in order to obtain a better effectiveness of rights at the national level and in France's international cooperation policy. After the submission of 12 acts (i.e. 69 proposals in France and internationally) to political decision-makers in 2019, the Dynamique published in 2020 "One more year without guarantee for children's rights", an observatory in which it alerted on the dramatic consequences of Covid 19 on children's rights. This year, our collective has continued its work and the 2021 Observatory "One more step towards children's rights?" brings together proposals concerning two major issues: governance and participation. 

Read more: https://www.delaconventionauxactes.org/

***

Press contacts : 

➢ Florine Pruchon, Dynamics Coordinator - Advocacy Officer at SOS Children's Villages France - [email protected] - 06 63 04 19 74 

➢ Paul De Ryck, co-referent of the Dynamics advocacy group - Head of the France Parrainages Actions Unit - [email protected] - 06 42 98 14 52 

➢ Sophie Lasbleis, APF France handicap - [email protected] - 06 89 74 97 37 

On the same theme :

Related projects :

en_GB