The Guiding Principle of the CRC
Enabling a child to express himself is not just a kindness or a favour. Children's participation is a right and one of the four guiding principles (in addition to life, survival and development, the best interests of the child, non-discrimination of the child) of the CRC.
In line with this founding text, Action Education focuses in particular on the importance of children taking the floorfor children.
Children's participation: a fundamental right
Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states that "the child has the right, in all matters and proceedings affecting the child, to express his or her views freely and to have those views taken into account"..
Children are citizens with full rightsThey have a real expertise in terms of use and experience. States and responsible actors (families, communities, professionals, etc.) have an obligation to listen to them and to take account of their opinions in accordance with their age and degree of maturity. By exercising this right, children can play an active role in all decision-making processes that affect them. Several degrees of participation are thus possible, from simple consultation to the realisation of a project led by the children themselves.
Children's participation However, adults and professionals must ensure that children are not subjected to decisions taken by others, as long as they are able to have their own opinion and express it.
However, this right to participation and free expression, a pillar of the children's rightsis still largely ignored, even in France.
How can this right be applied?
- In France, the participation of children and young people exists in certain local authorities, via territorial children's and young people's councils, and is developing throughout the country, including in the overseas territories.
- At national level, the children's and teenagers' collegeassociated with the HCFEA's Conseil Enfance, created in 2016, has been proving its worth for over 4 years.
- At the National Assembly, the Children's Parliamentcreated in 1994, allows pupils in CM2 and 6ᵉ to draft their own bills on a given topic. They can then see one of them elected and presented to the National Assembly. This initiative, run in conjunction with the French education system, is nevertheless more akin to a civics lesson than a real incentive to get involved.
- In Europe, many countries, such as Luxembourg with its Jugend Parlament or in the UK via the British Youth ParliamentThese are concrete initiatives that encourage young people to speak out on issues that concern them. They are also invited to express their views on more global issues such as poverty, the environment, education and mental health. Through commissions, reports and press releases, these bodies aim to inform public authorities and urge them to implement effective public policies to respond to the issues raised. France and many other countries around the world could learn from them.
In the meantime, defend, guaranteeing and promoting children's participation is a necessity, and Action Education has made its priority.
Children's participation in Action Education projects
As part of its development projects, Action Education works to ensure that children's rights are fully respected, starting with child participation.
The Action Education projects are no longer proposed to the children, but developed with them. They become players in the project and not just beneficiaries, in particular through the " school governments "These are installed in the schools we support.
This pedagogical tool, which enables children to take on roles to improve the management and running of the school, strengthens their power to act, both within the school (with the teaching teams and the school institution) and outside, in connection with the Management Committees and families.
Members of the school government take part in the Youth Council:
- carries the voice of their peers (in and out of school),
- identify the rights and citizenship themes to be promoted and the capacity-building actions to be implemented.
Together, they lobby institutions (local, regional and national) on issues of strategic and political importance (gender and violence against girls, citizenship behaviour, school governance, rights and citizenship for pupils, the environment, etc.).
Strengthening children's participation: our demands to the public authorities
In order to strengthen the effectiveness of the right to participation, Action Education also lobbies French public decision-makers.
Alongside Children's GroupIn this way, we are calling on France and those involved in international solidarity to support organisations working in the field of children and young people. We are calling on children and young people who defend their rights in partner countries to participate effectively in the co-construction and monitoring of public policies.
In France, alongside the member organisations of the Dynamics for Children's Rights :
- we are proposing to reform the Children's Parliament so that as many children as possible can take part,
- we are calling for legislation on the ways in which young people can participate in the development, implementation and monitoring of public policies,
- we ask you to create new colleges for children and teenagers to promote the effective participation of children and young people, in particular at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council...
Finally, today it is clear that young people in France are clearly expressing their desire to participate in democratic debate and influence political decisions. In view of this, Action Education, alongside Démocratie Ouverte and UNICEF France, are calling for l'lowering the voting age to 16 in France. Far from being isolated, this is already the case in Germany, Austria, Malta and Belgium.
