Citation

Emilia C. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 2010; 2(2): 1781-1785.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.984

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is a huge gap between what should happen to children and the real-life situation of children. In real-life, millions of children across the world are poor, do not benefit from good enough healthcare, are not able to go to school or are forced to work. Of the children who work, many are forced to work in dangerous and difficult circumstances, for instance by fighting as child soldiers. Girls often don't have the same opportunities as boys. Many girls are forced to marry and to have children at a very young age. HIV/AIDS is a big problem for children and young people in many parts of the world, either because their parents fall ill and die, or because they themselves are infected. There are large groups of children who are especially vulnerable, such as, for instance, children with disabilities.

The European Commission proposes a strategy for protecting the rights of the child within the framework of the EU's internal and external policies. This strategy is based on the following specific objectives: launching an Action Plan on Children in Development Cooperation; publication of a consultation document with a view to identifying actions to be implemented in the future; setting up a European Forum for the Rights of the Child and an online discussion platform; involving children in the decision-making process; development of a communication strategy on the rights of the child, helping both children and their parents to improve their knowledge of these rights.
This communication contributes to establishing an action plan for children, based on a holistic approach which takes into account the different facets of the problem and which draws on humanitarian, development, security and human rights policies.