ENOC Chair at the CRC Day of General Discussion on Protecting & Empowering Children as Human Rights Defenders

28 September 2018

Photo credit: @UNCRC Ms. Geneviève Avenard (right), Foysal (in the middle)

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) held on 28 September 2018 in Geneva its 2018 Day of General Discussion (DGD) devoted to the issue of Protecting and Empowering Children as Human Rights Defenders. The purpose of a Day of General Discussion is to foster a deeper understanding of the contents and implications of the Convention as they relate to specific articles or topics. The 2018 DGD was the first ever global discussion focusing on children as human rights defenders. Its main goal is to bring together a global movement for children human rights defenders including children, States, National Human Rights Institutions, Children’s Ombudspersons, the UN, civil society and the private sector to promote understanding about the role of children as human rights defenders,  identify what needs to be done for child rights-related laws, policies and practices to take adequate account of children as human rights defenders; and for human rights defenders-related laws, policies and practices to be child-sensitive.

Ms. Geneviève Avenard, ENOC Chair and Children’s Defender France, participated in a working group “State actors II” where she engaged in a dialogue with Foysal, 15, a Human Rights Defender from Bangladesh on the role of Ombudspersons for Children in general and more specifically how ICRIs work to promote the active participation of children in upholding their human rights. A few more ENOC members participated in the event together with young people, Human Rights Defenders (HRD), from their countries.