The Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children

2026 Annual Theme

 

The rights of LGBTQIA+ children and young people are fully protected under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), as the Convention applies to every child without discrimination of any kind.

Article 2 of the UNCRC requires States to respect and ensure the rights outlined in the Convention to each child within their jurisdiction, without discrimination. This principle of non-discrimination is fundamental to ensuring that all children, including LGBTQIA+ children and young people, can enjoy their rights on an equal basis.

Despite the existence of an international and European legal framework protecting children from discrimination, LGBTQIA+ children and young people continue to face significant barriers to the full enjoyment of their rights. Stigma, prejudice, discrimination, bullying, violence and social exclusion can affect their safety, well-being, education, access to services and participation in society.

Across ENOC member countries and regions, ensuring the rights and well-being of LGBTQIA+ children and young people has been recognised as an important area requiring continued attention and action. While the principles of non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival and development, and the right to be heard apply equally to LGBTQIA+ children and young people, implementation remains uneven in Europe and significant challenges persist.

For these reasons, ENOC members are called to strengthen measures to prevent and address discrimination against LGBTQIA+ children and young people, to ensure their safety and well-being, and to create environments in which they can express themselves and participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives.
This includes ensuring that their voices are heard and taken seriously, in accordance with their evolving capacities, and that their rights are protected regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

These considerations framed ENOC’s annual theme for 2026, “Safeguarding and Advancing the Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children”, which focused on identifying the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ children and young people and on strengthening measures to ensure that their rights are respected, protected and fulfilled across Europe.

The work on this theme was coordinated by a dedicated Working Group, led by the ENOC Chair-elect, Aida C. Rodríguez, Deputy Ombudsperson for Children's Rights, Catalonia (Spain), and supported by two independent experts, Ingrid Agud Morell and Angelina Sánchez Martí, Associate Professors at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).

The research phase drew on responses from 29 ENOC member institutions and mapped the different systems across Europe on the rights of LGBTQIA+ Children.

The survey findings, gathered in the ENOC Synthesis Report, explored main areas such as :

  • general framework
  • education
  • protection system
  • juvenile justice
  • health, participation
  • family
  • digital & information
  • identity & privacy
  • violence
  • social & cultural development
  • international protection

The preliminary results of the survey were first presented during the ENOC Spring Seminar in Oslo (Norway) in June 2026. The seminar also offered an exchange space between the members on the area to be covered by the related ENOC position statement.

In parallel, the ENYA 2026 Child Participation Project involved young persons from 12 member states or regions, who developed recommendations drawn from their personal views, experiences and expectations, with the aim of ensuring respect and advancing the rights of LGBTQIA+ Children.

The culmination of this year’s thematic work was the ENOC 30th Annual Conference on “Safeguarding and Advancing the Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young People in Contemporary Europe”, held on 30 September-1 October 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. The conference gathered Ombudspersons and Commissioners for Children, 11 Young Advisors from ENYA, representatives of European and regional bodies, Catalan authorities, and experts in the children’s rights field.

The key outcome of the annual work was the adoption of the ENOC 2026 Policy Position Statement on “Safeguarding and Advancing the Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children”. This statement, shaped both by the research and by ENYA’s recommendations, was formally approved by the 30th ENOC General Assembly on 2 October 2026 in Barcelona.