Assignment 5: The right of children to participate
Yara Langeveld (2760223)
Workgroup 3/subgroup 10 - Health, Globalisation and Human Rights - MPA
04/12/2023
927 words
About 25% of the world’s population consists of children below 15 years old, which amounts to
approximately 2 billion children worldwide (Dyvik, 2023). To respect the rights of this large age
group, the United Nations (UN) developed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989,
which contains human rights specified for the protection, provision and participation of children
(UN, 1989). However, this document is completely drafted by adults with no input from children
at all, thereby shaping children’s world and limiting their participation and democracy (Drotner &
Livingstone, 2008). Therefore, it is important to take into account the perspective of children
when rewriting the CRC to enhance their participation, dignity and democracy, and ensure that
their rights are properly drafted.
Several pressing points advocate for the inclusion of children in the rewriting process of the
CRC. First, the current CRC states that children who are capable of forming their own views have
the right to express these freely in matters that affect them (UN, 1989). This indicates children
from an early age have the “right to participation”, and thus they should be respected and taken
seriously as individuals who express their feelings and beliefs. This adheres to the human rights
principle of being treated with dignity and respect (UN, n.d.). Second, through involving children
in the development of their own rights, democracy is increased (Lundy, 2007). Currently, adults
solely decide over the universal rights of children, thereby formulating for them what is
important. However, children may have a different understanding of this and by not involving
them at all, they are not able to participate freely in society as human beings with integrity and a
personality (Lundy, 2007). This way, children’s rights are not really owned by children
themselves, but rather by the adults that draft them on their behalf, and consequently their
world is shaped by the experiences and views of adults. Third, involving children in rewriting the
CRC has educational benefits, as awareness and an understanding of important human rights are
promoted already at an early age (UNICEF, 2021). When children learn from an early age about
human rights, such as protection against discrimination, the right to education and the right to
culture, a more conscious and informed generation can be created (UNICEF, n.d.). This might
foster a future culture of enhanced respect for human rights.
On the other hand, there are some concerns about the involvement of children in formulating
their own rights. There are namely concerns about children’s capacity to provide meaningful
input for decision making (Lundy, 2017). For instance, young children aged 3 to 6 might not be
developmentally capable of understanding concepts such as “rights”, which may even be
confused with other similar terms, such as “right” from the directions “right” and “left” (UNICEF,
2021). However, it is impossible to say children have a lower capacity to provide meaningful input
for decision making, because when is input then regarded as meaningful? This input can be seen
as their subjective experiences and views of reality, which is inherent to all human beings, and
should be taken as seriously as the opinion of adults (Nolan & Skelton, 2022). By using creative
and fun techniques appropriate for different ages, all children can learn about and contribute to
the formulation of their own rights. For example, UNICEF (n.d.) has already developed a
simplified, age-appropriate version of the CRC that can be used to educate children about their
