Leda Koursoumba Commissioner for Children’s Rights (Cyprus) ENOC Chair Elect

1. Involving children in monitoring their rights Leda Koursoumba Commissioner for Children’s Rights (Cyprus) ENOC Chair Elect

2. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) The realization of children’s rights implies a major change to the status of children and lays the foundation for a new concept of children and childhood.

3. CRC Implementation Major Endeavor of Social Transformation Creation of Culture of Human Rights

4. Children Participation in the Implementation of the CRC “Implementation is an obligation for States parties but needs to engage all sectors of society, including children themselves” [General Comment No. 5 (2003) ] Article 12 on the Convention, requires due weight to be given to children’s views in all matters affecting them, which plainly includes implementation of “their” Convention [General Comment No. 5 (2003) ]

5. Children have different experiences, concerns, needs and aspirations than their parents and adults in general Children’s Participation, being more than a legal obligation derived from the CRC, it is a valuable component of an effective monitoring of children rights.

6. Developing a Culture of Human Rights Monitoring Data collection and Analysis Children's Views Children's Views Evaluation Recommendations Children's Views Policy Development and Implementation

7. Monitoring Children’s Rights MONITORING Qualitative Approaches Quantitative Approaches Children’s Participatory Approaches

8. The establishment of more participatory monitoring mechanisms goes hand in hand with the development and implementation of special structures and procedures that will promote / facilitate children’s participation in school, the local, and the national level and in any other child specific context

9. NHRI Paris Principles & General Comment No 2 Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Part of its role is to monitor the implementation / enjoyment of children’s rights in Cyprus

10. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices A. Basic Data Collection System in relation to complaints submitted to her for alleged violations of children’s rights (individual and group complaints – some done by children) General overview of the main issues of concern in relation to the protection of the rights of the child

11. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices B. Study on Children’s Right to Participation in Out of Home Care Aims: • to examine whether the right of participation, of children who stay in Children’s Homes in the process of making decisions which affect their lives, is ensured • Identification of the degree of implementation of certain methods or gaps in the implementation of the provisions of Article 12 of the CRC in Children’s Homes

12. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices B. Study on Children’s Right to Participation in Out of Home Care Methodology : • Views of children taken by: • In depth interviews-to acquire full understanding of children’s views • Focus groups-to compliment research data with information resulting from interactive discussions/contrasting views • Views of Institutional Officers, Welfare Officers: • In depth interviews to understand their role and views

13. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices C. Visit to Children’s Homes Following the research’s conclusion the Commissioner scheduled personal visits to a number of Children’s Homes during which she had consultation with the children

14. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices Based on the research results and the output of her consultation with children in Children’s Homes the Commissioner

15. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices D. Commissioner’s Visits to Schools Program - “Voice your Opinion” E. Regular and effective interaction and cooperation of the Commissioner with children’s organized bodies e.g. the Children´s Parliament and the Pancyprian Coordinating Student´s Committee Based on these meetings the Commissioner acquires an overview of the main issues that students are concerned with, and at the same time she forms a wider picture of how children perceive various aspects of the educational system in relation to which she intervenes with recommendations.

16. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) Good Practices F. Commissioner’s Youth Advisors Team (YAT) YAT is a valuable tool for the Commissioner’s monitoring work. Based on the workshops with her young advisors the Commissioner develops a deeper understating on how children approach several issues that are relevant to their lives. The consultation with her young advisors is an important reference for the Commissioner in making her decisions on the areas of her investigations; in drawing her conclusions on the issues she investigates, in selecting her main priorities and developing her action plan. YAT is member of ENYA (ENYA is composed of children and young people working together with Ombudspersons for children on common recommendations that will be addressed to the highest authorities at national, European and international level) .

17. Commissioner for Children Rights (Cyprus) G. EU funded project entitled “ Ending violence against children in custody” (2012) • Aims at • Making progress towards ending violence against children and young people in custody through legal and policy analysis, • By • Supporting children and young people with experience of custody to find out children’s and young people’s experience of violence in custody and opinions on how it could be ended, • In an effort to • Influence decision makers and the child custodial workforce, and • Support children and young people to campaign for change.

18. Monitoring of children rights is an area that has to gain a lot from an effective children’s participation. We have a long way to go until we are in a position to develop and implement comprehensive and fully participatory monitoring systems of children’s rights. To reach that aim, along with the academic research and the preparation of recommendations, more initiatives like the current one of the CoE are needed as to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share good practices. Thank you