To celebrate World Children’s Day on 20 November, children and young people from across Northern Ireland are attending Stormont today to champion their rights, highlight the issues that matter most to them, and influence policy, practice and law- making.
Over 80 young people from post-primary schools and youth organisations are gathering to share their thoughts on children’s rights and to discuss the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into domestic law.
The youth-led event, planned and hosted by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People’s (NICCY) Youth Panel, will include the launch of their report ‘The Right Way Forward: A rights-based perspective to improving the lives of children and young people in Northern Ireland. Written by children and young people, for children and young people’, and calls out shortcomings in terms of children’s rights.
Representatives from the Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) will also be in attendance today, and they will be facilitating discussions on their own rights-based report, ‘Show Us You Care’, which was published recently.
‘The Right Way Forward’ calls for urgent government action on issues such as health and mental health, child poverty, education, climate change and protecting the environment, improving online and offline safety, and calls for the full and direct
incorporation of the UNCRC into NI law.
NICCY Youth Panel member Eva-Jane said: “Over the past year, we have planned and designed this event to celebrate World Children’s Day and the global impact of the UNCRC. As a group, we have ambitiously created an event that is authentically
youth-led and has fun activities to build discussions about children’s rights. We hope that our inclusive forum is a platform for children and young people to share issues that affect their lives and futures.
“Together, children and young people are shaping our society, and we are here today for our actions and ideas to be taken seriously. Our voices will continue to be used after the event to create future recommendations to government such as healthcare reform, online safety and education policies.”
World Children’s Day was established in 1959 to promote international cooperation on children’s rights and to raise awareness among children worldwide of their rights. It also marks the adoption of the UNCRC in 1989, which is an international treaty
containing 42 rights for all children and young people, including the right to education, equal treatment and the right to have an opinion. All governments who have signed the UNCRC are meant to implement these rights and to incorporate the
UNCRC into law.
Since being appointed Children’s Commissioner in 2023, Chris Quinn has made the full and direct incorporation of the UNCRC into NI law his priority. Over the past year, he has listened directly to children and young people, gaining insight into their lived
experiences – reinforcing his belief that the most powerful step the Executive can take is to fully protect every child’s rights in law.
The Commissioner said: “I am looking forward to celebrating World Children’s Day with young people from across NI, and we will be talking about the need for UNCRC incorporation, reflecting a commitment to children’s rights at the heart of government.
“I am in awe of the NICCY Youth Panel’s dedication to children’s rights and social activism. During their spare time, they have sacrificed extracurricular activities and their social lives to spend hours discussing, researching, and writing The Right Way
Forward. I wholeheartedly support their comments and their calls for action on the issues they have explored.”
