To enable children to participate in decision-making around a policy or programme, their capacity as claim makers and rights holders often needs support. Analysing the capacity of children as claim makers is important to meaningful child participation and helps in determining how they can be empowered to make their voices heard:
Understanding – How well do children know their rights? How well can they articulate where and how their rights are violated and the nature of claims they want to make on duty bearers? The results of two Eurobarometer surveys of 2008 and 2009 showed that 76% of children interviewed were not aware of having rights and 79% did not know who to contact in case of need. When asked what action the EU should take to promote and protect the rights of the child, 88% of respondents indicated that the EU should provide more information to children about their rights in an accessible way.
Resources – Do children have the skills, knowledge, resources and necessary support from adults to effectively make their claims and hold duty bearers to account? Can they identify key duty bearers, identify appropriate entry points and effectively voice their claims in an effective way?
Risks – Are there any risks to children in making their claims? If so, do the benefits outweigh the risks and how can children best be protected or supported when making claims?
For more resources on child participation, please visit the LIBRARY.