A major international conference that focuses on the human rights of children and young people is being held at Swansea University this week, supported by the Welsh Government.
Swansea University was chosen as the venue of Taking the Rights Steps Children’s Rights: Wales and the World on 11 – 12 June due to its pivotal role in supporting development of a ground breaking Welsh law on the rights of the child.
The Measure, which came into force on 1 May 2012, puts Wales ahead of the rest of the UK in using legislation to implement the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This approach has attracted interest across the world as governments look at ways of giving effect to the Convention.
The new law requires Welsh Ministers to consider children’s rights – as recognised in international human rights law – across all areas of devolved government. It means that Ministers must strive to secure the rights of children to development, to non-discrimination, to protection, provision of adequate living standards, access to best possible health services, to support for their families and communities as set out in UNCRC.
It also requires that the best interests and views of children are properly taken into account whenever decisions are made that affect them.
Almost every country in the world has committed to implement the UNCRC and the Welsh approach has attracted global interest and led to Wales being the venue for this final European pre-congressional meeting of the World Congress on Children’s Rights to be held in San Juan, Argentina, in October 2012.
The conference and pre-congressional meeting are taking place side by side, with a delegation from the World Congress meeting Swansea University’s Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor with representatives of the Welsh Government.
Rt. Hon. Rhodri Morgan, Swansea University’s Chancellor, was responsible for introducing the new law whilst First Minister of Wales. He is contributing to the Swansea conference and will also speak in Argentina in October at the invitation of the World Congress.
Rhodri Morgan said:
“This conference truly engages ‘Wales and the world’. Children’s rights, and specifically the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, are often seen as emblematic of devolved Welsh government. We do not think that we have all the answers nor that we have done enough but we have looked at what it is possible to achieve and we have come up with a legal formula to support mainstreaming children’s rights across the exercise of all governmental functions at the devolved level.
“The conference gives us a wonderful opportunity to compare experience, to learn from one another, to share good practice and press forward towards realisation of the visions of the UNCRC. The engagement of Wales with the World Congress on Rights of Children and Adolescents could not be more timely.”
Gwenda Thomas AM, Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Children said:
“I am proud that Wales is leading the way on children’s rights. We have come a long way to become the first UK nation to embed the UNCRC in law and to be one of the very few to have a children’s rights scheme. Although a small nation we feel we are having a big impact.
“I believe that every child in Wales is important. They should be entitled to the best start in life, the best possible chance to grow up free from poverty, harm and with the support they need to reach their potential.”
The conference also sees the launch of the Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People, a new collaborative project committed to building capacity to support children and young people’s access to their rights, conducting research and lobbying for change in law and practice. Initial collaborative partners include universities and children’s organisations in the USA, Ireland, Norway, Spain as well as Wales.
The co-directors are Jane Williams and Dr. Simon Hoffman of Swansea University’s School of Law.
Jane Williams said: ‘We have travelled a little and communicated a lot with people all over the globe as well as close to home here in Wales. There is a genuine momentum behind this project. We aim to harness that momentum to influence decision-making that will lead to fulfilment of the promises governments made to children when committing to the UNCRC. When people learn more about this set of promises, they see that a world in which they were kept would be a better world for everyone. The National Assembly for Wales’ new law, if properly implemented, will lead us closer to that goal.’
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