Calling for the Greek Government to Ratify the OPIC Protocol
Eurochild member NCR (Network of Children's Rights) urged the Greek Prime Minister to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (OPIC) for better protecting children's rights in Greece.
OPIC is an international human rights treaty that allows the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to hear complaints alleging that a child’s rights have been violated.
On 31 October 2024, NCR hosted an event at the Athens Bar Association’s event hall to mobilise the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to initiate the ratification process. The event featured remarks from Dr Ann Skelton, President of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Presidents of the Plenary of the Greek Bar Associations and NCR’s Board of Trustees. The event included contributions from UNICEF Greece and other organisations, along with institutional perspectives from Dr Sophie Kiladze, Vice-President of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; Deputy Ombudsman for Children’s Rights, Ms Koufonikolakou; and a representative of the National Commission for Human Rights.
Concluding the event, 57 organisations signed a resolution and submitted it to the Greek Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On 22 November 2024, a press conference at the European Parliament Office in Greece presented the resolution, with statements from the Deputy Ombudsman for Children’s Rights, the President of the National Commission for Human Rights, and Adolescent Advisors Group members. NCR representatives also joined radio discussions to stress the importance of OPIC’s ratification. On 12 December 2024, NCR sent a formal letter to the President of the Hellenic Republic, seeking support for the initiative.
