Children’s Rights - Eurochild’s achievements in 2024
Annual Report 2024.
In 2024, the EU elections took place, and Eurochild once again championed children's rights by urging members of the European Institutions to prioritise children's issues during the new legislative cycle. We collaborated with the Child Rights Action Group (CRAG) on the 2024 Vote for Children campaign, which featured the Child Rights Manifesto.
The Europe Kids Want 2024 Survey informed this manifesto, capturing the voices of more than 9,000 children across Europe on the priorities European politicians should address in their new mandates. A group of children, including two children from Eurochild’s Children’s Council, presented the survey outcomes to representatives of the European Parliament Child Rights Intergroup and the European Commission. Additionally, through various coalitions, including CRAG, the Children's Rights Action Group, we contributed to shaping the European Parliament’s oral and written questions posed to the incoming Commissioners.
We closely analysed the election results, and developments such as the crucial issuing election of the new College of Commissioners after the parliamentary hearings (read our reaction), and campaigning for the re-establishment of the Child Rights Intergroup.
In September, we introduced Eurochild and our members’ work to newly elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Eurochild’s 'Greet and Meet' event at the EP Info-hub. The goal was to foster connections and build a strong community of child rights supporters within the European Parliament for the 2024-2029 mandate.
#VoteforChildren - Together with our allies, members, and peers, we successfully re-established the Child Rights Intergroup at the end of 2024 - a significant achievement for the children's rights community in Europe and beyond. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Intergroup for the five years ahead.
During the Belgian European Presidency we contributed to the Council Conclusions on Children, Youth and Children’s Rights and the seminar in January 2024 that provided critical feedback to the intended conclusions.
Across the globe, including in Europe, those defending children’s rights, including children themselves, are increasingly under attack. There are threats to democracy, a shrinking civil society space, and an unprecedented backlash against universal human rights that undermine the freedom, safety and action of those defending human rights, including our members. Eurochild respond to these attacks to support the European child rights community.
In 2024, we monitored attacks, gathered evidence through our network, and raised awareness of the growing backlash against children’s rights directly with decision-makers. Eurochild took part in the Fundamental Rights Forum, in Vienna, emphasising the importance of empowering civil society and strengthening a human rights culture in the EU, with a specific focus on protecting children’s rights. Eurochild joined 415 civil society organisations calling on EU leaders to take decisive actions to foster a vibrant civic space, uphold democracy and safeguard fundamental rights through a Civil Society Strategy.
We reinforced and supported members where children’s rights are under threat, such as recent anti-child rights developments in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, or Serbia, supporting active strategic litigation cases and amplifying members’ national actions. Eurochild condemned, with our members NNC Bulgaria, the recent legislative developments in Bulgaria that undermine children’s rights and discriminate against LGBTQI+ children and families. The recent decree signed by the President of Bulgaria represents a blatant misuse of child protection as a pretext to restrict the rights of children. We joined our Bulgarian member National Network for Children and the international community in condemning these measures and asking the Bulgarian Parliament and political parties to repeal the decree.
Eurochild nurtured a great dialogue with the Commission's Children’s Rights Coordinator and her team to support the implementation of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, and to follow up to the Recommendation (EU) 2024/1238 - adopted by the European Commission on 23 April 2024 - on developing and strengthening integrated child protection systems in the best interests of the child.
Eurochild joined forces with international allies to push for, and successfully achieve, the establishment of an International Day of Play on 11 June, now officially endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. Eurochild contributed to the children’s consultations (inc. 10,000+ survey respondents) and the outcomes were collected in a report with a Call to Action from Children from across the world, ‘The Power to Play: Children and Young People’s Call to Action’.
In July, we successfully closed our Building Children’s Futures project, funded by the EU’s CERV programme. The project, focused in Ireland, co-created with child researchers new evidence on decision-making during the Covid pandemic, and then designed a new child rights impact assessment (CRIA) model for Ireland to ensure children’s views and rights are always considered in policies that affect them. As a result of this project, CRIAs have been included in Ireland’s national policy framework for children and young people, Young Ireland. Eurochild were proud to work alongside our members Children’s Rights Alliance and UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, together with partners from the Irish Government’s Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in Ireland, Children and Young People's Services Committees, and Foróige.
On 20 November, Eurochild launched its annual flagship report, Children’s Realities in Europe: Progress & Gaps. Based on insights from 57 Eurochild members across 31 European countries, the report provides a snapshot of children's lives, highlighting key challenges and progress. It identifies good practices, effective solutions, and country-specific recommendations to guide EU decision-makers and national governments in addressing children’s needs. We presented the flagship report to key EU decision-makers, including Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport in his first meeting as a newly confirmed Commissioner, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
