Regional challenges affecting children’s access to their rights

Eurochild joined an exchange between Eurochild members in Flanders and Catalonia to share pressing issues for children’s rights in each regions.

On 27 June 2024, Eurochild joined an exchange organised by the Taula Tercer Sector, a coalition of non-profit organisations working in Catalonia, in Ghent, Belgium. The exchange involved Eurochild members: the Child Rights Coalition Flanders and the Child Rights Knowledge Centre (KeKi), FEDAIA, and Pere Tarrés Foundation. Representatives from FEPA – a network for housing and integration for young people, and the Catalan Autism Network also shared their perspectives.

The purpose of the exchange was to share practices and challenges for the fulfilment of children’s rights at regional, national, and European levels. Topics included child poverty, threats to civic space, and navigating new political realities:

• Increased number of children growing up in poverty, and its intersections with education, housing, and mental health concerns;
• Working with media professionals and journalists to raise public awareness around children’s rights;
• Engaging beyond our usual public audiences on social media and encountering strong kick-back against children’s rights – there is a need for more humane stories to convey the importance of supporting children access their rights, including in migration;
• Increased right-wing politics in Europe, and navigating this new reality as civil society – how do we engage without being instrumentalised, or do we not engage?;
• While EU-level action can feel very far from the local level, it can be an important source of support, especially in response to increased threats to civic space;
• Funding for civil society, and exploring partnerships together – the EU’s Citizen Equality Rights and Values programme can be a source of support for Eurochild members and wider civil society working with and for children’s rights;
• Ever-present need for more data. In Flanders there is an established youth research platform, but very little focus on children’s rights currently.

These discussions reflect the reality of what we as civil society are unpacking and navigating together as we work to make sense of the new political landscape in Europe and the EU for the new political legislature 2024-2029. As a European network, Eurochild strives to support child rights civil society and elevate the voices of children in decision-making.

Contact our members for more information on their work:

• Eva Kestermans, Communications Officer at the Child Rights Coalition Flanders;
• Elisenda Xifre, President of the FEDAIA network;
• Jesús Delgado, Head of Strategic Projects at the Pere Tarrés Foundation;
• From Eurochild team, contact Ciaran O’Donnell, Partnerships and Programmes Coordinator.