EU Forum On Children's Rights Kicks Off, Highlights Detention Issues, Migration, Violence

The two-day European Forum on the rights of the child has kicked off in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, touching upon such issues as children's detentions, violence toward refugee and migrant minors, child pornography and problems of underage teenagers and babies born to jihadi parents who moved to the Middle East

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2019) The two-day European Forum on the rights of the child has kicked off in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, touching upon such issues as children's detentions, violence toward refugee and migrant minors, child pornography and problems of underage teenagers and babies born to jihadi parents who moved to the middle East.

April 2-3, the European Commission welcomes in Brussels the "12th European Forum on the rights of the child," It is an annual conference drawing key actors from EU member states, international organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), non-governmental organizations, children's ombudspersons from different countries and others.

For the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child there are a number of issues to deal with. They include mutilation of children, their sex exploitation and child pornography.

Two key issues have been cropped up since the start of the decade. First of all, it is violence toward children as a result of wars in the Middle East, violence towards children involved in migration. The second one involves the dangers of the internet, which includes cyber grooming, revenge pornography, sex extortion and suicides.

Vera Jourova, European commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality, as well as Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, a member of the European Parliament and coordinator and spokesperson for the rights of the child, called for unity to deal with children's issues.

"Together is the key word. Not only saving children from crimes, but giving them roots for their future," Bildt stated.

Bildt stressed that Europe is no longer a safe haven. Even European member states legislation is sometimes going backward in the field of child protection, she noted, adding that children work on European streets like actual slaves.

A key issue of the forum was also the problem of children born in Syria or Iraq from jihadi parents, and who are now with their mothers or alone in refugee camps. The authorities of the areas where they are stationed asked the European countries of origin of the parents to take the children, often born in war zones, and their mothers back to the country of origin in Europe.

'WE ARE THE FUTURE:' YOUNGSTERS SPEAK UP AT THE FORUM

A conference on the rights of children is of course required to let some representatives of the group they are talking about speak up. Three children - girls of about 16-17 years old - were asked to speak.

Lucia, from Croatia, stressed that opinion of only about half the respondents is heard by their parents, at school or at the national level in their country.

"When they change the school system, did I have a say in that, asks a youngster? No I did not!" Lucia, who is a member of her city council, said.

The young activist mentioned the migrant crisis that rocked Europe back in 2015. She stressed that "we should help each other, we should solve the migrant problem and give people their rights, wherever they are born."

"Take care of the children, because the children will take care of you when they grow," she noted.

Chandle, a Dutch-born black girl, is a member of the UNICEF youth panel.

After having just finished high school, she wants to become a teacher.

"We should welcome migrants and be positive to these people who come into our communities. Some adults struggle to welcome them, but others refuse. Young people are much more welcoming. Making new friends is very important. Children should be put in the same schools, regardless of the language barriers," she said.

She also touched upon such an issue as suicide among children. "[I want] every child to be happy, not just smiling, with loving family members around. We are the future," she concluded.

"If I had a magic wand, I would suppress suicides of children," Lica, one more child speaker at the forum, added. She cited statistics, saying that that there are 3 suicides of youngsters per day in the European Union.

DETENTION OF CHILDREN, UNACCOMPANIED MINOR MIGRANTS, THORNY ISSUES

A number of experts also took the stage to cover several other issues children are facing today. Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics, during her speech stated that the official goal of the European Union is to end all violence toward children by 2030.

Manfred Nowak, an independent expert at the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, highlighted the problem of children imprisonment. He explained that "prison does not create empathy in the public."

"People do not feel anything for people who have been locked up, whatever the reason, whatever the kind of place where they are. It can be a prison; it can be a migrant detention center. They do not care: these individuals must have done something wrong to get this treatment, and that is it," Nowak said.

The modern approach is not to put children in institutions anymore, but seek more foster housing, with family, Nigel Cantwell, founder of NGO Defence for Children International, said.

"There is a lack of 10,000 foster-carers in the UK alone. So it is not panacea. Evidence shows that even if it is very desirable, it is very difficult with some problem-children that sometimes go successively to 20 families!" he stressed.

Nowak added that "it is true - even in the European legislation - that a child can be detained for education and supervision."

"The challenge of what to do with the migrating children ... is important. But there are always alternatives to the institutionalization of these child refugees ... They come to Europe to seek protection; they do not need to be locked up," he concluded.

Martina Erb, a local court judge from Hamm/North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, was another speaker who highlighted the issue of children's detention. She explained to the audience that she very often has to deal with court family proceedings, whether the migrants/refugees are lawful or not.

"Parents always declare that they are honorable and what they do is only in the best interest of the child. This is not true, it is often their own interest which is their priority," she stated.

The forum continues on Wednesday and will again deal with children in migration, child's rights in the digital world and youngsters in the EU political world, according to the program.