A-1 Children's Participation Rights

Buller Hall 108

This paper presents an overview of the concept of children’s participation from a human rights perspective, using the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child as framework. It emphasizes the importance of children’s active participation in decisions and actions that relate to their advancement and that of their community. Drawing on examples primarily from Haiti, the paper proposes three basic rationales for children’s participation: 1) historically, they are key actors of social and political changes; 2) their participation enhances order and stability; and 3) their participation enhances provision and protection rights. As right-holders, children should not be treated as mere recipients of ideas, policies or interventions generated unilaterally by professionals, but be part of the reflections and decisions that inform social policies aiming to improve their lives.