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Europe can't afford to disregard children's rights: CoE

Xinhua, April 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

European governments can't afford to put children's rights on the backburner in today's difficult environment, participants at a Council of Europe (CoE) conference in Sofia said Tuesday.

Kicking off in the Bulgarian capital Sofia Tuesday, the conference saw the launch of the new CoE Strategy for the Rights of the Child for 2016-2021, according to a statement issued by the Strasbourg-based CoE.

CoE sets out five priorities for its 47 member states to guarantee the rights of the child: equal opportunities, participation of children in decisions about their lives, providing children with a life free from violence, child-friendly justice, and their rights in digital media.

The documents gives guidance to CoE countries on how to counter the risks posed by the refugee crisis, such as children falling prey to traffickers, subjected to hate speech and xenophobia, and enduring everyday hardships.

Poverty, inequality and social exclusion, as well as internet dangers, such as online sexual abuse and cyber-bullying, also pose risks to children in Europe, the conference was told.

Bulgaria's foreign minister Daniel Mitov, who is also chairperson of the CoE Committee of Ministers, stressed that the flexible nature of the strategy was crucial for successfully upholding the rights of children.

"The strategy has been conceived to ensure that new challenges to children's rights can also be addressed as and when they arise, be they related to new trends in sexual abuse, to technological developments or other areas where children's rights are being put at risk," he said.

"Not only are children full holders of human rights, they are also the future guardians of human rights," added CoE deputy secretary general Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni. "Keeping Europe anchored in democracy, universal human rights and the rule of law is our generation's great challenge. But let's be clear, it will be up to the next generation to complete the task," she continued.

The two-day event brings together more than 300 participants in high-level delegations from CoE member states, as well as children of 15-18 years from all over Europe. As current chair of the CoE Committee of Ministers, Bulgaria has identified children's rights as one of its priorities. Enditem