Advocacy

We identify new and neglected children’s rights violations to target with advocacy. We pursue areas where children’s rights are routinely abused, ignored or denied - and where our work can enact real change to the law and to people’s lives. We try not to duplicate the work of others, and instead join them by working in partnership, if we can be of help.

There is no "one size fits all" for our advocacy work because each issue comes with its own context. Sometimes it is about igniting a debate, promoting progressive ideas, improving existing policies or launching campaigns. We always aim to work collectively, and we support campaigners around the world to advocate for children’s rights in their regions, countries and societies.

Below you can find children’s rights advocacy work we are involved in. For more information about these activities, or if you would like our support, email us.

International advocacy

We work with key officials at the UN and in human rights bodies to get children’s rights on the agenda. We also submit our positions, research and evidence directly to human rights mechanisms, and encourage NGOs around the world to do the same. Recent submissions include:

  • Voting - submission for the Human Rights Council's forum on human rights, democracy and the rule of law (May 2018)
  • Digital rights - submission for OHCHR's report on the right to privacy in the digital age (April 2018)
  • Voting - submission for draft guidelines on the implementation of the right to participate in public affairs (February 2018)
  • Voting - submission for OHCHR's study on the implementation of the human rights of young people (January 2018)
  • Non-discrimination - submission on the draft General Comment of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on equality and non-discrimination (November 2017)
  • Human rights and the environment - submission for the Special Rapporteur's guidelines (November 2017)
  • Birth registration - submission for OHCHR's report on best practices on birth registration (October 2017)
  • Right to life - submission on the draft General Comment of the Human Rights Committee (October 2017)
  • Right to health - submission for the OHCHR report on the SDGs and the right to health.
  • Right to work and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals - submission for the OHCHR's report (September 2017)
  • Children's rights and the environment - submission for the report of the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment on children's rights and the environment (September 2017)
  • Children in institutions - submission on the CRPD's draft General comment on article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (July 2017)
  • Global review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development - submission for the OHCHR's report on children's rights (June 2017)
  • Sexual orientation and gender identity - submission to the report of the Independant Expert (June 2017)
  • Right of persons with disabilities to equality and non-discrimination - submission to the Day of General Discussion of the Committee on the rigths of persons with disabilities (June 2017)
  • Toxics and Human Rights - submission for the Special Rapporteur's guide on good practices (May 2017)
  • Access to justice - submission for the OHCHR's report on article 13 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • NHRIs - Submission for the report of the Secretary-General on national human rights institutions (April 2017).
  • Access to justice and slavery - Submission for the report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery on access to justice (April 2017).
  • Water and toxics - Submission for the report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation on the subject of regulation of water and sanitation services in the context of realisation of human rights (April 2017).
  • Non-refoulement - Submission on CAT's draft General Comment on non-refoulement (March 2017).
  • Juvenile justice - Submission for the OHCHR report on non-discrimination in the administration of justice (March 2017).
  • Children's rights and business - Submission on the draft General Comment of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on economic, social and cultural rights in the context of business activities (January 2017).
  • Climate change - Submission to the OHCHR for the report on climate change and the enjoyment of children's rights (December 2016).
  • Health and human rights - Submission to the High-Level Working Group on Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents (November 2016); Right to health submission to the OHCHR for the study on Children’s Right to Health, ahead of the 2013 Human Rights Council Annual Day on the Rights of the Child.
  • Access to justice - Submission to the OHCHR for the study on Access to Justice for Children, ahead of the 2014 Human Rights Council Annual Day on the Rights of the Child.
  • Business and children’s rights - Submission on the Draft General Comment by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding Child Rights in the Business Sector (August 2012)

For upcoming advocacy opportunities and deadlines, visit our events calendar.

Regional advocacy

For our work to be most effective, it must be collaborative. At CRIN, much of our work is about supporting advocates working regionally with new advocacy strategies, legal research and inspiration from other parts of the world. Our regional advocacy work depends on the context in each region and can include regional legal advocacy workshops, engaging with regional human rights mechanisms, producing research and policy reports, and developing networks of children’s rights activists.

See our latest regional advocacy resources below:

  • When the State doesnt care - A guide to accessing justice for violations of children's rights in care instituions in Eastern Europe and Southeatern Europe and the Caucasus.

National advocacy

We believe we are stronger when we work together. Local advocates are vital to the promotion and protection of children’s rights around the world - they know the local landscape in terms of who to speak to and how to best influence them - so we look for creative ways to support them in the work that they do. See how we support local NGOs in Pakistan, the United States and Yemen, as part of our work on the campaign against the inhuman sentencing of children.

We actively encourage people and organisations to undertake advocacy on new and emerging issues. See our advocacy guides and toolkits for help and advice on this.

Campaigns

We continue to launch and join campaigns to combat specific children's rights violations and other areas lacking attention. Find out about existing campaigns that CRIN is involved in and how to get involved. They include:

  • End inhuman sentencing of children - A campaign for the prohibition and elimination of inhuman sentencing of children across the world

  • Children’s rights - in whose hands? - A campaign for greater transparency in who gets the top jobs in children’s rights.

  • Deprivation of liberty - A campaign investigating the situation of children deprived of their liberty around the world.

  • Sexual violence - A campaign to end sexual violence with a focus on closed institutions where a lack of accountability, entrenched power structures and arcane institutions allow the abuse to continue.

Children’s rights violations are rife, and CRIN can’t possibly cover every issue. So we also support people and organisations to safely and effectively start their own children’s rights campaigns. 

Legal advocacy

We favour stronger forms of advocacy in some areas, including legal action, where traditional and "softer" advocacy methods  - such as report writing, lobbying officials, generating public support with the media - have failed to galvanise governments to act. By legal advocacy, we mean using the law and, where necessary, working to change it so it respects children’s rights. It can include 'strategic litigation' (taking a 'test case' to court to get a change in the law, or force a government to act) to lobbying for legislative change.

For more information on this, visit our law section.