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In the afternoon session on day 1 of the forum, the young people split into two groups to discuss the themes of the two working groups of the Day of General Discussion: Group 1: The child’s right to be heard in judicial and administrative proceedings The participants gave examples of how children can participate or are obstructed from participating in their countries and what they think is meaningful child participation. Some of these discussions are documented below: Child asylum seekers and trafficking In Norway, Nils said that when child asylum seekers come alone for protection, they tend to be no one’s responsibility they are treated as asylum seekers, and not as children first. There is a whole state department dealing with asylum seekers but they have no special competence to deal with children. Some have traumatic experiences and should be taken care of. The state department should have experience in psychology, they should know about children’s experiences in their country of origin, etc. The children's asylum applications are dealt with in a very random way and it can be years before they know about the decision. It is distressing not to know whether they will eventually be sent away or not. They are heard now (as new guidelines have been implemented) but not listened to properly. Emily (Canada) added that in Canada, asylum seekers are more likely to be accepted if they get help from NGOs, but it is not fair that NGOs are replacing the role of governments. There is a system of points (you can collect points if you speak English, etc). This seems unfair. Aissatou, from Senegal raised the issue of child trafficking. In West Africa, children disappear and are sexually exploited too. There are lots of child beggars as well. There are no strict controls, governments are not active enough. Nils, added that in Norway, child asylum seekers who disappear are neglected by the police and the government, unlike Norwegian children who disappear. These children could be trafficked into other country and exploited but no one will do anything about it. Asylum seeking children should be treated like other children. Illegal immigration and deportation Brenda, from the US, whose mother was deported back to Mexico, pointed out that in the United States, children had no say when their parents, illegal immigrants, are deported. Children have a right to a family and to stay with their parents. Children should be heard in matters concerning themselves but also in matters concerning their parents. The best interest of the child is to be with their parents. Children should not be separated from their families. Big decisions about families are made without consulting the children. Youth councils The participants agreed that youth councils are a good idea if they are valued properly and their work is taken into account. Maybe they should have a budget of their own, but it is necessary to limit bureaucracy and make them simple to operate. There should also be monitoring mechanisms. But they also need to be professional as for children to be respected and listened to by adults, they need to act like adults. Real child participation Emily (Canada) raised the issue of fair and meaningful child participation. Children who participate in the Day of General Discussion, she said, are actually hand picked by professionals for their experience and skills, acquired through years of commitment and hard work within an organisation. This is not real child participation. The process should be much larger and include less privileged or marginalised groups. In addition, a four year old and a 16 year old both have things to say. Emily also said that children are given this type of participation pportunities as long as they were under 18, but then they have to disappear off to college until they are allowed to participate in social and political processes again. Nils (Norway) then pointed out that once children turn 18, they are allowed to vote and work so gain new opportunities to participate in society. Group 2: Children’s active participation in society Working Group 2 discussed children’s active participation in society. The participants began by giving examples of participation in their own countries and then drafted some rules for ensuring children’s active participation in society. Some of these are documented below: How have you been an active participant in society and what is your view of this participation? In Wales, young people have run workshops in all local authorities across the country with the Save the Children Participation Unit. Their activities have included spending time with young people on the best ways of gathering information. This is now used instead of standard surveys. In addition, young people in Wales have developed standards for children’s participation. They can award organisations that they think hav e abided by standards that they set down a ‘kitemark’ or stamp of good practice. Eventually, only those organisations that have received this kitemark will be eligible for funding from the Welsh Assembly. In Bolivia, children have organised themselves at community, and then at regional and national level with the support of NGOs. The groups included children from rural and urban areas, children with disabilities, indigenous children etc. From these groups, they elected national representatives. On the 12th of April they formed a children’s parliament. On this day they were senators and members of parliament. They made laws, had sessions with the government, and approved laws that they had made earlier. The senators and members of parliament then approved these laws. In Paraguay there is a network of children and young people. This network is formed by children from all sectors of society. They oversee children’s rights nationally. There are different problems in different regions, so their work is tailored to each region. Organised at local, regional and national level. They are engaged in electoral processes. The network organised themselves to submit proposals to candidates in their region. They do not just give them the proposals, the candidate has to sign a document, a pledge that they will integrate young people’s ideas into their political activities. There is a high rate of participation in Paraguay. The problem is that often politicians do not listen to young people. Ideas about rules that should be created to ensure children’s participation in schools and communities: Further information