Council of Europe

Children’s Rights

The programme “Building a Europe for and with children” was launched in 2006 in response to a mandate resulting from the Third Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Warsaw 2005). The programme, which is run by the Children’s Rights Division, is aimed at helping all stakeholders to design and implement national strategies for the protection of children's rights and the prevention of violence against children.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a strategy for 2012-2015 focusing on four main objectives:

• promoting child-friendly services and systems (in the areas of justice, health and social services);
• eliminating all forms of violence against children (including sexual violence, trafficking, corporal punishment and violence in schools);
• guaranteeing the rights of children in vulnerable situations (such as those with disabilities, in detention, in alternative care, migrant or Roma children)
• promoting child participation.

In overseeing the implementation of the Strategy for this 4-year period, the Children’s Rights Division will seek to ensure that these objectives are fulfilled without discrimination. In fact, the Strategy confirms that “the Council of Europe will continue to protect the rights of (…) child victims of discrimination based on (…) birth or other status such as sexual orientation or gender identity”.

In this regard, it should be noted in particular that:

• Article 2 of the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of 25 October 2007 (also know as the “Lanzarote Convention”) explicitly prohibits discrimination on the ground inter alia of “sexual orientation”.
• The fundamental principles of the Committee of Ministers’ Guidelines on Child-Friendly Justice of 17 November 2010 foresee that “The rights of children shall be secured without discrimination on any grounds such as (…) sexual orientation, gender identity or other status”.
• The fundamental principles of the Committee of Ministers Recommendations CM/Rec(2011)12 on children’s rights and social services friendly to children and families and CM/Rec(2012)2 on the participation of children and young people under the age of 18 also explicitly include protection against discrimination on the ground inter alia of “sexual orientation”.

The Children’s Rights Division will implement the Strategy mentioned above by mobilising and co-ordinating the contribution of all Council of Europe bodies and institutions and by consolidating partnerships with other international organisations, professional networks and civil society at large. Those interested in cooperating with the Children’s Rights Division in implementing the Strategy in particular as to the protection of children against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity are invited to contact children@coe.int

• Interview with Mr Nigel Warner, ILGA-Europe’s Council of Europe adviser