Children's Rights

Local and regional authorities have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the safety and welfare of children and young people, working together with partners such as the third sector, public organisations and the private sector. To meet this challenge, the Congress aims to raise Europe’s towns and regions awareness of the issue, to develop and implement community-based action plans and strategies, and to invest in better services.

The Congress has devised a Pact of Towns and Regions to Stop Sexual Violence against Children which proposes measures and strategies to prevent abuse, protect victims, prosecute perpetrators, and ensure the full participation of children in the entire process.

The Pact "One in Five"

The Pact of Towns and Regions to Stop Sexual Violence against Children is a tool, launched at the initiative of Council of Europe Congress, that brings together the towns, regions and associations of towns and regions of many countries of Europe. The Pact proposes measures to prevent abuse, protect victims, prosecute perpetrators and ensure the full participation of children in the process as a whole.

Pact of Town of Regions website

Adopted Texts

Council of Europe Convention

Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention)

Council of Europe Strategy

Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027)

Congress pact to stop sexual violence against children

Seminar on the pact of towns and regions to stop sexual violence against children (13 June 2017, Belgrade, Serbia)
- Conclusions
Seminar on the pact of towns and regions to stop sexual violence against children (30 June 2015, Hertogenbosch, Netherlands)
- Conclusions
Towns and regions: a pact to stop sexual violence against children - A contribution of the Congress to the Council of Europe ONE in FIVE campaign
- Pact to stop sexual violence against children
The local and regional dimensions of the Council of Europe ONE in FIVE Campaign to stop sexual violence against children
- A Strategic Action Plan for the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Congress texts

Reception of women and children refugees in Europe’s cities and regions
- Report CG(2022)43-14 - Resolution 487 (2022) - Recommendation 481(2022)
Unaccompanied refugee children: the role and responsibilities of local and regional authorities
- Report CG34(2018)13 - Resolution 428 (2018) - Recommendation 414 (2018)
Championing children’s rights in times of austerity: Local and regional authorities’ responsibilities
- Report CG/2015(29)10 - Resolution 392 (2015) - Recommendation 382 (2015)
Regional legislation and action to combat sexual exploitation and abuse of children
- Report CPR(23)3 - Resolution 350 (2012) - Recommendation 332 (2012)
Preventing violence against children
- Report CG(17)9 - Resolution 289 (2009) - Recommendation 272 (2009)

News

Back Lanzarote Committee Meeting: “Local and regional authorities have a key role in protecting unaccompanied refugee children”, says Johan van den HOUT

Lanzarote Committee Meeting: “Local and regional authorities have a key role in protecting unaccompanied refugee children”, says Johan van den HOUT

« Local and regional governments are on the frontline of migrants’ reception, in particular unaccompanied refugee children,” stated Johan van den HOUT (Netherlands, SOC), Congress Spokesperson on Children, addressing the Lanzarote Committee on 21 June 2018, in Strasbourg. “With their families or alone, children are arriving in Europe seeking refugee from war, conflict and poverty. On their way to find a better life they are risking hardship, violence and abuse” he underlined.

Congress Spokesperson presented the report on “Unaccompanied Refugee Children – the role and responsibilities of local and regional authorities”, adopted by the Congress in March 2018. The report encourages member States to adopt a child-rights-based approach to maximise the respect of children’s best interests. It also underlines the special responsibility of local and regional authorities in giving unaccompanied refugee minors access to services, and in developing child-friendly procedures, for example in age-assessment.

M. van den HOUT also presented the positive results of the Pact of Towns and Regions to Stop Sexual Violence against Children. The Pact is a tool initiated by the Congress which provides a list of practical actions and policies to be implemented in order to set up child-friendly services, protect them and prevent them from any sexual violence they could be exposed to. The signatory cities undertake to develop initiatives in this direction. “All in all, 47 cities and provinces, 4 regions and 24 Non-Governmental Organisations and associations belonging to 21 different countries have already signed the PACT,” he noted.

INTERVIEW