Unhindered and full access of young people to rights is an essential element of a culture of human rights, democracy and rule of law. On 28 September 2016, the Committee of Ministers has adopted a new Recommendation for its member States to remove legal, political and social barriers to young people’s access to rights.
Barriers to accessing quality education, difficulties to secure stable and meaningful employment, insufficient capacity of social and health-care services to cater for the specific needs of young people, negative consequences of precarious life situations and a lack of opportunities for participation in the life of society are among key challenges facing young Europeans today.
The measures that member States should undertake to address them include investing in quality and inclusive education; encouraging “decently remunerated” internships and apprenticeships to facilitate smooth transitions from education to the labour markets; continuing to promote equal access to mobility for all young people, in particular volunteers, through wider use of existing European schemes and mobility programmes and simplified visa procedures; using the experience of youth organisations to address discrimination and intolerance. The Council of Europe also invites member States to provide health education; free, safe and personalised sexual and reproductive health services; services to support young people’s emotional development and well-being, ensure easy and timely access to mental health services, such as those tackling eating disorders and addictions; as well as free counselling for young people in need, including refugees and migrants.
The Council of Europe will follow-up on the implementation of this Recommendation by member States in five years.
Addressing the special needs of young people living in rural areas and disadvantaged neighbourhoods is one of the important aspects of the work member States should carry out. The challenges and ways to solve the problems that young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods face in accessing their social rights was the key theme of the event held at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg on 27-29 September 2016. The Seminar “Enter!: from Policy to Practice” explored the situation of young people affected by discrimination and social exclusion in the member States of the Council of Europe. About 40 participants from European countries discussed recent developments in youth work and made proposals for the further development and sustainability of another guidance document , Recommendation CM/Rec(2015)3, dealing specifically with the access of young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to social rights.