Articolul de mai jos vorbeste despre eforturile UE in directia stabilirii unei strategii comune in domeniul drepturilor copilului. De notat ca "modelul" romanesc de protectie a copilului este evidentiat in articol: "...even in EU Member States Bulgaria and Romania, children are twice as likely as adults to be victims of poverty." Halal model... :-( ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." (Carlo Goldoni)
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix) New Europe - The European Weekly http://www.neurope.eu/view_news.php?id=72931 A call to mainstream the rights of children 21 April 2007 - Issue : 726 European lawmakers said April 17 that EU policy-makers must acknowledge children as individuals, heed their concerns, and protect their rights. This was the main conclusion of a public hearing held at the European Parliament to help shape an EU strategy on the rights of the child. Violence in all its forms, including bullying, child abuse, and sexual abuse, is what worries children most, said the experts, parliament's news service reported. The meeting was co-organised by the Civil Liberties' Committee and seven other committees to help prepare Parliament's response to the Commission communication "Towards an EU strategy on the rights of the child." Representatives of EU institutions, international organisations and NGOs shared their views with MEPs. The need to mainstream consideration of children's needs in EU policies was stressed by Civil Liberties Committee Chairman Jean-Marie Cavada of France. It is "important to take stock of the children's rights situation in the European Union, to take account of children's rights systematically in our policies, in our strategies and in our programmes," he said. Cavada welcomed the Commission communication as a first step in the right direction, but noted that, unfortunately, "There is no specific legal basis that allows the European Union to act directly in this field." Civil Liberties Committee rapporteur Roberta Angelilli of Italy said she hoped that the strategy being developed would not merely be a strategy "against"," but instead would be "a positive strategy, which will affirm the fundamental positive rights of children and young people." ""Children may now systematically be considered as a self-standing concern in European Union budgets, policies, laws and programmes," said Marta Santos Pais, Director of the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. Santos Pais reminded the audience that "in spite of the progress made, the lives of millions of children continue to be marked by poverty," adding that even in EU Member States Bulgaria and Romania, children are twice as likely as adults to be victims of poverty. The EU needs "a global strategy" to tackle all problems related to children, acknowledged Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini, who announced that the first European Forum on children's rights, co-organised by the Commission and the Council Presidency, will be held on 4 June in Berlin. Their main concern is violence, in all its manifestations: bullying, child abuse, and sexual abuse, said Clare Feinstein of the international NGO "Save The Children," reporting on replies to an online consultation of 7-17 year-olds, that used a child-friendly version of the Commission paper. Other concerns included discrimination and social exclusion, the effects of alcohol and drugs and child poverty. Young people are aware that they can "help adults to understand issues important to children" and had even asked to be "directly involved in decision making," said Feinstein, suggesting that this could be done through a child rights specialist unit set up to assist EU lawmakers on permanent basis. Young people have far too little influence on the decision making process. "We are still lacking understanding their problems," the Culture Committee's shadow rapporteur, Lissy Groner of Germany said. Maja Eriksson, a member of the former Network of Experts on Fundamental rights, said that very few victims of child pornography and sexual abuse are given access to justice. She also pointed out that corporal punishment in the family is not prohibited by law in some Member States, such as Spain and Luxembourg. Copyright C The Media Company S.A. 2006
