(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In 2011, the UN finalized a supplement to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which allows children to appeal against violations of their own rights – both to the Norwegian authorities and to the UN Children's Committee in Geneva. So far, 29 countries have agreed to allow children to have this opportunity, including Denmark, Germany, Spain, Ireland and Finland. But Norway remains silent and cowardly. The government has said no, and now puts this opportunity in the drawer.
The main reason why the Government will not promote proposals for Norwegian accession to the appeals system is "that there is considerable uncertainty as to the consequences the schemes can have for Norway's political room for action, and a possible legalization of political issues". This is hair-raising thinking that should shock an entire population. Our children are the ones who should have the strongest rights protectors, but we fail – and that is because we want a political room for action to violate children's rights.
During the UN negotiations on the Protocol, Norway expressed fundamental concerns about an individual complaint system for children's rights. How could all this pass us by? Does today's government have a mandate to weaken children's rights both nationally and internationally, as they have done over the past year?
Embarrassing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents possible unfortunate consequences of the addition of the Children's Committee: to emphasize immigration regulatory and socio-economic considerations, and to make resource priorities from a broader refugee policy perspective. ”
It is unbelievably remarkable that our country is so cowardly and restrained in terms of human rights.
But tell me: What is meant by not wanting to have a strict interpretation of the best interests of the child in cases where the child himself experiences a violation of his rights?
I am embarrassed by the Foreign Ministry. I am embarrassed by their presentation of the case and by a child grievance mechanism. It is unbelievably remarkable that our country is so cowardly and restrained in terms of human rights. With a lack of appeal mechanism for anyone under the age of 18, we undermine children's right to be heard and have their say – a principle that is one of the pillars of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Such a gross violation of children's rights should be an obvious step, but rather be hidden away in a government-controlled government.
Take responsibility. This protocol will not grant new rights to children, but will enhance the enforcement of the rights that are already applicable to Norwegian law. In practice, this will mean that you get a correction when you have done something wrong. Should the case be that the consequence is a limited scope for political action, this would indicate that Norway's policy is not child-friendly. Fortunately, this proposal cannot be adopted by a government alone. The Storting now has a responsibility for ensuring that our children have the rights they are entitled to. It's time to take Norway's violation of children's rights personally!
Steen Nylander is the leader of PRESS – Save the Children Youth.
karoline@press.no
