Children and youth from 16 cities, united around the project “Connecting the Dots – Improving Children’s Rights,” researched among their peers which rights are least respected in their communities. They found that quality education, youth activism, and mental health protection through meaningful leisure activities are key issues they addressed through their local campaigns. The achievements of these campaigns were presented to decision-makers and representatives of the Children’s Council of BiH on International Children’s Day via the Coordination Platform.
The project “Connecting the Dots” addresses one of the biggest challenges regarding children’s rights – the lack of a child’s voice in the decision-making process on matters that concern them. With financial support from the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is implemented by the World Vision BH Foundation in partnership with the Association “Our Children” Sarajevo and the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH.
“One of the biggest problems/obstacles related to children’s rights in BiH is the lack of an appropriate, efficient, and agile coordination mechanism between government institutions, civil society organizations, and the academic community in our country. That is why we are very happy to have officially launched the Coordination Platform, which is integrated into the website of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees and contributes to solving this problem,” emphasized Nela Hukić, the project manager.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which our country has also signed, obliges decision-makers to ensure an environment where children can develop and express their own opinions and views. By improving children’s participation, we improve society as a whole and raise active citizens.
“We talk about children and for children every day. To all you adults who work with and for children, please do not give up on us,” said Sajra Kustura, representative of the Children’s Parliament Sarajevo.
