Families key to safeguarding children's rights, says Caritas

Are governments doing their utmost to ensure that children's rights to education, housing, healthcare are being met? Are they doing enough to provide children with freedom from exploitation and abuse? Are they funnelling the necessary resources into social and public policies that benefit and protect children? These questions were asked by Caritas at this year's Committee on the Rights of the Child's Day of General Discussion on 21 September.

According to a Caritas release last week, the event was organised around the theme "Resources for the Rights of the Child - Responsibility of States". It drew around 120 representatives from United Nations bodies, NGOs, human rights institutions, governments, and civil society to Geneva to deepen discussion on how governments allocate and use available resources to the fullest to safeguard children's economic, social, and cultural rights.

Adriana Opromolla, Social Policy Officer at Caritas Europa, was part of the Caritas delegation. She spoke of the importance of putting the family first in guaranteeing the rights of the child.

"The development of the child generally begins in the home," said Ms Opromolla. "Good development requires families to have sufficient means, living standards, and access to services, but also social engagement."

Child poverty, she explained, is not just the lack of economic resources. "When families lack the necessary social contacts, they become excluded from their neighbours, from their communities. They become more vulnerable, which puts children even more at risk," she said.

"For good development, children need to feel that they are equal to those around them. That is why it is so important for governments to invest in policies that not only focus on child poverty, but on supporting families to ensure sufficient household incomes and social participation."

When it comes to government spending, however, there is a disturbing global trend. World military expenditures, now topping 120 billion USD annually, dwarf social sector spending. According to the International Peace Bureau, global military spending surpasses what is required to meet the Millennium Development Goals by ten times.

In the end, much comes down to political will. The rulings by international human rights institutions are clear. It is unacceptable for governments to use a lack of resources as an excuse for inaction on protecting and promoting the rights of children.

Ms Opromolla said, "We weren't pointing out anything totally new, just reminding governments and the UN that these problems still need to be addressed. But I left feeling there was serious interest and commitment on behalf of the members of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child towards the suggestions that we were making."