Campaigners call for EU policy on rights for children

Children’s campaigners called for a children’s rights policy to be developed by the European Union today to help combat the dangers posed by a borderless Europe.

The European Children’s Network, a coalition of children’s organisations including Save the Children and the NSPCC, said that the union’s open borders made child trafficking easier and allowed child sex offenders to move between member states

The organisations, which made the comments in a report, said that although the primary responsibility for addressing children’s issues lay with EU member states, there was also an overall EU dimension to them that needed to be addressed.

They added that a children’s rights policy would encourage a greater exchange of good practice between member states and ensure that a child perspective was including in the creation of EU policies.

The report concludes that an EU commissioner or high level representative with responsibility for children should be appointed to provide overall leadership on implementing the policy.

What about us? Children’s Rights in the European Union next steps from: www.europeanchildrensnetwork.org <http://www.europeanchildrensnetwork.org>