More than half of young people do not know their rights; push for improved education

Over half of young people between 12 and 18 years old are unaware of their own rights from the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This came forth from a survey of over 1,000 young people. The survey was conducted by State of Youth NL and the NGO Coalition for Children's Rights.

Children’s rights have been protected since the Netherlands signed the convention of the United Nations 30 years ago. Since then, the government have been obligated to inform young people about their rights. Children’s rights organizations, think that this is not happening enough.

The organizations think that young people who are well aware of their rights will also be better at sticking up for their rights. In addition, they feel knowledge about children’s rights and youth participation are crucial to meet the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, said the organizations.

The young people who participated in the survey gave the government a 3.8 out of 10 regarding how the government listens to their opinion, even though they have a right to this.

“The core of our democracy is participation. If the youngest generation is not involved in this, then the future of our society is at stake. Education about children’s rights is crucial. If you do not know what your rights are, then you can’t participate. Education about children’s rights should be mandatory for schools,” said Marc Dullaert of KidsRights, initiator of State of Youth.

Children’s rights organizations are calling on the government to follow the convention. They handed over a report to MPs on Tuesday. The report stated the concerns that young people have about compliance with their rights.