Presented by Merve Tiregul, Olimpia Guidi, Ruth Tesfay and Veronica Grazzi
The right to development for children refers to ensuring that children have access to the necessary conditions for their holistic growth and well-being, encompassing economic, social, political, and cultural dimensions. The planetary crisis, including the climate emergency, biodiversity collapse, and widespread pollution, poses an immediate danger to children’s rights worldwide. Nations have an obligation to address environmental harm and climate change due to the adverse effects of environmental degradation on the enjoyment of children’s rights. As the Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines, children’s rights extend to environmental protection, entitling children to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. i States should take measures to ensure that children are protected from foreseeable premature or unnatural death and threats to their lives and enjoy their right to life with dignity. Such measures include adopting and effectively implementing environmental standards, for example, those related to air and water quality, food safety, lead exposure and greenhouse gas emissions, and all other adequate and necessary environmental measures that protect children’s right to life. Moreover, children have the right to quality education that enables their intellectual, emotional, and social development. However, the right to education is particularly susceptible to the effects of environmental harm. ii This susceptibility can lead to school closures, interruptions in education, increased dropout rates, and damage to school facilities and recreational spaces.
One notable approach in Romania is the establishment of youth councils at the local level. These councils serve as platforms for young people to voice their opinions, propose initiatives, and engage in decision-making processes on issues affecting them and their communities. xiii Through these councils, young people have the opportunity to contribute actively to local governance and advocate for policies that address their needs and concerns. xiv Additionally, Romania has implemented educational programs to promote civic engagement and participatory citizenship among children and youth. xv
The prevalence of anti-Gypsyism, as highlighted in the ECRI’s 2019 Report on Romania, perpetuates bias and exacerbates social marginalisation, with Roma individuals enduring unjust labels and unfair associations with criminality. xix
The national Roma integration strategy addresses these challenges by prioritising education, employment, healthcare, and housing. Recognising Roma as an official ethnic minority, the strategy focuses on ensuring school attendance, especially for Roma girls, and ending school segregation. xx However, poverty rates among children remain high, with nearly 30% enduring poverty spanning three to four years. This issue is especially prominent in rural areas where one out of every two children lives in poverty. xxi Romania’s efforts to integrate Roma children into early childhood education and care and promote Roma entrepreneurship signify steps toward inclusion, yet persistent poverty highlights the need for sustained action and targeted policies.
References
i United Nations – Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2023). General comment No. 26 (2023) on children’s rights and the environment, with a special focus on climate change. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/crccgc26general-comment-no-26-2023-childrens-rights
ii ibid
xiii Stănuș, C., & Pop, D. (2021). Local State-Society Relations in Romania. Close Ties in European Local Governance: Linking Local State and Society, 319-335. Available at:https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-44794-6_22
Ibid.
xv Alfirević, N., Arslanagić-Kalajdžić, M., & Lep, Ž. (2023). The role of higher education and civic involvement in converting young adults’ social responsibility to prosocial behaviour. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 2559. Available at:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-02329562-4
xix Council of Europe. (2019). ECRI Report on Romania (Fifth Monitoring Cycle). https://rm.coe.int/fifth-report-on-romania/168094c9e5
xx European Commission. (n.d.). Romania – Facts and figures. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-andfundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eucountry/romania_en#:~:text=National%20strategy%20for%20Roma%20integration,-
Romania’s%20top%20priorities&text=In%20Romania%2C%20the%20Roma%20are,and%20ending%20segregation%20in%20schools.
xxi The World Bank & UNICEF. (2017). Romania: Children in public care. https://www.unicef.org/romania/sites/unicef.org.romania/files/2019-04/Romania_Children_in_Public_Care_2014.pdf
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