When the European Commission set out its strategic objectives for the period 2005-2009, it made a very particular recognition of the need to respect and promote child rights, while at the same time take action to address their basic needs. Protection of the rights of children thus became a top priority for the EU.
It became clear that children's rights must be integrated into the different policies and programmes related to development co-operation, and that the EU will have to take these rights into consideration in the conduct of its own policies. The EU also committed to better supporting its members in their efforts to improve children's rights.
In 2006, an official document - or Communication - was adopted, called "Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child", marking the beginning of the process to develop a long-term EU strategy on children.
This Communication will impact many policy areas, such as child protection, child welfare and children in development co-operation. And it clearly points out that children living with poor parents or children who cannot live with their parents are particularly exposed to poverty, exclusion and discrimination. It also stresses that parental poverty and social exclusion are factors which seriously limit children's opportunities and access to their rights.
From the beginning of this process, the European Commission enthusiastically welcomed the contribution of the civil society sector, and SOS Children's Villages was an active member of the coalition of NGOs that regularly contributed to the development of this document. Today, the organisation remains involved in the follow-up of this new strategy through its participation in the
NGO Action Group on the EU's Child Rights Strategy.
The new EU framework on child rights opens doors for NGOs to co-operate in the fields of child rights, both among themselves, and closely with EU institutions. For SOS Children's Villages it brings the chance to participate in the drafting of those EU policies and programmes and to improve children's living conditions, both in Europe and beyond.