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Young activists share their vision for human rights
19 February 2024
Anghelina, Anna Katherina, Doris and Fran have a common vision for their future and the future of human rights.
For Anna Katherina, a 17-year-old defender from Venezuela, there is no question that human rights are inherent to everyone.
“They are not something you earn or win, they are something you are born with and that everyone should have,” she said. “Even though we have documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that state that every human can access those rights, the reality is completely different sometimes.”
Anna Katherina explained that her engagement stemmed from being a victim of bullying from a young age because of her family’s social and economic status – they live in a poor area of her city. Two years ago, she started her activism against bullying to help other children experiencing similar violence.
“[Children] have the capacity to talk about what affects us and challenges our daily lives. It's important that not only people who work on human rights and children's rights advocate for us, but that we are also given the space for us to talk about what happened to us,” she said.
Anna Katherina was speaking on the side lines of the Human Rights 75 High-Level event that took place in December 2023 in Geneva to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She and three other young activists hailing from the four corners of the world came together with UN Human Rights in 2023 through the Children’s Advisory Team of the NGO Child Rights Connect to promote the Human Rights 75 Initiative, and build the capacity of other children who, like them, wish to engage with world leaders and UN Human Rights in strengthening their human rights.
Her modest origins were also the reason why Doris, a 15-year-old from Zambia, wanted to focus her interests on the economy, education and human rights. Living in a “shanty compound” in Kabwe district, north of the capital Lusaka, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke, she realised that she had no other choice but to make her own voice heard to bring change to her community.
Participating in the Human Rights 75 event in Geneva gave her a more direct connection to global decision-makers, “the people who can actually help us,” Doris said.
“Children do have stories to tell, but they don't have platforms on which they can share their stories,” she added. “When I first started my advocacy four years ago, I would never see changes. I would return from school, tired, and talk to local leaders about people needing food. They would agree to meet with me but did nothing about the situation.”
Doris (left) and Anna Katherina (right) sitting at a desk in front of a microphone after an interview on the side lines of the Human Rights 75 forum, December 2023, Geneva, Switzerland. © OHCHR/Irina Popa
“Children’s rights are human rights but not all institutions have that perspective. They usually talk about children’s rights, but we have no actions,” said Anghelina, a sixteen-year-old from Moldova.
“Participation in the Human Rights 75 forum was designed for all civil society, institutions, governments and country representatives to take our voices on global issues into consideration and allow us to participate in decision making processes regarding our own rights and global issues.”
Anghelina started her human rights defender journey at 14, spurred by her own experiences of injustices and human rights violations. Now a prominent member of the UN Adolescent Youth Panel in Moldova, she also serves as an ambassador for the “Block the hatred, share the love” EU program. Anghelina believes that children play a crucial role in shaping their future and has pioneered child-friendly processes and actively involved more young people in political and human rights decision-making processes.
“The rights of children are in crisis all over the world. In Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, children are suffering the most. We cannot just send out messages on social media, we need to do real actions and involve children that have gone through the same experiences,” Anghelina said.
Anghelina (right) and Fran (left) sitting at a table with a microphone, December 2023, Geneva, Switzerland. © OHCHR/Irina Popa
Fran is a 15-year-old from Opatija, Croatia. With its Children’s City Council that was instituted 21 years ago, he calls Opatija a “child-friendly city,” where young people’s views are considered. In addition to his work with the Children’s Advisory Team, he is part of the National Eurochild Forum of Croatia and the Mediterranean Children’s Movement. His main focus is promoting children’s rights, including their right to participation at the local, national and international levels.
“The world has changed a lot these past few years. It is becoming a new place for all of us. Some adults might have forgotten how it was to be a child, but if they listen to them, they will remember those beautiful places in childhood,” Fran said. “It is important for children to be present at this event because we can voice our opinions on what we think about the world today and what we want to make of it.”
Throughout 2023, the Child Advisors have worked with Child Rights Connect and UN Human Rights to develop child-friendly materials to promote the Human Rights 75 Initiative and build the capacity of children worldwide to engage in the initiative. The resources developed by the Child Advisors and Child Rights Connect include an information sheet on UN Human Rights and a child-friendly version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“This project with Child Rights Connect and their Child Advisors allowed us to bring the voices of children from around the world to the heart of the Human Rights 75 Initiative,” said Imma Guerras-Delgado, UN Human Rights’ Coordinator of the Child and Youth Rights Unit. “We were able to hear directly from children about what is needed to make a fairer future for all with human rights at the centre.”
The Child Advisors, Child Rights Connect and UN Human Rights also co-designed a global children’s survey whose findings were summarised in the Children’s Vison for Human Rights report that they presented during the Human Rights 75 High-Level event. In the report, the Child Advisors ask the Office to increase its collaboration with children as equal stakeholders and contributors at international, national and local levels; expand the UN’s geographic outreach to ensure equitable participation of all children in the UN’s work; provide children with human rights training, information and financial and technical support online and offline in accessible languages and formats; and strengthen human rights knowledge and awareness for children and adults at the community level.
“The Human Rights 75 Initiative and the collaboration between UN Human Rights and our Children's Advisory Team has been a great example of meaningful child participation and of child rights mainstreaming within the UN system. Our child advisors were able to work on various aspects of the initiative, from creating child-friendly documents to participating in focus group discussions with UN Human Rights by assisting with the interpretation of the data collected from children for the "Children's vision for human rights report," said Alex Conte, Executive Director of Child Rights Connect.
“We warmly welcome the efforts of UN Human Rights in ensuring that children are integrated in their work and for giving them participation opportunities throughout the UDHR75 initiative.”
