Child Participation
It is vital that child rights advocates engage effectively with the challenges and opportunities presented by CRSL – not only for children, but also with them.
Child-rights compliant
Child participation is crucial to ensuring that the project itself is child-rights compliant in its research methodology and that it makes a concrete contribution to child empowerment.
Child participation is therefore a key element of the project and takes several forms. These will be added to throughout the lifetime of the project.
Strategic Litigation
Strategic litigation carried out in the context of the thematic streams will incorporate participatory strategies and elements as appropriate – for example in collaborating with children to identify issues that should be the subject of CRSL under the auspices of the project.
A Child and Youth Advisory Group has been established to work alongside academic and advocacy experts to design, deliver and disseminate child-friendly project materials. Made with children and for children, a series of 4 toolkits about child rights strategic litigation and corresponding animations were developed for use by children who are involved in or interested in bringing child rights strategic litigation. They can also be used by lawyers and others seeking to support children through the strategic litigation process.
Child and Youth Advisory Group
Research
Research will consider the forms that child participation in CRSL and associate advocacy and communications can and should take. This work will draw directly on interviews with children currently or formerly involved in CRSL, and will consider not only the importance but also the risks of specific forms of participation.