35 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - It's time to empower young people

This year, the Convention on the Rights of the Child turns 35, and since 2020 it has been Swedish law. It is high time we took our responsibility and gave children and young people real influence. To fulfill the rights of all children and show that we take the Convention seriously, it is not enough that we work for children, we must work with them.

This year's Youth Barometer report shows that more and more young people feel that they have little or no opportunity to influence society. At the same time, political engagement among young people and their confidence in politicians' ability to tackle societal challenges is declining.

Five years ago, Erikshjälpen started its first "Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad". Today, we work in six neighborhoods and engage children, young people and parents to equalize unequal growing conditions.

During Almedalen, we were present at Barnrättstorget together with young people from Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad in Gränby, Uppsala. In two seminars, we highlighted experiences and lessons learned from our first five years. Together with politicians and other social actors, we talked about how it is possible to create conditions for young people to participate in the social debate, but also about how Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad encourages and safeguards the will that young people have to change society.

The need for both urgent and long-term solutions to equalize growing conditions and reduce social inequalities is obvious. Not least to prevent more young people from being recruited into criminal gangs. The government has also come up with several action plans in the area, both repressive and preventive. We at Erikshjälpen are concerned that some of the repressive proposals risk reducing confidence in both authorities and other social actors. But also lead to increased discrimination and stigmatization, something we also highlighted at our seminars in Almedalen.

It is not only about the future of our young people, but also about the life they deserve to live today. A life in a democratic and safe society with equal conditions where they can feel confident about the future. If there is one thing that Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad has learned during its first years, it is how crucial it is for children and young people to be involved in identifying solutions to meet the challenges facing society. This applies to all areas related to crime, increasing inequality, segregation, exclusion and the increased mental health we see throughout the country.

The consequences of segregation are clearly visible in reports and statistics. Opinions on the causes and solutions to the problems vary. But for those of us who meet children every day, it is clear how powerful the power of change is when we involve them.

So let's listen to children and give them the voice they deserve. It is not just a matter of fairness, but a necessity if we are to break the downward spiral together and create a stronger and more democratic society.

Author: 

Mattias Ingeson
Secretary General, Erikshjälpen

Birgitta Johansson
Head of Sweden, Erikshjälpen