Romanian Institute for Human Rights
Children, youth
Qualitatively different from the rights of adults, the rights of the child are legislated in a number of documents, binding or non-binding, with universal or regional applicability, which lay down principles, standards and norms that signatory States are bound to observe in relation to the children and the young on their territories, whatever their status (citizens, residents, refugees, asylum seekers, who are raised by their parents or by their own or their adoptive family, in caring centres, etc.).
One of these documents particularly stands out, in a way crowning the evolution of society and the socio-juridical thinking related to the youngest representatives of the human race: the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A number of documents regulating the rights of the child and the youth were also adopted at regional, European level. All documents, irrespective of their magnitude or applicability level – international, regional or national documents – have as fundamental principle the child’s best interest, which has to come first under any circumstances.
Recommendations made to Romania by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
- International Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Optional Protocol to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
- Convention of the Hague on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children (adopted on 19 October 1996 and in force since 1 January 2002)
- ILO Convention No. 138 – Minimum Age Convention
- ILO Convention No. 182/1999 on the prohibition and the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, as a matter of urgency.
- European Convention on the Adoption of Children (ETS 58)
- European Convention on the Legal Status of Children born out of Wedlock (ETS 85)
- European Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions concerning Custody of Children and on Restoration of Custody of Children (ETS 105)
- Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (ETS 201)
- European Convention on the Adoption of Children (Revised) (ETS 202)
- Law No. 63 of 12 May 2014 amending and supplementing Law No. 369/2004 on the implementation of the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction adopted in the Hague on 25 October 1980, to which Romania acceded under Law No. 100/1992
- Law No. 252 of 14 December 2010 on the ratification of Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, adopted In Lanzarote on 25 October 2007 and signed by Romania in Lanzarote on 25 October 2007 ro
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Law No. 272 of 21 June 2004 on the protection and promotion of the rights of the child
- Drepturile copilului şi tânărului (Rights of the child and the young), IRDO, Bucureşti, 1998
- Drepturile copilului şi tânărului (Rights of the child and the young), vol. I, Documente internaţionale (International documents), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2002 ro
- Drepturile copilului şi tânărului (Rights of the child and the young), vol. II, Documente interne (National documents), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2002 ro
- Drepturile copilului şi tânărului (Rights of the child and the young), vol. I, Documente internaţionale (International Documents), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2003
- Drepturile copilului şi tânărului (Rights of the child and the young), vol. II, Documente interne (National documents), ediţia a II-a revizuită şi adăugită (2nd edition, revised and supplemented) , IRDO, Bucureşti, 2004
- Drepturile copilului şi tânărului (Rights of the child and the young), vol. I, Documente internaţionale International documents), ediţia a III-a revizuită şi adăugită 3rd edition, revised and supplemented), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2005
- Drepturile copilului (Rights of the child), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2008
- Drepturile copilului. Drepturile mele (Rights of the child. My rights), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2008
- Drepturile copilului (Rights of the child), ediţia a II-a (2nd edition), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2011
- S’cool Agenda 2012-2013 (Romanian version) achieved in the framework of the collaboration between the Romanian Institute for Human Rights, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the Agency of the European Commission in Romania, FRA, 2012
- Drepturile copilului – 365 (Rights of the child – 365), IRDO, Bucureşti, 2014 ro
- Ghid privind prevenirea situațiilor de violență asupra copiilor și tinerilor din centrele rezidențiale, IRDO, București, 2022
June 27
The online portal QBebe, which organizes seminars addressed to parents and future parents, entitled “The Responsible Parents’ School” held its last summer event entitled “The technology class” on Wednesday 27 June.
As a result of the collaboration with the Romanian Institute for Human Rights, the latter was invited on this occasion to dwell on the topic “The right to information and the responsibilities it implies for the online environment”.
June 5
The slogan established by the United Nations Organization to celebrate the World Environment Day is “Beat Plastic Pollution” which aims at raising public awareness about the fact that plastic pollution is one of today’s biggest challenges, the statistics showing that in 2050 there will be more plastic debris in the oceans than fish.
In order to mark this day, the Romanian Institute for Human Rights organized, in partnership with Foundation “Adolescenţa” in Ploieşti, and College “Spiru Haret” in Ploieşti, an event on “The planet needs a healthy environment”, attended by 9th grade students together with their tutoring teachers. The purpose of the event was to make students realize environment issues, and to promote a ‘green’ economy and lifestyle both amongst adults and youngsters and children.
May 30
The Romanian Institute for Human Rights participated in the sessions of the National Symposium on “STOP Bullying. Say NO to intimidation - examples of good practices”, organized in partnership by the Cluj County School Inspectorate, the Teachers’ Training Centre in Cluj, and the Cluj Centre of Educational Resources and Assistance.
The Project, that has seen its third edition and is included in the Calendar of National Education Activities (C.A.E.N.), Interdisciplinary section, has the purpose to prevent and combat violence and intimidation behaviour in schools.
May 15 - The International Day of Families
On 15 May, on occasion of the International Day of Families, Economic College “Virgil Madgearu” of Ploieşti hosted the event on “The family: educators and suppliers of human rights”, organized by the Romanian Institute for Human Rights in partnership with Foundation “Adolescenţa” and the Economic College “Virgil Madgearu” of Ploieşti. The main purpose of the event was to point out the importance of the family in the education of young people and promote the family’s values: equality, love, respect, the fair distribution of household tasks and the fight against all forms of violence against women, children, elderly persons.
May 10
On occasion of Europe Day, National College “Octav Onicescu” in Bucharest organized, in partnership with the RIHR, in the framework of the College’s European Club, a dissertation and debate session devoted to human rights, the European values and the future of youth in the European Union.
April 21
Earth Day (April 22) was celebrated in advance, on Friday 20 April, with two primary school classes in a school in Bucharest. The event was organized in the framework of a partnership between RIHR and Carrefour.
By this triple partnership, RIHR aims, on the one hand, to encourage social responsibility and play the role of mediator for the consolidation of collaboration at community level between various social actors (school, parents, institutions, local companies) and, on the other hand, to point out the need for efforts to make children engage, from an early age, into a relationship of respect for the environment.
February 13-March 13
As every year the Safer Internet Day is celebrated in February, this year two classes of eighth grade students from Secondary School “Prof. Ion Vişoiu” were invited to reflect on the potential danger to violate children’s rights that the virtual world - search engines, online games, social networking websites, online chat rooms - may contain. By means of small cards presenting hypothetical situations, the students were encouraged to analyze various issues, depending on the card they received, and show what the violated right was and, particularly, what their reactions would have been and what measures could have been taken to signal or to solve the problem.
February 7
At the headquarters of Philanthropic Foundation “Metropolis”, which hosts a large number of children in distress, RIHR sustained a mini-debate on “How do I react in case of a conflict?”
January 30
On the International School Day of Non-Violence and Peace, the Romanian Institute for Human Rights organized, in partnership with Secondary School No. 88 in Bucharest, a workshop devoted to the understanding of the mechanism of conflicts, types of conflicts and the various forms of violence. The event was meant to raise children’s awareness about the responses that may entail a violent denouement and make them find non-violent solutions to any dispute.
Recommendations made to Romania by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Romania’s periodic evaluation on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was made at the 75th session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (May-June 2017). Following an analysis of Romania’s 5th Periodic Report, the United Nations Committee took notice of the progress achieved since the previous evaluation in several fields related to the rights of the child and welcomed the re-establishment of the National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of the Child and Adoption, as well as the adoption of new laws and institutional measures and of policies related to the rights of the child. In this respect, the Committee referred to the amendments made to Rights of the Child Act so that it prohibits institutionalization of children younger than 3, as well as the revision of the Adoption Act. Positive aspects were mentioned, including adoption of the National Strategy 2014-2020 for the protection and promotion of the rights of the child, the National Strategy 2016-2020 on the mental health of children and young people as well as the launching of the project entitled “Consolidation of the national network of Roma sanitary mediators for the health improvement of the Roma population 2014-2017”.
At the same time, the United Nations Committee drew the attention of the Romanian State on some urgent measures in important fields: allocation of resources; discrimination against Roma children; neglect, sexual exploitation and abuses; children denied a family environment; children with disabilities; healthcare services.
The United Nations reasserted the indivisibility and interdependence of the rights enshrined by the Convention, while pointing out the importance of all the recommendations included in the final remarks.
The next country reports, the 6th and the 7th periodic reports shall be submitted by Romania by 27 October 2022.
See here the conclusions and the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.