On the occasion of the World Children’s Day, observed annually on November 20, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) calls for meaningful and effective participation of children in all matters affecting their lives. World Children’s Day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. “Listen to the Future,” the theme for 2024, encourages the world to actively listen to children’s hopes, dreams and visions for the future, promoting children’s right to participation and empowering children to voice their opinions about the world they want to live in.
EHRC’s monitoring and advocacy have highlighted key challenges in realizing children’s right to participation in Ethiopia, including lack of a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to support children’s participation and freedom of association, inadequate budget allocation, tokenistic involvement and lack of mechanisms to incorporate children’s views. These barriers limit children’s ability to freely express themselves, associate and participate effectively, including through children’s parliaments.
Rigbe Gebrehawaria, Commissioner for Women, Children, Older Persons and Disability Rights, stressed that children in Ethiopia face compounded human rights challenges due to harmful cultural norms, armed conflict, natural disasters and displacement. Commissioner Rigbe underscored that resolving these challenges requires the active and genuine participation of children, whose voices must be central in shaping policies, programs and decisions that affect their lives. She added, “to truly listen to the future, stakeholders must take concrete actions to empower children, meaningfully engage them and ensure that their views are reflected in laws, programs and practice.”
