A Youth-Friendly Version of the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Recommendations (Adults Welcome Too!)
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In 2023, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child issued a series of recommendations to Finland on how to improve the status and realization of children’s rights. The Committee urges Finland, among other things, to strengthen efforts to combat discrimination, improve support for children during parental separation, and ensure that children have access to confidential and child-friendly mechanisms for reporting violence and abuse.
Finding concrete solutions to implement these and other recommendations is the responsibility of public authorities. However, children and young people also have the right to participate in the discussion – and considering their views is wise, as it leads to solutions that work in their everyday lives.
To promote participation and facilitate dialogue, the Central Union for Child Welfare has just published a youth-friendly version of the Committee’s recommendations in Finnish. In January 2026, versions in Swedish and Sami languages will also be published.
Young People Are Interested in Discussions on Rights
The youth-friendly version was developed within the Our CRC project (2025–2026), co-funded by the EU, which aims to strengthen children’s involvement in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. So far, children’s and young people’s participation in reporting has been sporadic.
The text’s clarity was tested in workshops for lower secondary school students across Finland, where young people also shared their thoughts on the content of the recommendations. They participated actively, and themes related to well-being sparked discussion in every workshop.
I dare say that such lively and concrete discussion would not have been possible without first making the topic more understandable.
Officials, Educators – Discuss the Recommendations with Young People!
The project’s second implementer, SOS Children’s Villages, will test various ways and methods in 2026 to discuss the recommendations with children and young people, both face-to-face and online. These lessons will be shared at the end of the project with both government actors and civil society.
However, the youth-friendly version is already available to everyone. So here are three tips for anyone working for or with children and young people:
- Familiarize yourself with the recommendations. This airy and beautifully designed version makes it pleasant for adults too!
- Share information about the recommendations with others: decision-makers, professionals working with children and young people, and children and young people themselves.
- Ask children and young people for their views on how the recommendations related to your work or role should be implemented. Keep these ideas in mind when making decisions on the topic.
Ideally, discussions with children and young people – and the solutions found through them – will also help strengthen hope for the future. And we all know how much that is needed.
The Our CRC project has received funding from the EU’s CERV-2024-CHILD call. The project is coordinated by the Central Union for Child Welfare. In Finland, SOS Children’s Villages is the second implementer. Partners from the Netherlands and Scotland are also involved. The National Child Strategy is part of the project’s steering group.