Children’s rights tackled in EU summit ‘Defending and exercising rights in online spaces’

The European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines is mounting the virtual edition of its annual Children’s Rights Summit on Oct. 17, in celebration of the 31st anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Entitled “My Space, My Rights,” the virtual summit for children by children, will highlight children’s invaluable rights during this pandemic, with a focus on these four basic clusters: survival, protection, participation, and development in online spaces. 

Thomas Wiersing Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to the Philippines said this is especially relevant today because of the  many adjustments brought about by COVID-19 that have caused many students to shift to digital platforms to continue their studies.

“In an era where technology has become such an integral part of the lives of young people, we, at the European Union, want to address the need for children and youth to understand and speak about their rights as they navigate online spaces,” he said. “We hope that this virtual children’s rights summit will encourage the youth to become active advocates of their rights in their own families and in their communities.”

The summit will gather over 300 students nationwide who will be imparted with the importance of knowing their rights and exercising them in order to be agents for social transformation and to protect themselves in online scenarios.

Co-presented by the Ateneo Human Rights Center, the summit will be led by youth rights advocates who will share with the summit’s participants how to uphold and promote their own rights.

For more information on the upcoming children’s rights summit and other activities of the EU, please follow the Facebook page of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines at https://www.facebook.com/EUDelegationToThePhilippines.