site.btaPresident Plevneliev Opens Council of Europe High Level Conference on Children's Rights

President Plevneliev Opens Council of Europe High Level Conference on Children's Rights

Sofia, April 5 (BTA) - Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev on Tuesday opened a High Level Conference of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Sofia, which is expected to launch the CoE Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2016-2021. The strategy was adopted on March 2 during the Bulgarian Chairmanship of the CoE Committee of Ministers.

This is the third CoE strategy for the rights of the child under the Programme "Building Europe for and with Children." It will be implemented by the 47 CoE member countries and covers five priority areas: equal opportunities for all children; participation of all children; a life free from violence; child-friendly justice; and the rights of the child in the digital environment.

Plevneliev said child policies have become a government priority in Bulgaria over the last few years. "This country has travelled a dynamic and difficult road of child care reforms," he said. One of the earliest results was the shutdown of all residential care institutions for children with disabilities, a process which ended in 2015. "The achievements have been possible because there is a political will, a clear priority and strong civic participation," the President said, noting the importance of making the process sustainable. He spoke about further child care reforms, including the reform of juvenile justice.

Plevneliev said: "An unprecedentedly large number of crises have worsened the international security environment, making it harsher and harsher for children, and it is children who pay the highest price. Despite the efforts made and the results achieved, we are still witnessing violations of children's rights every day." Particularly vulnerable children are those who live in poverty, lack parental care, have disabilities, belong to minority groups, become victims of trafficking in people, or have no freedom, he said.

Violence against children is not uncommon, despite social progress, the President argued. He pointed to the emergence of new forms of violence which affect migrant children and unaccompanied kids. In order to protect their rights, it is necessary to solve humanitarian crises and conflicts in a sustainable manner, he said.

Among other risks, he listed the escalating violence in the social media and the possibility of disseminating extremist ideas through the Internet. "With the poverty spiral running through the generations, we face the risk of creating a lost generation of disillusioned young people who can undermine our societies. This is the new reality after Paris and Brussels: second-generation migrants who have lost the illusion of personal fulfillment in the receiving societies are most susceptible to the radical ideas and ideologies promoted through the Internet," Plevneliev said. He expressed the hope that the fifth priority in the CoE strategy - the rights of the child in the digital environment - will help address the problem of global terrorism.