–Swedish Minister for Equality Asa Lindhagen-
“Incorporation (of CRC) means that the child’s role as a legal entity with specific rights of their own is made clearer and can therefore be expected to contribute to greater focus on the child in situations concerning the child. In the Government’s view, incorporation of the CRC will help give visibility to the rights of the child and is a way of creating a foundation for a more child rights-based approach in all public sector activities, in which these rights are seen from a holistic perspective,” said Swedish Minister for Gender Equality Asa Lindhagen
By Genc Mlloja
Senior Diplomatic Editor
“The Government considers that it needs to be made clearer that Sweden’s commitments under the CRC must be ensured at all levels in public sector activities and that a child rights-based approach should permeate all activities concerning children and young people,” has said Ms. Asa Lindhagen, Minister for Gender Equality of Sweden.
Albanian Daily News contacted the Minister for Gender Equality, with responsibility for anti-discrimination and anti-segregation, asking her on the evolution of the process to give the Convention on the Rights of the Child the status of the Swedish law.
“Giving the CRC the status of Swedish law, and with support and knowledge-enhancing measures, it is considered that a child rights-based approach will have an impact in practice,” said Ms. Lindhagen. “In the Government’s view, incorporation of the CRC will help give visibility to the rights of the child and is a way of creating a foundation for a more child rights-based approach in all public sector activities, in which these rights are seen from a holistic perspective.”
According to the Minister for the CRC to have an impact, continued transformation of the CRC’s provisions into national law is necessary, alongside incorporation. “Moreover, a combination of various measures is necessary, such as guidance, education and coordination between different actors at different levels in society,” she said.
Explaining the role of the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden, the Minister said that institution is a government agency tasked with representing children regarding their rights and interests on the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. “The Ombudsman for Children monitors how the CRC is complied with in society and pushes for its implementation in Sweden’s municipalities, regions and government agencies,” said Swedish Minister for Gender Equality Asa Lindhagen in the interview which follows:
Albanian Daily News: Madame Minister at the outset let me thank you for being a guest to Albanian Daily News sharing with its readers some opinions of yours on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and issues related to it. Sweden is one of the first countries which ratified the Convention on 29 June 1990, and after four decades it has recently made it a national law. Please would you say a few I words on the evolution of this process and secondly what stands behind incorporating it into Swedish law?
Minister Asa Lindhagen: The process started already in 2014 when the Government expressed the wish to give the CRC the status of Swedish law, alongside continued transformation and thereby initiated the process. In 2015 the Inquiry on the rights of the child was given the task to present proposals for an act on incorporating the CRC.
The Government considers that despite strategic measures and the fact that the rights of the child are regularly transformed into applicable law and have been reflected in new legislation, these rights have not had a sufficient impact on decision-making processes concerning children. Nor has the fact that the CRC involves obligations for central and local government had a sufficient impact on activities.
The Government considers that it needs to be made clearer that Sweden’s commitments under the CRC must be ensured at all levels in public sector activities and that a child rights-based approach should permeate all activities concerning children and young people.
Incorporation of the CRC gives it the status of Swedish law, entailing a clearer obligation on courts and legal practitioners to consider the rights that follow from the CRC in deliberations and assessments that are part of decision-making processes in cases and matters concerning children. Giving the CRC the status of Swedish law, and with support and knowledge-enhancing measures, it is considered that a child rights-based approach will have an impact in practice.
-What does the introduction of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into Swedish law mean for the government and the children in your country?
– Incorporation of the CRC means that the child’s role as a legal entity with specific rights of their own is made clearer and can therefore be expected to contribute to greater focus on the child in situations concerning the child. In the Government’s view, incorporation of the CRC will help give visibility to the rights of the child and is a way of creating a foundation for a more child rights-based approach in all public sector activities, in which these rights are seen from a holistic perspective.
-As a follow up, Ms. Minister, which are the main pillars of government’s platform on fulfilling the rights of the children and does Sweden’s politics on this sensitive issue fully comply with the Convention?
-All of the measures presented by the Government in the bill (prop. 2017/18:186) in the form of an act on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the guidance document, the knowledge boost and continued systematic transformation work should be seen as a single package to ensure that the Convention has an impact.
For the CRC to have an impact, continued transformation of the CRC’s provisions into national law is necessary, alongside incorporation. Moreover, a combination of various measures is necessary, such as guidance, education and coordination between different actors at different levels in society.
In its bill, the Government therefore states that a guidance document should be produced to support the methodical interpretation and application of the CRC. The Government also lists the measures under way to increase knowledge about the CRC among children and young people, and in municipalities, county councils and government agencies through a knowledge boost. Further, the Government describes the need for continued and systematic transformation work to enable the CRC to continue having an impact on legislation and to be made visible in the preparatory work for legislation, where the Convention may be relevant.
-Besides the high achievements which are some of the challenges of Sweden regarding child rights so that no one is left behind, and in this respect which is the role of children’s ombudsperson to further protect child rights?
-According to the Strategy to strengthen the rights of the child (Govt bill 2009/10:232), approved by the Riksdag on 1 December 2010, it is important that decisions and actions affecting children are followed up and evaluated from a perspective of the rights of the child. Agencies inspecting areas related to children contribute to the systematic follow-up of the rights and interests of the child. These actors are key to enabling the rights of the child to be met. Based on their reviews, they can highlight shortcomings within the activities concerned that need to be rectified in order to improve the living conditions of children and the application of the rights of the child.
The task of the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden also includes systematically following up and evaluating the application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in activities that concern children. It is important that children themselves can express their views in connection with the follow-up and evaluation of decisions and actions affecting them, for example regarding the support or care they receive.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden is a government agency tasked with representing children regarding their rights and interests on the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Ombudsman for Children monitors how the CRC is complied with in society and pushes for its implementation in Sweden’s municipalities, regions and government agencies.
Every year, the Ombudsman for Children submits a report to the government. This includes analyses and recommendations for improvements for children. The Ombudsman for Children shall, by law, provide information and build opinion on issues relevant to children’s rights and interests. The Ombudsman for Children holds regular dialogues with children, particularly those in vulnerable situations, to obtain knowledge of their conditions and their opinions on relevant issues./ADN
