Children's rights highlighted at major conference at JU

In connection with International Children's Day on 20 November, Jönköping University, together with the County Administrative Board of Jönköping, organised a conference that put children's rights in focus. Around 300 people were present in the JU auditorium to participate. This year's theme revolved around the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the importance of children's participation in society.

The conference brought together participants from the public sector, civil society, academia and business to discuss how we can jointly ensure that children and young people are given the opportunity to influence issues that affect them.

Highlights from the programme

The first session of the conference was Sweden’s Minister for Social Services, Camilla Waltersson Grönwall, who along with Police Comissioner Carin Götblad, and Brittis Benzler, County Governor of Jönköping County, participated in a panel discussion entitled ‘How do we listen to children and involve them?’. The Minister for Social Services appreciated the opportunity to participate in the discussion, partly because it was with a panel who had a clear and genuine commitment, but also because each had the opportunity to have their say and develop their arguments.

“I appreciate a dialogue like this very much. For me as a minister, it is obviously important to listen to children's voices if we are going to drive through credible change,” says Camilla Waltersson Grönwall.

The remaining sessions in the morning offered lectures and seminars that highlighted various aspects of children's rights, from children's participation in democracy and issues linked to disabilities to young people's commitment and faith in the future. During the afternoon, several parallel seminars focused on practical tools to empower children, including visual aids, circus as an educational tool and child impact assessments.

“Children's voices in a digital world - tech companies' responsibilities and young people's perspectives”

This year's Children's Rights Conference is based on Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - children's right to make their voices heard. Frida Lygnegård, a researcher on issues concerning children and youth at the School of Health and Welfare, participated in one of the programme items with a presentation on children's rights in the digital space.

She highlighted the responsibility of tech companies and the importance of taking children and young people's own experiences of the digital world into account when designing guidelines and policies to help ensure children's safety and privacy on digital platforms. The programme concluded with a panel discussion with Frida and two young people who were also moderators of the conference.

“Cross-sectoral co-operation is needed if we are to create a socially sustainable digital world together. The fact that JU is once again the arena for this conference sends an important message that we want to put the issue of children's rights on the agenda,”says Frida.

A shared responsibility

The conference at Jönköping University is part of the ongoing work to realise the Convention on the Rights of the Child and create a more inclusive world for future generations. This year's programme clearly reflected the strong commitment to children's rights and the will to continue developing society in the best interests of children.

The conference is organised by the focus group on children's rights in Jönköping County, in collaboration with Save the Children, RF-Sisu, Erikshjälpen, Women's and Girls' Shelter, Share Music & Performing Arts, Region Jönköping County, Jönköping’s Municipal Development, Jönköping University, Jönköping Municipality, Vetlanda Municipality and the County Administrative Board of Jönköping County.