Why are children's rights also our concern?

Many civil society organizations do not work directly with children; in fact, their focus may not be on children's rights at all. They carry out activities in very different areas such as environment, gender, youth, culture, rights-based journalism or local governance. Because of this, we often encounter the question: “We don’t work with children, do we still need to be sensitive to children’s rights?”

The answer is clear: Yes.

Because even if we don’t work directly with children, everything we do in some way affects children’s lives and rights.

This approach is not only an ethical choice; it is also an obligation under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Convention requires consideration of children’s rights not only in services specifically targeting children, but in all policies, programs, and practices. This includes all actors who interact with public policies and generate social impact, not just states.

In short, whatever our field of work, it is a shared responsibility for us all to consider children’s rights in every step that touches the lives of children.

Indirect touchpoints: Places we say “This isn’t our area”

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says that children’s rights can be affected not only by directly targeted policies, but also through general public policies, communication language, media, digital spaces, and community-based work. Therefore, activities not directly aimed at children can also have an impact in terms of children’s rights.

These indirect effects can have deeper and more lasting consequences especially for children exposed to income inequality, those who are disabled, migrants, refugees, or subjected to discrimination. An approach sensitive to children’s rights also entails preventing these groups from remaining invisible and not reproducing existing inequalities. So saying “we don’t work with children” does not actually mean that we never interact with them.

What does sensitivity to children’s rights mean?

There is a concept we often encounter in the civil sphere: sensitivity to children’s rights. So, what exactly does this concept mean?

Sensitivity to children’s rights does not mean being an expert in the field of children’s rights, but rather remembering at all times that the child is a rights-bearing individual. It describes an approach that is centered on not violating the child's rights, protecting them, and safeguarding them when necessary.

General Comment No. 14—one of the general comments published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to clarify how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child should be implemented—also draws specific attention to this point. The General Comment reminds us that children’s rights are not only the subject of organizations that work directly with children, but also of all policies, programs, and practices that may affect children.

According to the Committee, the best interests of the child principle is not limited only to decisions directly affecting children. All actors, including organizations that do not work directly with children, are obliged to foresee the possible impacts of their work on children and evaluate these impacts in line with the best interests of the child.

On this basis, sensitivity to children’s rights means that, regardless of whether an organization works directly with children, it must always consider that the child is a rights-bearing individual. It requires thinking about how decisions made and activities carried out can affect children’s lives and handling these impacts responsibly.

So, how can we implement an approach sensitive to children’s rights?

This approach should be reflected not only in certain activities of the organization, but throughout its entire structure—from its values and communication language, to its practices and decision-making processes. A short checklist could help facilitate this. At each step, asking ourselves the following question might be a good start: “Does this work directly or indirectly affect children’s lives?”

In this framework:

• We should adopt as a fundamental principle the protection of children’s identity, privacy, and dignity in every visual we use,
• We should position children in our activities and statements not as passive or “in need of help”, but as active rights-bearing individuals,
• We should create safe and inclusive spaces where children can express their opinions,
• We should design spaces where we will work to ensure they are appropriate for children’s ages, and that children feel comfortable and safe, and
• We should adopt a child protection policy at the institutional level.

Sensitivity to children’s rights is not a task limited to a checklist; it is a perspective that permeates all the organization’s work. The stronger this perspective, the fairer, safer, and more inclusive every step that touches children’s lives becomes.

Why is an approach sensitive to children’s rights important?

The rights-based approach is a whole. Therefore, sensitivity to children’s rights forms a critical threshold even in work that does not directly target children; for preventing possible rights violations, recognizing exclusionary outcomes, and developing fairer policies and practices.

This sensitivity strengthens the rights-based approach of organizations; increases their inclusiveness, and contributes to transforming entrenched and problematic perceptions about children. It enables us to see children not only as individuals who need to be protected or “passive”, but as rights-bearing subjects.

Even if you are not working directly with children, creating safe spaces for children who accompany adults participating in activities, protecting children’s dignity and privacy in social media posts, or designing a project so that it does not exclude children... All of these are concrete, everyday examples of being sensitive to children’s rights.

Therefore, sensitivity to children’s rights should be regarded as more than just individual goodwill; it should be treated as an organizational responsibility and a corporate stance. Not only should we avoid violating children’s rights, but we are all responsible for protecting these rights indirectly. Because every activity, every decision, and every message will always touch the lives and rights of children somewhere.