Children Human Rights Defenders and the Digital Environment

Global Lessons to improve local practices

Abstract

Child Human Rights Defenders Online (CHRDs Online) is a research project looking to understand the challenges children promoting and protecting human rights in the digital environment face and the opportunities this environment provides them. Despite the work of countless children around the world promoting and protecting their own rights and the rights of others, it was only until last year that the Committee of the Rights of the Child officially recognised Children as Human Rights Defenders. Despite the recognition, there is insufficient evidence on specific challenges they face making it difficult for multiple stakeholders to influence policies and advance practices that better support, protect and empower these children.

The project is being funded by the New Foundations Award by the Irish Research Council and undertaken by Dr Gabriela Martinez Sainz from the UCD School of Education in partnership with Child Rights Connect, an international NGO working for the realisation of children’s rights through partnerships with an international network of almost 100 independent organisations.

Aims and Objectives

The project is a qualitative study aim to to better understand the experiences, motivations, organising strategies and practices of CHRDs in the digital , as well as the actual impact of their actions. In particular, a better understanding of the impact of the digital environment for the work of CHRDs is needed to develop adequate policies, structures and mechanisms to ensure safe, sustainable and meaningful child and youth involvement in the protection and promotion of human rights. Better support of CHRDs will not only reinforce their capacity and decision-making as citizens but will also strengthen local, national, regional and international mechanisms for the promotion and protection of rights. Evidence on CHRDs and the digital environment is urgently needed. At the moment, there is plenty of research about adult human rights defenders uses of technologies to advance their work as well as the risks they face. Emerging evidence on children and technology is insuficient for policy and decision-makers to develop policies that fully respond to the particular needs of CHRDs as data focuses mostly on ‘everyday’ childhood experiences and not specifically about children actively working to protect and promote rights. The lack of evidence also affects local and regional organisations working to support the protection and participation of these children.

1

To develop a better understanding of the processes, structures and mechanisms that enable, hinder or foster the work of CHRDs in the digital environment.

2

To identify the experiences of rights (provision, protection, participation) -or their breaches – by CHRDs in the digital environment.

3

To give an account of CHRDs’ learning trajectories of rights and citizenship within or mediated by the digital environment.

Work Packages of the Project

Deliverables and Outputs

The deliverables and outputs are open access and listed below.

Knowledge Exchange Workshop

Guidelines

Meet the Team

Global lessons from Child Human Rights Defenders Online to improve local practices

These guidelines are developed from the recommendations of child human rights defenders and are directed to NGOs, Civil Society and practitioners that would like to support and empower these children in the effective, impactful and safe use of the digital environment for their actions promoting and defending rights.

The guidelines emphasise the role of adults as essential actors for the work of child human rights defenders not only as mediators in the digital environment but also as co-creators of the knowledge, competencies and structures children require in this environment.

The guidelines provide key actions for five main areas: spaces, information, competencies, infrastructure and influence that reflect the standards that practitioners and organisations could implement with indicators that allow to measure the progress and results of those actions. Finally the document provides guidance notes that explain in detail the issues and challenges identified by the child human rights defenders in each particular area, with the aim to provide a rationale for the key actions and indicators.

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