Information about the research project and chat channels for thoughts, concerns, and sorrows.
Why are we researching children’s’ and youth’s living conditions and security?
Have you ever heard about the YK’s Convention on the Rights of the Child? According to this convention for example child’s right to health care or education is not a matter of opinion, but the rights of the child are written in the YK’s convention, which is a binding human right contract for states. In Finland the Convention on the Rights of the Child became effective in the 1990, and from that on Finland has committed to change it’s laws and actions to meet the contract and to report to the committee of the YK about the state of children’s rights every five years. In response Finland receives observations and recommendations. So child’s rights are actually a very big deal!
Despite all this, every child’s right are not fully fulfilled. Some children may experience insecurity at home, or some may have to go bed while hungry. It would therefore be important for children’s experiences to be brought to light to intervene to the grievances. And who would be better to address children’s and youth’s opinions and experiences than children and young themselves! You do know that children and young have the same right to share their views and experiences as adults? This way it will be easier to take them into account in different stuff, like organizing services.
Some of the topics in our survey are such that even adults may feel uneasy talking about them. Nevertheless it would be very important to tell about them, because it’s the only way to get information about the everyday life of children and young. Nobody is alone even with difficult experiences. Everyone who answers to our survey is wildly brave and gives us extremely valuable information. Everybody’s experience is important whatever experience it is. The survey is answered anonymously and no one’s asnwers can be identified.
You can read more about the survey topics from here:
More about child’s rights
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Fostering the rights of children: Ombudsman for children