Mr. Guillaume Landry, General Director of the International Bureau for Children’s Rights, co-signed an open letter to the Government of Quebec, alongside Ms. Nadja Pollaert, Executive Director of Doctors of the World Canada. This letter, published in the daily newspaper La Presse on Saturday, 15th June, urges elected officials to further integrate children’s voices into decisions that affect them.
The letter specifically targets the Special Commission on the Rights of Children and Youth Protection, recently established by the Government of Quebec. This commission aims to initiate a major reflection on youth protection services, following the tragic death of a 7-year-old girl due to abuse.
The signing parties welcome the creation of this commission but warn that no measures have been put in place to include children, who are the first to be affected, in this process.
(…) it is imperative to involve children in the creation of structures and policies to protect them. If they are old enough to suffer our defaults, negligence and violence, they are strong enough to tell us what they think and make their voices heard.
More broadly, they draw attention to the non-existence of advisory bodies composed of children in Quebec and recall their right to have their views heard and the importance of placing them at the heart of interventions.
Thus, it is not up to the child to comply with the commission’s processes: it is quite the opposite! Commissioners are responsible for creating safe conditions and spaces for children to express their views and share their experiences
<span class="su-quote-cite">G. Landry et N. Pollaert, authors of the letter</span>