FINAL REPORT - Save the Children Italia Onlus

IIIPARTFINAL REPORTDevelopment of a Child Rights Methodology to Identify and Support Child Victims of TraffickingMETHODOLOGICALFRAMEWORK No. 4AGIS METHODOLOGY - SECTION 2COORDINATION, COOPERATION AND APPROACHList of RelevantPrinciples of the UNConvention on theRights of the ChildGiven that the AGIS methodology has been developed using thechild rights based approach, the list of relevant principles of theUN Convention on the Rights of the Child that follows has beenincluded as part of the AGIS methodology. Those principles shallguide any action on identification and support of child victims.FINAL REPORTDevelopment of a Child Rights Methodology to Identify and Support Child Victims of TraffickingVI. Right to family unityGrowing up with a family is a child’s fundamental right. Unaccompanied children havethe right to be reunified with their family in the country where they are living or in theircountry or origin, where this is found to be in their best interests. Even if they are notreunified with their family, they should be allowed to keep in regular contact with theirfamily members (CRC Art. 7, 8, 9, 10, 18, 22).VII. Respect for cultural identity and cultural linguistic mediationA child’s right to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her ownreligion, or to use his or her own language is an important consideration to be respected(CRC art.8, 20, 29, 30).VIII. InformationIIIPARTI. Best interests of the childThe best interest of the child should be the primary consideration in all actionsconcerning children (CRC, art. 3). All other considerations, including border control andimmigration laws, are secondary.Any child shall have the right to seek, receive, impart information and ideas of all kinds,regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or throughany other media of the child’s choice. He/she shall also have access to information andmaterial from a diversity of national and international sources. (CRC art.13 and 17).II. Non-discriminationAccording to this principle, the rights of any child should be respected, protected andfulfilled without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’sor guardian race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnicor social origin, property, legal guardians or family members (CRC, art. 2).Foreign children should be guaranteed the same rights as children who are citizens. Theyshould be treated above all as children, and their immigration status should be asecondary consideration.III. Right to protectionForeign children have the right to be protected from: violence, abuse, neglect,exploitation for sexual, labour or any other purposes, trafficking, involvement in armedconflict, torture and deprivation of their liberty (CRC art.19, 22, 32-38).These children, whether temporarily or definitively deprived of their family environment,have the right to protection and assistance from the State (CRC art.22).IV. Right to life, survival and developmentEach child should be allowed and supported to develop to his/her full potential. Thisprinciple therefore acknowledges that vulnerable children, such as victims or potentialvictims of trafficking, should be ensured special protection and support and must begiven the opportunity to be active in their development (this being an holistic concept,including physical, cognitive, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual development)through the use of multi-disciplinary and inter-agency approaches (CRC art.6, 24, 27,28, 31).V. Right to participationAny child, who is capable of forming his/her own views has the right to express thoseviews freely in all matters affecting the child, his/her opinion being given due weight inaccordance with his/her age and maturity. This is relevant both in informal and formalsettings, such as judicial proceedings. Where possible trafficked children should thereforebe involved in decisions affecting them and they should be supplied with adequate andage-appropriate information, for example, in relation to procedures of identification andsupport (CRC art.12, 17).6263