Dear CCRC Friends,
Thank you for your continued support and for advocating for children’s rights in Canada. The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC) is a civil society organization that is strengthened by its members. We ask you to join the CCRC as an individual or organizational member in 2024 to allow us to continue our work advancing the rights of children and advocating for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Canada. If you are already a member, please note that membership begins in January of every year and ends in December of that year. You will not be receiving an automatic renewal reminder, so please do put it in your calendars.
With the support of our members, these are some highlights from the past year:
- Child Engagement on 5th/6th UN Review of Children’s Rights in partnership with UNICEF Canada and The Students’ Commission supported by the Government of Canada.
- Awarded children from several age groups for their submissions to the CCRC annual children’s rights writing & creative expression competition with another one planned in 2024.
- Followed up on meetings with different government departments virtually and in-person on the review process and particular areas of concern.
- Continued to engage with government and CSOs on making progress on the various issues from the 5th/6th UN CRC Review, including CRIA, Bill S-282, An Act respecting a national strategy for children and youth in Canada, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, and repealing S.43 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Many of the policy areas that we engaged in were related to post-CRC Review areas of interest, including rights of Indigenous children, poverty, corporal punishment, Optional Protocol 3, housing issues and child welfare.
- Made a submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Canada.
- We continue to work on updating the CCRC website.
The CCRC continues to engage with others in the sector, including universities, around research and providing internships and volunteer opportunities for young people. Here are some of the highlights from the past year:
- Research partnerships – The International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP) led by Dr. Tara Collins and SSHRC-funded PEG “Peer-to-Peer Participatory Action Research with children” led by Dr. Hala Mreiwed.
- Student Internships/volunteers.
- Free informative webinar series with high attendance on various children’s rights issues.
- We continue to support child correspondents from Canada for the Inter-American Children’s Institute’s International Child and Adolescents Correspondents Network (CORIA).
As we continue on this journey advocating for education, policy changes and action on children’s rights and the full implementation of the CRC, your support is essential to our strength as a Coalition. Thank you in advance for considering being a member of CCRC or renewing your 2024 membership. If the hyperlink does not work, you can access the membership from the CCRC website or through CanadaHelps.
Sincerely,
CCRC Board of Directors