Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children

Covid-19: Re-opening for Children: Short-term Actions and System Change

by Kathy VandergriftChildren's Rights in Canada April 29, 2020April 29, 2020No Comments

Re-opening for children: Short-term Actions Safe Space for Children to Play: as Important as Space for Business Getting back to business is now a top priority for government attention. Meanwhile, children’s services continue to advocate for extra funds to pick up the pieces, as collateral damage. What difference would it make if children’s policy was given equal priority …

Covid-19: Is there a silver-lining?

by Kathy VandergriftChildren's Rights in Canada April 28, 2020April 29, 2020No Comments

Commentary on Response to Covid-19 In the short-term, our focus is immediate needs and caring for children in our circles of responsibility. While it may be hard to see now, this crisis could lead to some positive changes for children. Whether we learn from this crisis or go back to old ways will depend on …

Close Gaps through Systemic Change: Implement Children’s Rights in Canada

by Kathy VandergriftChildren's Rights and Governance, Children's Rights in Canada, Monitoring Canada and the UNCRC March 2, 2020March 4, 2020No Comments

Close Gaps through Systemic Change: CCRC Alternative Report for the 5th/6th Review of Children’s Rights in Canada The rights of children are not protected well in Canada. The costs of failing to do so are high. Systemic change is necessary and would bring benefits for children, families, and governments. That is the core message in …

30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Making Progress in Canada

by Kathy VandergriftChildren's Rights in Canada November 19, 2019November 19, 2019No Comments

On November 20 we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and 30 years of work by the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC) to promote respect for children’s rights across Canada. Recognizing children as persons with rights has made fundamental changes in the way …

Voting Age: Consultation and Court Challenge

by Kathy VandergriftChildren's Rights in Canada November 17, 2019November 17, 2019No Comments

The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children is joining with other organizations to explore launching a court challenge to age 18 as the minimum age for voting in Canada. The project has two prongs: consultation with young people to discuss the issues and hear their views; and research to compile and assess the evidence …

Children’s Rights Need to be Central in Child Welfare

by Kathy VandergriftChildren's Rights in Canada, Vulnerable Children September 7, 2019September 8, 2019No Comments

On September 6, 2019 the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the Canadian government to pay compensation to First Nations children who had suffered from discrimination and violation of their rights in Canada’s child welfare systems. The amount of the award for each child is to be determined through an independent process. The total cost is …

Preventing Homelessness and Children’s Rights

by Kathy VandergriftChild Development, Children's Rights in Canada July 22, 2019July 23, 2019No Comments

Canada can do more to prevent youth homelessness, according to research with youth on the street. Waiting until young people are in crisis is costly in human impact and finances. Addressing the issues that contribute to youth homelessness coincides with implementing the rights of children. This is another area where paying attention to children’s rights …