​What is a Child Rights Approach?

Children on the Edge has a rights based approach in all the work it does, it is guided by a UN treaty called The Convention for the Rights of the Child. This convention is a promise, made in 1989, by governments across the world, to do everything in their power to protect and promote children’s rights to survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential.

How is this different from any other form of aid or charitable work?

Being guided by the CRC means that instead of regarding children as passive objects of care and charity, they are seen as human beings with a distinct set of rights. As an organisation we resource and support children to be agents of change in their own futures. 

All the rights described in the Convention are things that many charities and civil groups uphold as part of their daily activities, the difference is that organisations with a rights-based approach don’t uphold rights incidentally, but contribute directly and intentionally. All aspects of our development, policies and programmes seek to realise human rights. 
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One of the child councils in our Community Schools for Working Children in Bangladesh
What does this actually mean for the work of Children on the Edge, in a practical sense? 

Rights in the Convention are set out in 54 articles which describe what a child needs to survive, grow, thrive and reach their potential. They are all as important as each other, but four articles (2,3, 6 & 12) are given the special status of ‘guiding principles’, which are needed for any of the rights in the Convention to be realised.

These principles are listed below, with a few examples of how we are guided by them them in our work:
Our Projects
Bangladesh
​Education for Rohingya refugee children>
Bangladesh
Education for Working Children >
Lebanon
Education for Syrian refugee Children>
Uganda 
Transforming slum communities
Myanmar
Support for Displaced Children in Kachin State >
India
Education for 'untouchable' Dalit children
All children are equal and entitled to the same rights as each other, where we encounter discrimination and inequality, we do what we can do redress the balance. This is why you will often find us in hard to reach areas, working with hard to reach people, or those overlooked by the media or larger organisations. Because of this commitment, we often have to go against the grain, and sometimes work has to remain low profile or covert. 

Within our programmes we aim to give equal opportunities to marginalised, disadvantaged or excluded groups. This could be ensuring provision for disabled children, seeking out children from the most vulnerable households or castes, or safeguarding girls from exploitation and exclusion.
​The child’s best interests must be the utmost priority in all decisions and actions that affect children. Determining what is in children’s best interests can be a complicated process, and has been the subject of much consideration in legal, academic and operational areas.  All assessment should take into account the children’s own opinions and feelings. Child friendly social mapping was used as we set up our programme in Uganda, and qualitative interviewing with children has formed a large part of our monitoring and evaluation in Bangladesh. 

​We ask what children need, rather assuming what they need. For example, a child friendly approach is vital for traumatised children in Kachin State, rather than basic service provision, teaching Syrian refugee children in the Lebanese dialect of Arabic may be more convenient, but it’s not best for the child, or their community, this is how we shape our work.
 These are rights to the resources, skills and services necessary for the physical survival and full development of a child. They include rights to protection from violence, adequate food, shelter, and clean water.

Our projects counter threats to children's survival and development in various ways:
Listening to children's voices is written about in Article 12 of the CRC. When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account.

​We make sure that children understand their rights and have a say in the planning and evaluation of our projects.

​This could be through child councils and interviews, the creation of their own newsletters, resourcing them to express themselves and plan their own futures or just enabling them to stamp their ownership on the project in creative ways. We also take steps to ensure they can understand and claim rights for themselves.

Each child we work with is valued as an individual, they are taught in a child friendly way about their rights and they are supported to be the best version of themselves they can be. ​​
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Can I change anything by adding my own voice? 

Duty bearers are those people who have obligations to meet with regard to a rights holder and their ability to realise their rights, this will often be governments, local authorities, or even parents. We work with all these duty bearers in different ways, and encouraging local ownership of projects enhances the accountability of duty bearers in itself. 

In addition to this we do encourage our supporters to add their voices to petitions and letters to government officials who can influence the law and the treatment of people and ensure their rights are met. Some of the latest situations you can help with are as follows:

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