20 November 2024
Minister for Children and Families Connétable Richard Vibert said:
"Today, Wednesday 20 November marks World Children's Day, which celebrates the
declaration, 35 years ago, of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC).
2024 also marks the 10-year anniversary of the extension of the UNCRC to Jersey.
As Minister for Children and Families, I am immensely proud of the progress that Jersey has
made over those 10 years to recognise and uphold the rights of children and young people
in the Island:
- we have created the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Jersey, which works to
ensure that the rights of children in Jersey are promoted and protected;
- we have outlawed the physical punishment of children;
- all schools in Jersey now participate in UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools
programme;
- our Participation Standards ensure we listen to children’s voices and take their views
into account when making decisions that will affect them;
- at the start of 2024 we introduced a new Law making it mandatory for Government
Ministers, Elected States Members and Assembly Bodies to carefully consider
children’s rights when making decisions that could affect children in Jersey; and
- in May we published the second Children, Young People and Families Plan covering
the period 2024-27.
World Children’s Day is a good time to celebrate these achievements, but we must also look
to the future. Every one of us has a part to play to ensure all children in Jersey have an equal
opportunity to be safe, flourish and fulfil their potential."
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