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The Rights-Way Approach to Children Affected by Armed Conflict: a look at CIDA's Action Plan on Child Protection (2000-2005)
Abstract
The emphasis on children's participation draws inspiration from Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which highlights their right to be involved in decisions affecting their lives. In 2000, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) released its Action Plan on Child Protection, which was heavily grounded in the rights-based approach. This approach to programming calls for more integrated, cross-sectoral and de-centralized activities, and for participatory approaches recognizing that those we are trying to help are central actors in the development process. Consequently, this paper provides a brief examination of this human rights approach and its relations to CIDA's child protection policies and in particular suggests indicators of cultural sensitivity and child participation as a lens for looking at three CIDA funded projects, respectively, in the Palestinian Territories, Eastern Sri Lanka and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These projects were chosen for review because of their strong emphasis on children's participation. Gaps within the implementation of CIDA policies and practices are discussed based on the case reviews.
Submitted by
Rania Karam, Program Officer, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
(On leave to August 2008)
Email: raniakaram@hotmail.com
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