Lack of enforcement. So what?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 5:32 am
Also read: GDPR & email marketing: the 10 most frequently asked questions
The Charter of the European Union affirms the right of participation for young people.
youth mobile
Participation in practice
In the international KidsRights list, the Netherlands is in sixth place worldwide in terms of compliance with and promotion of children's rights. However, when it comes to the participation of children in decisions that affect them, the Netherlands scores average. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has already reprimanded the Netherlands for this twice.
Marc Dullaert, former children's ombudsman and founder of KidsRights, even states that the Netherlands is living in the fifties when it comes to child participation. He explains: "We are very paternalistic." The Missing Chapter Foundation , founded by Princess Laurentien, is trying to change this situation. The foundation organizes poland telegram data dialogues between children and adults in the form of Children's Councils . A number of municipalities have such a Children's Council, as do a number of organizations, and recently the government has also established a National Children's Council .
Internationally, organizations like Unicef educate young people about their rights. KidsRights gives young people a platform to talk to policymakers through their initiatives State of Youth and Changemakers . The biggest theme so far is climate.
The emphasis in the Netherlands seems to be on getting young people to think about what their digital literacy should look like. There is also a youth advisory council that deals with 'issues that digital developments raise', the Digiraad . None of the experts I consulted for this article believe that Dutch young people were involved in drawing up the GDPR or other legislation that is important for their position online. Nor do they seem to be a party to the evaluation of that legislation.
Does it matter that the existing legislation regarding young people online is hardly or not at all enforced in practice? Apart from the fact that it increases our general cynicism towards the European Union and the government? There are probably countless people who are fine with the current situation. Because they believe that parental permission for a fifteen-year-old to use Instagram is absurd. Or that young people are perfectly capable of determining for themselves whether porn or extreme violence suits them or not.
But these people advocate breaking laws. In a democratic country, people can strive to change or abolish laws. The deliberate failure to enforce existing laws undermines the rule of law.
The Charter of the European Union affirms the right of participation for young people.
youth mobile
Participation in practice
In the international KidsRights list, the Netherlands is in sixth place worldwide in terms of compliance with and promotion of children's rights. However, when it comes to the participation of children in decisions that affect them, the Netherlands scores average. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has already reprimanded the Netherlands for this twice.
Marc Dullaert, former children's ombudsman and founder of KidsRights, even states that the Netherlands is living in the fifties when it comes to child participation. He explains: "We are very paternalistic." The Missing Chapter Foundation , founded by Princess Laurentien, is trying to change this situation. The foundation organizes poland telegram data dialogues between children and adults in the form of Children's Councils . A number of municipalities have such a Children's Council, as do a number of organizations, and recently the government has also established a National Children's Council .
Internationally, organizations like Unicef educate young people about their rights. KidsRights gives young people a platform to talk to policymakers through their initiatives State of Youth and Changemakers . The biggest theme so far is climate.
The emphasis in the Netherlands seems to be on getting young people to think about what their digital literacy should look like. There is also a youth advisory council that deals with 'issues that digital developments raise', the Digiraad . None of the experts I consulted for this article believe that Dutch young people were involved in drawing up the GDPR or other legislation that is important for their position online. Nor do they seem to be a party to the evaluation of that legislation.
Does it matter that the existing legislation regarding young people online is hardly or not at all enforced in practice? Apart from the fact that it increases our general cynicism towards the European Union and the government? There are probably countless people who are fine with the current situation. Because they believe that parental permission for a fifteen-year-old to use Instagram is absurd. Or that young people are perfectly capable of determining for themselves whether porn or extreme violence suits them or not.
But these people advocate breaking laws. In a democratic country, people can strive to change or abolish laws. The deliberate failure to enforce existing laws undermines the rule of law.