Ton Liefaard presents at the Francophone association of ombudspersons platform
On 8 July 2021, The Francophone Association of Ombudspersons (L’Association des Ombudsmans et des Médiateurs de la Francophonie (AOMF)) launched their online course platform (CLOM) and training course 'Faire vivre les droits de l’enfant: des clés pour l’action'.
The course applies the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international legal standards to the practice of ombudspersons. It illustrates how ombudspersons can contribute to realising children’s rights and what a child rights approach means for the daily work of ombudspersons.
During one of the sessions, Professor Ton Liefaard presents an introductory video about the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communication Procedure (CRC OP3) and how it has been used thus far through the jurisprudence of the Committee to advance children’s rights. The presentation addresses questions such as: What is the CRC OP3? How can ombudspersons contribute to its implementation? What are the main limitations of the CRC OP3 and does it constitute a step forward for children’s rights? The video aims to familiarise ombudspersons from Francophone countries with international children’s rights - in particular the right of access to justice on an international level.
During the presentation, Professor Ton Liefaard also highlighted the Leiden Children’s Rights Observatory, an open access online database of case commentaries, reflecting on the decisions of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child under CRC OP3, written by international experts on children’s rights.
See the full video of the presentation on CRC OP3 here (in English, French subtitles)