The Delegation of the European Commission to Moldova launched an open call for proposals under the programme European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).

 

Eligible applicants must be non-governmental organizations or higher education institutions. The proposals should focus on "Democratic participation" or "Promotion of freedom of expression, freedom of press". Deadline for applications is 1th July 2008.

The Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse was adopted and opened for signature in October 2007, and since then has been signed by 28 of the Council of Europe's member states. It is the first international treaty to provide criminal penalties for those who sexually abuse children and a valuable tool for preventing and combating violations of children's fundamental rights.

On 18th of March, 2008, in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, police officers arrested a group of 11 year old minors, and brought them in for an "informational conversation". The police took the children away without informing neither the parents of these children, the director of the school, any of the teachers, nor the school psychologist.

Below you can find an appeal sent by the "First Children's Embassy in the World - Megjashi" to the Macedonian mass media.

 

Appeal to the political parties

The First Children's Embassy in the World - Megjashi, on the occasion of the forthcoming parliament elections in Republic of Macedonia and the electoral campaigns, points out the necessity to protect the children from abuse and manipulation in achieving political goals.

A new study on corporal punishment and school bullying by Save the Children Sweden aims at exploring measures taken to prevent physical and humiliating punishment of children and bullying and to build the case for legal provisions, public education and adequate protection systems. It covers six countries; Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, and the St. Petersburg region of the Russian Federation.

Conference of Estonian Union for Child Welfare - "What Does a Child Want?" will take place on 3rd of October, 2008 in Tallinn, Estonia.

The aim of the conference is to discuss the predominating tendencies present in the society and their influence on children. The conference is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Estonian Union for Child Welfare.

FICE 2008 Congress in Helsinki Finland, June 11 - 13th 2008
"Better Future for Children Today - 60 years of International Cooperation for Children in Care"

On the 48th session of the CRC, which will last from 19th May to 6th June 2008, Bulgarian delegation is going to present its second periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. After examining the report, the Committee will address its concerns and recommendations through Concluding Observations.

Child Rights Information Network calls for support in its latest campaign regarding establishment of a Special Representative to the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.

The European Children's Network recruits interns for a period of 6 months. We aim to provide interns with an opportunity to gain experience in a well-established children's rights network, and to gain greater understanding of advocacy and lobbying towards the European institutions.

Deadline for applications: 5th May 2008
Location: Brussels
Duration: 6 months
Starting Date: as soon as possible
Hours/Days per week: 5 days full-time
Languages: English and French
Remuneration: Unpaid