European Children’s Ombudspersons meet in Athens

Greece will assume the presidency of the European Network of Children’s Ombudspersons (ENOC) following its annual meeting in Athens on Monday and Tuesday.

ENOC is a not-for-profit association of independent children’s rights institutions. Its mandate, as described on its website, is to facilitate the promotion and protection of the rights of children as laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). 

This year’s annual meeting will focus on the repercussions of coronavirus restrictions on the rights of children. 

Assuming the presidency on behalf of Greece will be Assistant Ombudsperson for the Rights of Children Theoni Koufonikolakou.

“Our aim is to examine the degree to which these rights were violated… during the pandemic,” she told state-run Athens-Macedonia news agency (ANA-MPA), adding that the health crisis has seen a rise in poverty and social exclusion, while undermining access to school. [ANA-MPA]