Implementing children and young people’s participation in decision-making: The role of non-governmental organisations

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the most ratified human rights convention. Only the USA has not yet ratified the UNCRC. Article 12 of the UNCRC recognises children’s right to participate in decisions that affect them. Since the UNCRC’s ratification, children and young people’s participation has been encouraged by many initiatives in schools and in communities. However, the way children and young people participate in decision-making is often problematic in practice. Many participatory initiatives have been developed across different countries and contexts, but often without a clear definition of what children and young people’s participation is (Lansdown 2014).