Child-Responsive Urban Policies, Laws and Standards: A Guidance
There is global consensus that urbanization processes are inevitable, irreversible and inseparable from a country’s growth and development. It is estimated that by 2030, almost 60 per cent of the world’s children will live in urban areas, many of them in slums. Of the global slum population, it is estimated that between 350-500 million slum dwellers are children, who suffer directly and indirectly from multiple deprivations, experience more acute limitations to urban services, and have limited access to public infrastructure and amenities such as schools, health facilities, community centres and libraries. Children are also routinely exposed to urban violence which compromises their health,social and overall well-being, and affects their overall cognitive development. Some of these challenges are attributed to either the lack of or ineffective urban laws and policies to address the special needs and interests of children, including the right of every child to a standard of living that is adequate for their physical health and emotional well-being. Thus, to shape urbanization for children, the interests and rights of children must be mainstreamed in legislation as well as in urban policies at national and subnational levels of governance.
Mainstreaming the rights of children in urban policies and legislation as well as in urban planning activities is the primary step to building more inclusive cities. A child-responsive approach to urban planning improves access to quality infrastructure, urban services and healthy living spaces for everyone. If planned and designed with children in mind, a city is more likely to have safer roads and improved air quality. Urban laws and policies that do not consider the needs of children can cause, or exacerbate, both structural and urban inequalities between regions and differentially urbanized geographic areas, and within countries and cities. Urban inequality is linked to inequality in outcomes, which compromises the realization of children’s rights. There is also a lack of disaggregated data on children (boys, girls and non-binary children), particularly those in urban areas, across income groups. This could be attributed to, among other things, the lack of opportunities for children to shape or influence policies and the lack of resources or investment in collecting child-focused data to advocate for their needs. Gaps in data collection make it difficult to track, monitor and evaluate budgets and policies, and to hold Governments accountable for their commitment to promote and protect children’s rights.
There is a substantial recognition of children’s rights, interests and welfare in normative instruments. For instance, Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030), through its Sustainable Development Goals, recognizes the vulnerability of children and emphasizes the need to invest in children’s lives, survival and development. More specifically, Agenda 2030 demonstrates a commitment to provide children with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their rights and capabilities (Agenda 2030, para. 25).
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