Election Oversight Committee reports abuses of children’s rights in ruling party’s campaign

Observations by the Election Oversight Committee reveal that the ruling Civil Contract party has been increasingly attracting children to its political campaign for the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

In a statement on Monday (June 14), the organization voiced concern over the recorded abuses, calling for strong attention by the competent authorities – as well as international organizations – to the kind of illegitimate practice “running counter to children’s rights”.

It cited international instruments which put a strong emphasis on children’s awareness (objective of participation; persons(s) who made the decision and why; substantial component of the particular child’s role in the given process), highlighting the unacceptability of engagement in such circumstances when the child is either not quite conscious of the essence and purpose of his or her participation in a particular process or is engaged in it by adults “driven by the interest to secure the demonstrative component” (rather than the concern over the child’s rights).