States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health.
To this end, States Parties shall:
(a) Encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of social and cultural benefit to the child and in accordance with the spirit of Article 29;
(b) Encourage international co-operation in the production, exchange and dissemination of such information and material from a diversity of cultural, national and international sources;
(c) Encourage the production and dissemination of children’s books;
(d) Encourage the mass media to have particular regard to the linguistic needs of the child who belongs to a minority group or who is indigenous;
(e) Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines for the protection of the child from information and material injurious to his or her well-being, bearing in mind the provisions of Articles 13 and 18.
-UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Overview of Article 17
Although linked closely with Article 13, the right to freedom of expression, Article 17 introduces a unique focus on the role of the mass media in relation to children’s rights to information [1]. It places a duty on States Parties to ensure general access to information and material from a diversity of sources, rather than guaranteeing access to each individual child. It must be understood, therefore, as a collective rather than an individual right. The language employed in Article 17 obliges States Parties to encourage the media to fulfil this goal, and adopt the necessary measures to support that process. In particular, it encourages action to ensure that children, including those from minority or indigenous groups, have access to information from diverse national and international sources, which are of social and cultural benefit, consistent with the spirit of Article 29, the aims of education. Article 17 places emphasis on sources of information aimed at promoting well being, and physical and mental health.
Notably, Article 17 originated as a provision to protect children against harmful influences of media [2]. However, during the drafting process, it was observed that the media often did more good than harm, and that the article should be constructed positively [2]. Accordingly, only the final paragraph refers to the obligation to encourage guidelines to protect children from harmful or injurious material. It is important to note that the Committee on the Rights of the Child has highlighted the degree to which the rapid development of the digital environment since Article 17 was first drafted has significantly impacted on the implications of children’s rights in respect of mass media, both in respect of access and protection [3-5].
Core attributes of Article 17
The core attributes of Article 17 are:
- Diversity of sources and media
- Beneficial information and material
- Access to mass media
- Protection from harmful material
Each of these attributes can be measured in terms of structural or process implementation or in terms of outcomes achieved through implementation as outlined in the table below. Some indicators, for instance the structural ones, may be common to all attributes. Others are common to two or more attributes, while some indicators may be relevant to one attribute only. An attempt has been made to balance the use of objective and subjective data indicators as well as qualitative and quantitative ones.
What did children say?
These are some ideas that children from around the world shared with us during the Global Child Rights Dialogue (GCRD) project:
Relevant provisions within the SDGs
- Goal 9:Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
- Target 9.c Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in the least developed countries by 2020.
- Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Target 12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.
- Goal 16:Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
- Target 16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
- SDG indicator 16.10.2 Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
- Target 16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
Potential sources of data for users of the indicators sets
- Broadcasters audience research data
- Local municipality data on library usage
- National constitution and legislation
- National monitoring bodies for media usage
- National surveys and census data
- Primary research by National Human Rights Institutions for Children
- Primary research by universities and NGOs
- School data
References used for the overview
- Sacino, S.W. (2012). Article 17: Access to a diversity of mass media sources. In A. Alen, J. Vande Lanotte, E. Verhellen, F. Ang, E. Berghmans, & M. Verheyde (Eds.), A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill & Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). (2007). Legislative History of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. (Vol. 2, pp. 480-481). New York, United States of America and Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/LegislativeHistorycrc2en.pdf
- United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2016). General comment No.20 on the implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence (CRC/C/GC/20), (para. 47). Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/docid/589dad3d4.html
- United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). (2006). Day of general discussion on the right of the child to be heard. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRC/Discussions/Recommendations/Recommendations2006.doc
- United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). (2014). Day of General Discussion: “Digital media and children’s rights”. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/Discussion2014.aspx
References used to create indicators
- Council of Europe. (2018). Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member Stateson Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment. Retrieved from https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/sites/violenceagainstchildren.un.org/files/documents/political_declarations/recomendation_of_the_committee_of_ministers_of_the_council_of_europe_to_member_states_on_guidelines_to_respect_protect_and_fulfil_the_rights_of_the_child_in_the_digital_environment.pdf
- United Nations General Assembly. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2007). Implementation handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Fully rev. 3rd ed., pp.186). Geneva, Switzerland: UNICEF.
- United Nations Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) (2012). Human Rights Indicators: A Guide to Measurement and Implementation (HR/PUB/12/5). Retrieved from http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Human_rights_indicators_en.pdf
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