Ombudsman for Children in Finland

News 

The moral education function of schools must be strengthened 

Maria Kaisa Aula, the Ombudsman for Children, considers that schools should have a stronger role in the moral education of children in addition to teaching them skills and knowledge. In her statement concerning the reform of the goals of basic education, she warns against taking an unduly narrow approach focusing too much on simply training future workers.
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A child's right to privacy must be respected

Save the Children Finland and the Ombudsman for Children are calling on the media to exercise great discretion when publishing images of children, particularly on the websites of the mass media. A child's right to privacy must be given greater respect than it is now. The appeal has been sent out to all chief editors.
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Elsewhere online >> Safe on the Internet  

ENOC urges a review on the status of the CRC in national law

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most ratified of the
core international human rights instruments - by all European states and by 193 states globally. Yet in reality, the rights of millions of children across Europe remain unrealised. There appears little
understanding in government that the CRC is a legal instrument, imposing detailed legal obligations on States. The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children ENOC urges every state to carry out an urgent review on the status of the CRC in national law.
Read ENOC Statement to mark 20th anniversary of the CRC >>

Does a child's right to be heard guarantee that his or her best interests are being promoted?

The right of a child to be heard is an important right, even if his or her opinion does not ultimately decide the outcome of the case. Balancing a child's right to have his or her best interests promoted against the right to be heard was one of the topics discussed at the Nordic Child Welfare Congress in Bergen, Norway. The Ombudsman for Children in Finland  spoke on the issue.
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An Ombudsman for Children to be established in Estonia

The Ombudsman for Children in Finland spoke about her experiences and activities at a conference organised by the Estonian Union for Child Welfare (www.lastekaitseliit.ee) in Tallinn. The Union has launched an initiative to establish an Ombudsman for Children in Estonia.
Read about the speech>>

Ombudsman for Children in statutes

The post of Ombudsman for Children is an independent state authority, established by parliamentary legislation in 2005. Read more >>