Children are experts in their own lives, yet are seldom asked for their perspective in decisions affecting them. Based on guidelines from the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative, EAI has defined a "child enabling environment" as a space that is suitable for all; where the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children are an integral part of public policies, programmes and decisions. Moreover, it is guided by overarching child rights principles of non-discrimination; best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child.
Effective child enabling environments include the voices of children through child-informed research. Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) notes that children have the right to voice their opinions and have those opinions considered in matters affecting them. SDG 16 promotes just, peaceful and inclusive societies, which includes participatory decision-making at all levels regardless of factors such as age. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), highlights in Article 7, that "every child who is capable of communicating his or her own views should be allowed to express his or her opinions freely". When information is presented to children in a meaningful, child-centered way; they are able to provide valuable insight. Thus, promoting their capacity to be authentic participants in the planning, developing, and implementing processes of projects.
Mary Kellett's briefing on researching with and for children, advocates for listening and consulting with children not simply to fulfil a mandate, but to generate data and advance our understanding of a particular issue. Projects lead by children and supported by various stakeholders are valuable to promote change and create sustainable projects. Furthermore, child-centered research can reduce researcher bias or assumption and mitigate power dynamics through genuine collaboration.
Public spaces in Accra, Kampala, and Niamey, as reported by Kristie Daniel, exemplify the effectiveness of child-informed research. The community engagement process of the project ensured a person-centered approach to spatial design, which involved the voices of children and other marginalized populations. Additionally, it incorporated the diverse community needs as articulated by its citizens for improved accessibility of the spaces. The project resulted in successful implementation of over 30 spatial improvements, as determined by the community. Through dialogue and participation, the community was encouraged to take ownership of the projects from the planning stages. In addition to implementing spatial design, the project formalized the process of citizen engagement into policy formation.
This approach can be used in various disciplines. "Ubongo" is Africa's leading producer of kids entertainment; focusing on child-informed research in the media. Their human-centered design creates content for real people that focuses on problems and perspectives as expressed by children. Children are included in every stage including research, content creation, and impact evaluation. Ubongo believes that highly effective and engaging learning is by the users "guiding [the staff] to what they need… not what we think they need".
Child-informed research should create a friendly, comfortable and inclusive atmosphere that ensures everyone is informed of purpose. According to UNICEF, upholding child rights beyond respecting their views ensures children's participation in research is transparent, voluntary, respectful, safe, and sensitive to risk.
Engaging children's voices and experiences in research, fosters an understanding of children's rights, while building the capacity of adults and children to implement these rights. Conducting ethical, objective research in this way promotes meaningful participation and encourages a cultural change in the perception of 'childhood' to supporting children's capacity to act as citizens. Additionally, child-informed research advocates for inclusion of upholding children's rights in governance structures.
Kristin Swardh is an EAI Research Assistant, conducting research on child enabling environments in Kenya.