1. !
THE COMMITMENT TO
CHILDREN AUDIT
An innovative tool to advocate for child rights.
Version 2.0
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s
soul than the way it treats its children.
Nelson Mandela
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2. COMMITMENT
noun
• 1 [mass noun] the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.
• [count noun] a pledge or undertaking.
• 2 an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action.
AUDIT
noun
• an official inspection of an organization's accounts, typically by an independent body
• a systematic review or assessment of something.
Source: The Oxford English Dictionary
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3. The CCA is based on the belief that the true measure of a nation’s
standing is its commitment to children and young people – to their
mental and physical growth, to their protection and safety, to their
education and preparation for citizenship, and to their sense of being
loved, valued, and included by their families and societies.
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4. WHAT IS THE NEED?
In August 2010, a consultation on the reasons why the WFFC failed in its implementation came
up with the following conclusions*:
% of responses
Why haven’t we succeeded much in holding governments accountable to the
considering this cause
WFFC agenda?
relevant or very relevant
• We have limited knowledge, experience and tools to hold governments
93%
accountable
• We continue to work on our own individual campaigns, instead of uniting
83%
under an agreed agenda
• Monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of the WFFC Agenda have
83%
been marginalized
• Level of influence of our organisations among the general public and leaders
80%
is low
• Ministries in charge of children are normally weak and have little power 78%
• Child rights movement is generally isolated from other movements and
66%
advocacy initiatives
* The consultation was made among GMC members and partners. We got 41 responses in total: 15 from people operating at national level,
14 from people working at regional level, 12 from people working at headquarters; 7 came from Africa, 8 from Asia, 16 from Latin America, 7
from Europe, and 3 from North America.
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5. WHAT IS THE NEED?
• Powerful advocacy tool that is comprehensive
enough to include all the relevant issues affecting child rights
in every national context;
• Easy to use and understand by the general public;
• Solid enough to be credible, based on empirical evidence;
• Has enough ‘teeth’ to facilitate advocacy work and catalyse
change;
• Highlights disparities.
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6. Popular
(addressed to the general
public, no previous
knowledge needed) State of
the World’s CCA
Mothers
State of
the World’s
Children
Reports to
Technical
CRC
papers
Committee
Technical
(addressed to people with
certain knowledge of the
issue) Focused on issues Comprehensive
(covers issues or uses
(covers all areas related
only internationally
to child rights)
comparable data)
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7. WHAT IS THE NEED?
EXISTING ACCOUNTABILITY TOOLS
• Reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child: Compares
countries with themselves every 5 years. Technical in nature. Might not
easily reach public opinion in most countries.
• State of the World Children’s report: provides latest statistical evidence
on children well-being globally. Popularises one issue every year (2011:
Adolescents; 2010: Child Rights; 2009: Maternal & Newborn health...). It
does not compare countries.
• State of the World’s Mothers: Ranks countries on the basis of indicators
around women’s health, and their status (economic, political,
educational), as well as children’s status (health and education).
• Others: State of the World’s Girls by Plan, Regional reports to regional
institutions, UNICEF Report Cards...
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8. WHAT IS THE CCA?
• The CCA seeks to be a powerful communications and
advocacy tool that will measure the level of commitment countries
have vis-à-vis their children and children in general.
• It is a project around which the child rights movement can
rally, benefit from, provide input to, and use as a mobilization
tool in every country.
• A vivid reminder for governments of the efforts needed to
meet the MDGs and implement the Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
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9. FOCUS OF THE CCA
• Equity : moves away from monitoring averages, and places attention to
progress for the poorest. Countries with big disparities will be penalized.
• Commitment in relation to the level of economic
resources: measures effort and performance in relation to the best
performer with the same GNP per capita.
• International audit + National audit processes: An
international audit panel will focus on using internationally comparable
data; National audit panels will focus on assessing what is beyond reach of
international statistics, some qualitative elements and current efforts of the
current government.
• Outreach : The CCA focuses on reaching out to the general public,
policy-makers, NGOs, and leaders.
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10. OBJECTIVES
1. Hold governments accountable: We need a strengthened
capacity of the Movement to hold their governments and institutions to
account on child rights;
2. Coordinated advocacy: to increase the effectiveness of advocacy/
lobby actions vis-à-vis governments and institutions;
3. Increased visibility: child rights issues and efforts (or lack of efforts) to
realize them need to be more visible/important to the public, stimulate thinking
and debate on the nation’s commitment to children;
4. Point to the gaps in data collection: inspire further efforts in
search of new data that better grasps children’s reality.
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11. EXPECTED OUTCOMES
• Generate public support : Raise awareness,
generate debate and educate the public so it demands more ambitious
action for child rights;
• Focus attention of policy-makers and leaders to the
deficits vis-a-vis their children: delegitimize excuses for inaction;
• Strengthen leader’s commitment
child rights.
to
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12. Generate public
Focus attention
support
Commitment to
Children Audit
Strengthen leaders’
commitment
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13. INTERNATIONAL AUDIT
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14. INTERNATIONAL AUDIT
• International audit panel: Composed of 6-8 prominent
experts from all continents.
• Uses only internationally comparable data, normally one
major indicator per unit.
• Six audit units:
Low/middle-income countries High-income countries
Survival Survival
Growth Subjective well-being
Health Health
Education Education
Protection Protection
Material well-being Material well-being
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15. INDICATORS
Low/middle-income
Main indicator
countries
Survival Child death rate
Growth Child malnutrition rate
Health Improved water and sanitation rate
Education Expected years at school
Maternal death rate; immunization; birth registration; road
Protection
accidents; Ban on corporal punishment.
Material well-being Absolute poverty rate
• These indicators will be looked at from absolute and equity perspectives
(see the sample Country A international audit report);
• It will issue an overall rating (A to D) as well as a rating per unit. This will
allow to create rankings and compare countries.
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16. NATIONAL AUDIT
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17. WHY
• International audit is incomplete : international comparable
data is very limiting in terms of analysis. Essential dimensions need to be
considered in addition to those assessed internationally.
• Close range : commitment should also be assessed that might not
be interationally relevant, but that are essential at national level.
• Contextualise : The national panel will be able to assess the current
government effort – putting achievements and failings into the national
context, considering current achievements and concerns.
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18. NATIONAL AUDITS
• National panels: 6-12 individuals selected by the country’s national
platform for children;
• Panel uses Delphi method to assess commitment around some
internationally defined units as well as some nationally-defined
elements (see form);
• Audit units:
‣ Education: quality and relevance;
‣ Health: effort of government in providing basic health care to all children;
‣ Protection: Total abolition of death penalty for under-18; Age of criminal
responsibility under 18; physical punishment illegal; FGM; exploitation; substance
abuse...;
‣ Participation: political spaces, social energy, levels of collective organisation...;
‣ Commitment to children of other countries: ODA, children on the move...;
‣ Data availability and quality.
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19. PLAN
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20. OUTREACH
• The CCA aims to bring certain facts and ideas to new audiences. Outreach is
central to the project;
• Approach will be multi-pronged, involving print publications, an interactive web
site, and in-person events;
• The key is to provide child rights organizations with a useful tool, adaptable to
different audiences: from an Op-Ed to background technical papers.
WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
• CCA cited in major national newspapers in at least 50 countries;
• Progressive use of the CCA by development agencies, child-related government
agencies, INGOs and national NGOs, resulting in policies, budgets and
institutional transformations;
• Strong and heated debate in low-ranked countries.
• CCA developed within countries with decentralized structures.
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21. PRINCIPLES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
• Think big but start small: pilot the CCA in a few countries in every region;
• Strive for continual improvement, not instant perfection: the process and
measurements will require constant improvement, learning lessons early
before going too far down the wrong path;
• Engage key actors in design: great talent in the guidance of the project, but
ensure that regional and national actors participate in its design and
evaluation;
• Minimize demand to key actors: engagement is key, but resources at
regional and national are extremely limited. Implementation should make
engagement easy and minimize the demand of time and resources of
members.
• Outreach is central: This is not academic experiment, it does not seek to
generate new data. It aims to bring certain facts and ideas to broad
audiences.
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22. Conceptuali-
sation - Consultations to GMC
members and key people;
- Broad consultation to national
and regional offices and
organisations.
- Group of experts draft concept
and process;
- GMC Comms Team develops
outreach plan. Consultation
to consolidate
concept
June’11 Jul-Nov’11
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23. International - Data is gathered and
processed globally;
and national
- Simultaneous launch of
audits outputs in many countries.
Regional and global
launches in key locations.
- GMC-CC convenes
International audit panel
- International panel prepares its
assessment; Consolidation
- National audit panels are and launch
created and prepare their
assessment with the results of
the international audit.
Dec’11-Mar’12 Apr-Sep’12
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24. FAQ
1. What is the added value compared to other reports (State of
the World’s Children, Report to the Committee on the Rights
of the Child...)?
• CRC reporting focuses on comparing a country over time, every 5 years. The CCA
compares countries with their economic and geographical neighbours, and brings an
international dimension that has been unexplored and is potentially very powerful in
communications terms.
• Adds a great deal more impact, urgency, and a willingness to be really critical when
necessary.
2. What is the legitimacy/mandate of the GMC to prepare and
disseminate the CCA?
• The GMC does not work on a mandate given by governments, but on a mission
provided to it by its members and anchored in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, the most universal human rights treaty
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