Developing indicators for the protection, respect and promotion of the rights of the child in the European Union

This report, commissioned by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency i(FRA), is the first outcome of a project aimed at developing indicators on the rights of the child for the European Union. The report was elaborated following extensive consultations and close cooperation with civil society organisations and experts in the field.It provides a framework for monitoring the impact of EU law and policy on children’s status and experience across the Member States and will feed into the EU’s ongoing efforts to develop a more systematic and coherent approach to children’s rights.
The initial set of indicators developed by FRA, focuses on four key areas of children’s rights in which there is a significant level of EU legal and policy activity. These are:
1) Family Environment and Alternative Care;
2) Protection from Exploitation and Violence;
3) Education, Citizenship and Cultural Activities; and
4) Adequate standard of living.
These indicators aim to highlight the existing gaps both in current EU provision and available data, providing a springboard for future legal, policy and research development. Furthermore, they complement and build upon previous efforts to develop child indicators at EU level extending across
specific areas of substantive law and policy.