FRA/ECtHR HANDBOOK Handbook on European law relating to the rights of the child of the rights to relating law Handbook on European Handbook on European law relating to the rights of the child © European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and Council of Europe, 2015 The manuscript for this handbook was completed in June 2015. Updates will become available in future on the FRA website at fra.europa.eu, the Council of Europe website at http://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/thematic-work/children-rights, and on the European Court of Human Rights website under the Case-Law menu at echr.coe.int. Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). Photo credit (cover & inside): © iStockphoto More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017 CoE: ISBN 978-92-871-9855-6 FRA – print: ISBN 978-92-9491-542-9 doi:10.2811/917625 TK-05-16-084-EN-C FRA – web: ISBN 978-92-9491-543-6 doi:10.2811/545485 TK-05-16-084-EN-N Printed in Luxembourg Printed on process chlorine-free recycled paper (PCF) This handbook was drafted in English. The Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) take no responsibility for the quality of the translations into other languages. The views expressed in this handbook do not bind the CoE and the ECtHR. The handbook refers to a selection of commentaries and manuals. The CoE and ECtHR take no responsibility for their content, nor does their inclusion on this list amount to any form of endorsement of these publications. Further publications are listed on the internet pages of the ECtHR library at echr.coe.int, and more resource materials can be found at coe.int/children. Handbook on European law relating to the rights of the child Foreword This handbook on European law relating to the rights of the child is jointly prepared by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the Council of Europe together with the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights. It is the fourth in a series of handbooks on European law jointly prepared by our organisations. Previous handbooks were dedicated to European law relating to non-discrimination law, asylum, borders and immigration, and data protection. We embarked on this new joint project in the context of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – which all European states have ratified – to shed light on the role of European legal standards in securing the enjoyment by children of their universal rights. Children are full-fledged holders of rights. This handbook thus aims to raise awareness and improve the knowledge of the legal standards that protect and promote these rights in Europe. The Treaty on European Union (TEU) sets forth the Union’s obligation to promote the protection of the rights of the child. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU), EU regulations and directives, as well as the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), have contributed to further determining the protection of the rights of children. In the Council of Europe, a large number of conventions focus on specific as- pects of the protection of the rights of the child, ranging from their rights and safety in cyberspace to the adoption of children. These conventions contribute to enriching the protection granted to children under the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter, including the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the decisions of the Euro- pean Committee of Social Rights (ECSR). This handbook is designed for non-specialist legal professionals, judges, public prosecutors, child protection authorities, and other practitioners and organi- sations responsible for ensuring the legal protection of the rights of the child. We would like to thank Prof. Ton Liefaard, LL.M. Simona Florescu, JD. Margaret Fine, Prof. Karl Hanson, Prof. Ursula Kilkelly, Dr. Roberta Ruggiero, Prof. Helen Stalford and Prof. Wouter Vandenhole for their contribution in drafting this handbook. We would also like to thank all those who provided input and support throughout its preparation. Snežana Samardžić‑Marković Michael O’Flaherty Director General of Democracy Director of the European Union Council of Europe Agency for Fundamental Rights 3 Contents FOREWORD �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3 ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................. 11 HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK ................................................................................. 13 1 INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN CHILDREN’S RIGHTS LAW: CONTEXT AND KEY PRINCIPLES ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 1.1. Core concepts ............................................................................................ 17 Key point ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17 1.1.1. Scope of European children’s rights law ................................... 17 1.1.2. ‘Child’ as a holder of rights ......................................................... 17 1.2. Background to European children’s rights law ������������������������������������� 19 1.2.1. European Union: development of children’s rights law and the areas of protection covered ........................................ 20 1.2.2. Council of Europe: development of children’s rights law and the areas of protection covered ........................................ 23 1.3. European children’s rights law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child .................................................................................... 26 Key point ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 1.4. Role of the European courts in interpreting and enforcing European children’s rights ...................................................................... 28 1.4.1. The Court of Justice of the European Union ���������������������������� 28 1.4.2. The European Court of Human Rights ...................................... 30 1.5. European Committee of Social Rights ................................................... 31 2 BASIC CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS ................................................................ 33 2.1. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion ...................................... 35 Key points .............................................................................................................. 35 2.1.1. The child’s right to freedom of religion .................................... 35 2.2. Parents’ rights and the freedom of religion of their children ............ 37 2.3. Freedom of expression and information ............................................... 39 Key points .............................................................................................................. 39 2.4. Right to be heard ...................................................................................... 41 Key points .............................................................................................................. 41 2.5. Right to freedom of assembly and association .................................. 44 Key points ............................................................................................................. 44 5 3 EQUALITY AND NON‑DISCRIMINATION ............................................................ 47 3.1. European non-discrimination law ......................................................... 48 Key points ............................................................................................................. 48 3.2. Non-discrimination based on race or ethnic origin ............................. 51 Key points .............................................................................................................. 51 3.3. Non-discrimination based on nationality and immigration status ....... 54 Key points .............................................................................................................. 54 3.4. Non-discrimination based on age ......................................................... 56 Key point ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 56 3.5. Non-discrimination based on other protected grounds ..................... 57 Key point ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 57 4 PERSONAL IDENTITY ISSUES .............................................................................. 61 4.1. Birth registration and the right to a name ............................................ 63 Key point ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 63 4.2. Right to personal identity ....................................................................... 65 Key points ............................................................................................................