Drafters required to consult youngsters on child-related issues

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is working on a circular guiding the consultation of children in the process of drafting regulations on or related to children.

Youngsters aged seven or older would be consulted on child-related issues__Photo: Internet

 Under the draft, to-be-consulted subjects are youngsters aged seven or older who would be selected in a manner that ensures an appropriate structure in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, family circumstance and personal growing. In addition to traditional forms of consultation such as organizing surveys or holding forums, conferences, meetings and workshops, telephone or online consultations would also be accepted.

For the sake of children, it is necessary to ensure that children participate in the consultation process in a voluntary and proactive manner, suitable to their age, sex and development. All acts of discrimination or harsh judgment against children during the consultation process would be strictly prohibited.

In order to ensure effectiveness, the draft specifies jobs that must be done in preparation for a consultation, ranging from identification of to-be-consulted issues to formulation of a scientific, concise and simple consultation toolkit suitable to the to-be-applied form of consultation.

After receiving opinions and feedback from children, agencies and organizations in charge of organizing the consultation will make and send a report on the consultation result to the drafting agency. The drafting agency will assimilate reasonable opinions and feedback and, on that basis, finalize the draft document before promulgating it or submitting it to a competent authority for promulgation. Within 60 days after the document is enacted, the drafting agency will notify the consulted children of their opinions which have been accepted and included in the document and give explanation about the reason for rejection of their opinions, if any.