The Nordic countries have ratified international declarations that emphasise the responsibility of authorities to facilitate young people's social involvement and influence on all matters concerning themselves, in accordance with article 12 of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. The goal has been to promote their democratic and civil rights, as well as their well-being. Promoting their rights helps ensuring democracy and representation for groups that are otherwise not heard, it also helps ensure that the consequences of political measures and tools are adequately investigated to ensure compliance with children’s rights. However, there is a need to acquire more knowledge about how to ensure that all authorities recognise their responsibility for safeguarding such rights during a crisis. When the Nordic region was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, these rights were neglected, or at best acknowledged at a late stage and had minimal impact.
The Nordic Welfare Centre is an institution under the
Nordic Council of Ministers that provides knowledge and facilitates co-operation on welfare issues. An important objective is the well-being of our youth. The Nordic Council of Ministers has a common
vision of a sustainable Nordic region, a region that is also the best place in the world for children and youth. The goal is equal opportunities for participation and development for all children and young people, which is a requirement for sustainable, democratic and socially inclusive Nordic societies in the future.
This report is the first of three reports to investigate the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for children and youth, and their right to be heard. The reports are a part of a
four-year Nordic cooperation project led by the Nordic Welfare Centre on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The second report,
Children's and young people's participation during the corona pandemic – Nordic initiatives (2023),
describes the Nordic authorities' participation and involvement of children and young people during the pandemic. The third report, Restricted childhood, interrupted youth: research observations on education, leisure, and participation, summarizes new Nordic research on the consequences of the pandemic (to be published spring of 2023). The two latter are written by the Finnish Youth Research Society and the Danish Center for Social Science Research.