If you don’t think you need them, human rights can seem remote, officious concepts, sanctimonious do-gooding created by bureaucrats who want to tamper with the freedoms of citizens to look after themselves.
At least, that’s the narrative you’ll hear from politicians – of all hues – who dislike not being able to do exactly what they like to people they don’t.
Nothing is further from the truth. Human rights are born in fire, smelted from the sufferings of millions in the crucibles of war and genocide. They have been bought with blood, and built by those who know all too well what chaos can be unchained without them.
What’s this got to do with Civic Digits? The UN just published its UNCRC General Comment on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment https://5rightsfoundation.com/our-work/childrens-rights/uncrc-general-comment.html which is about recognising and protecting the rights of those in our lives who have the least agency and need the most support. As you probably know, I and everyone else in the company spend a lot of our time thinking about, designing for and learning everything we can about children’s experience of the digital. We’re also the sort of proudly sanctimonious do-gooders who fervently believe that a society worth living in is built on equality, fairness and compassion, especially towards the disadvantaged and vulnerable, and empowering the young to be safe and successful online is a huge part of that today.a