By Dr Carmel Corrigan
SADLY, I am not sending you all greetings from Bucharest, as was my original plan for this column. Not that I don’t want to be in Jersey, of course, but this week the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) are meeting in Romania for their annual conference. On this occasion, it hasn’t been possible for us to attend in person, but the importance of this network remains undiminished. It is our small office’s chance to hear views and opinions from members across 34 countries and 43 independent institutions (and, of course, to express our own), all with the common aim of promoting and protecting the human rights of children.
The annual conference and the year-long work that surrounds it is an opportunity for wide-ranging discussions on a key theme – this year it is children’s physical health – to take place, and for a joint statement to be agreed.
In addition, it brings together children and young people from across members states through the European Network of Young Advisers. These young advisers are instrumental in preparing the joint statement and in providing recommendations for action by the members states and their governments.
They help to shape the recommendations for action by governments, in other words, they remind us all that policies designed for children must never be made without children.
My apologies if I appear like a dog with a favourite bone, but these discussions have again made me reflect on how children’s views and opinions are heard, considered and valued in Jersey. How can we make sure that children and young people can bring their issues and experiences to the attention of decision-makers here at home?
A clear opportunity for at least some young people will present itself next June when Jersey goes to the polls to elect its next States Assembly. Jersey is one of the few jurisdictions where the voting age has been lowered to 16. Yet, despite our relatively long-standing progressive approach to democracy (the law was changed almost 20 years ago in 2008), we still have one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world, and particularly low engagement among younger voters.
According to the Jersey Policy Centre, overall voter turnout has averaged 44.1% over the past 30 years, but among 17–34-year-olds the average turnout is just 17%. The most cited reasons for not voting were a belief that it would not have made any difference and a lack of trust in the political system.
The Policy Centre has made some very practical and useful suggestions for increasing overall voter engagement, but they were clear that none of these would address the deeper issue of trust. From my perspective, that leads to two important questions: how do we increase children and young people’s faith that their representatives will genuinely listen and respond to their concerns? And how do we help to build their belief in the democratic process itself?
From a human rights perspective, the right to vote and the right to speak your mind freely are not abstract concepts – they are cornerstones of freedom and dignity. It is not just a mark on paper; it is power, and power is something no young person should feel they lack.
Locally, important work is already underway. The States Greffe, through its vote.je campaign, has been doing considerable work to engage all voters in Jersey, while also encouraging new and diverse groups of candidates to consider standing for election. These initiatives are vital if our democratic institutions are to better reflect the breadth of our community, and if young people in the Island are to be able to look at the next government and see something of themselves reflected back at them.
Jersey’s new Youth Assembly also has a crucial role to play. By providing a formal platform for children and young people to express their views, the Assembly helps to embed participation in the structures of our Island. When young people see their ideas taken seriously – and, importantly, acted upon – they are more likely to carry that sense of agency to the ballot box and beyond.
In the same spirit, my office is planning a project for World Children’s Day 2025. We will be working directly with young people to create a short film, in their own words, about the power of the child’s voice. What can it achieve? What should it achieve? How can it be supported? Our hope is that the film will be both a celebration and a challenge – a reminder that children’s voices should never be sidelined, and a prompt to all of us to listen more closely.
As Janusz Korczak, a pioneer of children’s rights, once wrote: “Children are not the people of tomorrow, but people of today.” Their voices matter now, not just in the future.
So, if there are any young people out there who want to have their voices heard, who have opinions about life in Jersey (what works, what doesn’t and how it needs to change), then why not speak up? Why not join us in making a film that will give the Island’s adult decision-makers pause for thought? We would love to hear from you.
In the end, the health of our democracy depends not just on who votes, but on who feels heard. For children and young people, opportunities to express their opinions – whether through the Youth Assembly, through projects like ours, or ultimately at the ballot box – are essential building blocks of trust.
By creating and protecting these opportunities, we can help to build a society in which every young person feels that their voice matters, and that their future is being shaped with them, not just for them.
