2021 was the year of heated ideological debates, promising progress and entrenched structural problems. This was the year that produced the so-called ‘anti-paedophilia bill’ in the name of child protection, and it was during this year that Hungary vetoed the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. The public sphere was buzzing with child rights debates, but what took place behind the scenes is also of interest.
Child rights cannot be divided up. Every child right belongs to all children and all children are deserving of each and every child right. This principle should be self-explanatory and natural 30 years after Hungary’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Child. But this is not the case. The Child Rights Report of 2021 presents a comprehensive overview of the challenges accompanying child protection, the education system and child health.