Cyprus’ first Commissioner for Children’s Rights presents priorities

As of this year, children in Cyprus have their own Commissioner to fight for their rights. The first Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, Leda Koursoumba, presented her priorities for 2008.
Speaking at a press conference, Koursoumba said she aims to promote children’s views, to inform public opinion and to enlighten society about children’s rights and ensure their implementation in practice in various aspects of society – the family, school.
Koursoumba added she would follow developments in the legislative and executive power and intervene where possible in order to ensure the implementation of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child.
The Convention, she said, will be translated into Greek, English and Turkish in a simple language.
Answering questions, she said that complaints began pouring in at her Office and that a research will follow to establish the exact scale of the problems faced by children.
“I aim to make public interventions in those issues concerning children because I believe that this will prove to be for the benefit of all children in Cyprus,” she told a press conference.
On behalf of the Pancyprian Coordinating Committee of Pupils and the Children’s Parliament, Seviros Koulas and Frini Fournari welcomed the new institution and expressed regret for the delay in introducing it to Cyprus.