Thunberg and 15 young people: Climate inaction violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The 16 say that passivity is a violation of several articles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Inadequate or non-existent measures by governments around the world have caused direct damage and pose the risk of increasing damage to children that is a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. If nothing is done, climate change will continue to lead to devastation for children and their communities, ”the group writes in a press release.

The official complaint is presented in conjunction with a press conference at Unicef, the UN agency working on children's rights. It focuses on rapid action by countries to mitigate the damage that has already occurred, and on avoiding future major damage that cannot be repaired.

In particular, five countries are selected: Germany, France, Argentina, Brazil and Turkey.

To their aid, young people have hired a law firm that specializes in human rights.

The children behind the registration are between 8-17 years old and from different countries - including Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, India, the Marshall Islands, Nigeria, Palau, South Africa, Tunisia and the USA.

Sweden has two representatives in place: 16-year-old Greta Tunberg and 10-year-old Ellen Anne Rikko Marakatt from Karesuando.

"I am here because the world's leaders have failed to protect their children by continuing to ignore the climate crisis," says Greta Thunberg, saying that they have had enough now.