European Forum on children's rights: EU renews commitment to ending child poverty, protect the rights of the Roma people and fight against violence.

The European Forum on children's rights, held in Brussels on 4 March, met representatives of national and international organizations, including the United Nations, Interpol and UNICEF, to develop more effective means of protecting the rights of children.

In his speech during the forum, Commissioner Franco Frattini, responsible for Justice, the Commission reaffirmed the commitment to ensure the right of children to life, development and protection.

The forum also included the participation of children as a source of inspiration and information. Children could thus make himself heard and contribute to the development of policies that affect them.

The decision to create a line of pan-European telephone for missing children was one of the results of the forum. The so-called "Initiative 116" is being implemented in several countries and shall come into operation soon. The idea is that all EU countries reserve the number to 116 000 calls about missing children.

The recent Safer Internet Day (February 12) helped to raise awareness among Europeans of the risks of online communication. A new EU program will facilitate the reporting of illegal or harmful behavior. There are also plans to block the payment of online images related to the sexual abuse of children.

The Commissioner for Social Affairs, Vladimir Spidla, said: "One in five children live in Europe at risk of poverty. This is totally unacceptable. " To help communities like the Roma, where child poverty assumes specific characteristics, the Commissioner urged the adoption of measures to guarantee the access of parents to work.

In a symbolic gesture, the Commissioner for Communication, Margot Wallström, has a tree planted at the headquarters of the European Commission to children, recalling the need to listen to his.