Right to participation not only recognises children and adolescents as passive recipients of care and protection by the adults, but also enables them to become active agents of change capable of influencing their own lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities. Child participation is one of the four guiding principles of UNCRC. This right is explicitly articulated in Article 12 of the UNCRC which states that children have the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them and that these views must be given due weightage keeping in mind their age and cognitive abilities.
This chapter examines the right to child participation in Pakistan, identifying obstacles that hinder its fulfilment and proposing ways to strengthen its implementation for a more inclusive and equitable society
