Enablers, barriers and proposals for child participation in Spanish municipalities

Abstract

Introduction: The EU Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) has highlighted the importance of strengthening working relationships between the political authorities and chil-dren population to defend youth rights and inclusion in local, national and European decision-making. This paper aims to identify enabling factors and barriers to participatory practices with children and to make proposals for developing these practices in the context of the network of municipalities belonging to the International Association of Educating Cities (IAEC) and the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI). Identifying these factors will enable to propose strategic actions leading to a full children participation in political and democratic life. Method: The study was part of a nationwide project with a mixed-method approach. Data were collected via two self-administered online surveys with ad hoc design. The sample consisted of 136 girls, boys and adolescents, 191 local government officers and 88 elected representatives. The result-ing data was analysed via a content analysis using Atlas-ti software. Results: Respondents agreed on the need for greater political commitment towards child participation, and to increase the arenas where under-18s can make decisions and carry out initiatives to transform their so-cial environments. Discussion: The obtained results support the importance of valuing child participation and highlighted the need to promote cooperative actions between girls, boys and adolescents and policy makers to influence municipal policy. The need for child participation as an indispensable element of the public sphere was made visible, for it to be articulated in set-tings where children can work together with elected representatives, and for it to have a tangible impact on municipal policy, as recommended by the Council of Europe.