Maria is 14 years old and has been subjected to sexual harassment at school and online. It’s been going on for a while and she has talked to adults at school. Unfortunately, the violations have continued. She wants to stand up for herself and has a lot of support from relatives and reports the violation to the Children and Student Representative (BEO). Because the harassment concerned gender, it falls within the law for discrimination and the case is sent to the Discrimination Ombudsman (DO). DO and BEO have different conditions for running their affairs. For example, the DO cannot enter into a settlement such as BEO, which means that a legal dispute is settled amicably between the parties. In Maria’s case, the DO considers that the evidence is not sufficient to win the case in court. The case is therefore closed and Maria does not receive redress for the violations she has been subjected to.

In Maria’s case, a number of articles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child are missing. For example:

Article 2, which deals with the fact that no child shall experience discrimination.

Article 19, which deals with the protection of all children against physical and psychological violence.