On June 22, a training course was held at the initiative of the Human Rights Defender, dedicated to the crucial issues of children's rights protection, focusing on the topics of «The Principle of Ensuring the Best Interests of the Child in the Process of Covering Publicly Significant Issues» and «The Protection of Personal Data and Privacy in Public Communication Related to Children.»
Representatives of the Human Rights Defender's Office, public communication officials from state bodies, as well as journalists participated in the course.
The opening speech was delivered by Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan, emphasizing that responsible, sensitive, and rights-based coverage of issues related to human rights is a crucial prerequisite for effective protection of human rights.
The Defender highlighted that such responsibility lies not only with the mass media but also with state bodies and all individuals engaged in public communication, including those who publish on social platforms.
«Every communication, publication, or public response concerning a child must be conducted in accordance with the principle of ensuring the best interests of the child and with respect for their dignity,» noted Anahit Manasyan.
The Defender also emphasized that coverage of issues related to children's rights remains one of the most sensitive areas, where it is often necessary to consistently ensure compliance with the requirements for protecting the best interests of the child and personal data. Anahit Manasyan stressed the importance of implementing practices in line with the ongoing development of international standards and constructive cooperation between state bodies, media, and sector specialists.
«If there are issues, they should be resolved through partnership and constructive cooperation,» stated the Defender, highlighting the importance of ongoing dialogue and joint work.
Anahit Manasyan highly appreciated the cooperation established with representatives of the media and state bodies, noting that overcoming the challenges in the field of children's rights protection is only possible through the joint and consistent efforts of all stakeholders.
During the course, participants were introduced to international and domestic standards for the protection of children's rights, approaches to assessing and ensuring the best interests of the child, as well as the legal requirements for processing children's personal data, including publication, and the ethical approaches to ensuring them.
The course on «The Protection of Personal Data and Privacy in Public Communications Related to Children» was conducted by Gevorg Hayrapetyan, a lawyer and data protection expert from the dpHUB Data Protection Center and CyberHub, while the course on «The Principle of Ensuring the Best Interests of the Child in the Process of Covering Publicly Significant Issues» was led by Lilith Agajanyan, head of the Convention Mandates Implementation Department of the Human Rights Defender's Office.
The interactive training aimed to contribute to the professional development of participants and strengthen rights-based approaches in the field of children's rights protection.
Similar training courses organized by the Human Rights Defender's initiative aim to develop a culture of children's rights protection and promote public communication that fully respects the dignity, safety, privacy, and best interests of the child.
ENGLISH 
Հայերեն
Русский
Արեւմտահայերեն
French
