Why is this important?

A company has great potential to have a positive impact on children’s rights by conducting their own programmes or campaigns/initiatives in relation to: either their marketing and the opportunities that lie within this type of communication; or in relation to the safety of the product/service as well as how it might support children.

About the scoring

A score of 10 is given if the company has a publicly described programme or initiative showing that they are working actively to enhance product safety or responsible marketing with the purpose of advancing children’s rights in the marketplace. These initiatives can be designed in relation to the industry within which the company operates, or they can be of a more generic nature, e.g.:

• Preventing or eliminating the risk that products or services might be used to abuse, exploit or otherwise harm to children
• Product development and design that seek to support children’s development or specific needs
• Reinforcing positive imagery to support self-esteem and mental health through marketing or through product development
• Highlighting inclusion and diversity through marketing or product development
• ICT taking steps to provide a safe online environment
• Hotels/transport taking measures against child sexual exploitation
• Real estate sector considering children’s needs when planning and executing projects.
• Banks providing financial education to children
• Producers of products that are harmful (or illegal) for children to consume conducting initiatives to protect children from such products
• Transportation and automobile producers taking interior (e.g. airbags) and exterior (e.g. pedestrian airbags) safety measures to increase the safety of all users, taking special precautions with regard to children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities

A score of 5 is given if the company is involved in such initiatives or programmes, but these initiatives and programmes are not explicitly focused on children.

N.B. If the company’s own foundation/charity organisation (or one administered with other companies in the same group) runs programmes or initiatives, this counts as their own programme. However, if the foundation only makes charitable donations to other organisations, it is not counted as a programme here. If this is the case, it is instead considered under Indicator 1.3.1 Collaboration.

Indicator reference

Children’s Rights and Business Principles:

• All business should meet their responsibility to respect children’s rights and commit to supporting the human rights of children (Principle 1)
• All business should ensure that products and services are safe, and seek to support children’s rights through them (Principle 5)
• All business should use marketing and advertising that respect and support children’s rights (Principle 6)