Despite Luxembourg's top ranking in the KidsRights Index, significant challenges in child welfare remain unaddressed, according to Ombudsman for Children and Youth Charel Schmit.

According to the KidsRights Index, a global ranking that annually measures how well children's rights are respected worldwide, Luxembourg is the top country in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, just ahead of Iceland, Greece, and Germany. Through this ranking, the KidsRights Foundation aims to encourage governments and organisations to develop measures and strategies to improve the situation of children.

Despite this, the Ombudsman for Children and Youth, Charel Schmit, holds some reservations. He criticises the approach and says that many challenges still remain.

Nevertheless, he still acknowledges the high ranking as positive, attributing it to significant budgetary investments in children's welfare, particularly in the education system and all-day care. "These are elements that hold a lot of positive weight," Schmit notes. However, he criticises the ranking as "premature praise," and emphasises that many challenges remain unaddressed.

"The top ranking should further encourage the government and the Chamber to realise their ambitions regarding children's rights, which they have announced. This way, they can inspire other countries with their good practices," Schmit says. Despite the high ranking, many situations in Luxembourg still require attention to ensure children's rights are fully respected.

Every five years, the Geneva Committee on the Rights of the Child evaluates the status of children's rights in member countries. The last evaluation in 2021 gave positive feedback on Luxembourg's commitments. Yet, Schmit highlights that these commitments need to be realised in practice, such as reforming youth protection and addressing the issue of juveniles being housed in adult prisons.

Other key areas needing improvement include tackling child poverty, enhancing pediatric care, and addressing the situation of over 2,000 refugee children in Luxembourg, which current statistics do not reflect.

The Geneva Committee will next evaluate the situation in two years. Until then, only socio-economic data in the KidsRights Index will be updated. If reforms are not implemented by then, Luxembourg could move down in the rankings. Previously, Luxembourg ranked 4th in 2022, 6th in 2021, and 53rd in 2020.