"Unpacking children’s rights under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards," October 2024

....To support companies reporting under the ESRS to better disclose information on impacts, risks, and opportunities on children’s rights, UNICEF has developed this set of guidance briefs on key aspects of the reporting process.

Companies can use these briefings together or individually. These briefings are meant to be complementary to the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG)’s implementation guides. The Guidance briefs cover three topics:

• The brief “Children as stakeholders at heightened risk of adverse impacts” provides guidance on the reporting requirements relevant for children as a group in vulnerable and marginalised situations. The ESRS recognise “persons in vulnerable situations” as a distinct category of stakeholders that companies should consider in the reporting process.
• The brief “Children’s Rights and Double Materiality” provides guidance on integrating children’s rights into the double materiality assessment under the ESRS. The briefing clarifies how to identify child rights material topics that are relevant for the double materiality assessment, how to engage rightsholders meaningfully and safely when it comes to children’s rights and how to determine and assess child rights material topics.
• The brief “Reporting on children’s rights under the social standards” provides guidance on how to map the social standards of the ESRS that require reporting on children’s rights and those where there could be a child rights dimension to report. It also contains recommendations and examples on how to report on specific child rights issues under the framework of the social pillar of the ESRS, including:
  • child labour and young workers
  • work life balance for parents
  • impacts in communities
  • protection of children as consumers and end-users