Participation Works

Thousands of children across the country have sent messages to the Prime Minister on cardboard and paper footprints, to mark the start of a year of action on children's rights.

The messages will be hand delivered to Downing Street by 20 children marking the 20th anniversary of the UK making a legally binding agreement with the United Nations to uphold the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Convention gives children everywhere a wide range of rights, including to: family support; education that helps them develop fully as individuals and with respect for human rights; an adequate standard of living; the highest attainable standard of health; play and recreation; protection from all forms of violence; and the right to be heard and taken seriously. Above all, this human rights treaty requires that children be respected as human beings with views, feelings and ideas of their own.

The Right Year for Young Children colalition include several members of Participation Works.

Liam Preston, Chair of British Youth Council commented "The UN Convention on Rights for the Child underpins and secures the right of the British Youth Council to exist to champion youth voices across the UK and the world we live in. It reminds everyone that when times are hard those who are most vulnerable, blameless, and dependent on others, need special attention to ensure they are safe and their voices heard. Indeed in a world where adults seem to get it wrong by accident, or treat each other badly deliberately, we need to be reminded more about the hopes of our children, whom we trust will make a better job of it in the future. With these rights we can speak up and not just prepare to be the leaders of tomorrow but be a youth of today that can help shape the future for the better."

Carolyne Willow, National Co-ordinator of Children's Rights Alliance for England remarked: "The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out what every child is entitled to in order to have the best possible childhood, in conditions of respect, dignity and safety. Successive governments have had 20 years to make a reality of children's rights and our ambition is that 2012 will bring even bigger change for England's 11 million children."

Dr Hilary Emery, Chief Executive of National Children's Bureau stated: "The anniversary celebration of the Convention is a timely opportunity to show a national commitment to our children and young people and see them as valued members of society. We look forward to further advancing the rights of children and young people and supporting their parents' special role as articulated in the Convention, to ensure the best outcomes for all children, young people and families. We embrace the UNCRC as a practical tool for achieving this."

Fergus Drake, Director of UK Programme at Save the Children observed "It is unacceptable that 3.5 million children live in poverty in the UK today, with 1.6 million children living in severe poverty (nearly 13% of all children). Such a wholesale denial of the right to an adequate standard of living for our children shames our nation and our political leaders. The time is up for paying lip service to our international obligations on children's rights: our children deserve so much more."

Only two UN member states have failed to ratify the children's Convention, making it one of the most widely supported human rights treaties in the world. Unlike the UK, many countries have made the Convention on the Rights of the Child part of their domestic law.

The year of action is run by a coalition of organisations that wants greater awareness and respect for children's rights in England.

Mon, 19/12/2011 - 13:23