Kids celebrate eighteenth birthday of children's rights
Children from three schools in London joined Save the Children to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Wednesday 21 November 2007
The children from St Edmunds school, Brookfields school and Bell Lane school in London played musical instruments and a number of games at Save the Children's headquarters while learning more about their rights. Sir Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England, attended the event and also spoke with the children.
The UNCRC is a treaty that grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a comprehensive set of rights. The UN adopted the treaty 18 years ago to be ratified by countries around the world. When a country ratifies the convention it agrees to do everything it can to implement it.
"Today I've learned that all children deserve their own rights. They need to speak for themselves - grown ups shouldn't speak for them. If they are getting bullied ...they have the right to say that that should stop", said Cherono, 9, from Bell Lane School in Hendon, north London.
"We learned about how we are not all the same. We're different colours, from different countries and from different backgrounds. You shouldn't judge people - it doesn't matter [what you look like] on the outside, you only need to think about the inside." Anne Marie, 9, Bell Lane school.
"I liked the music today because it taught us that we're unique and we even played the drums as well. I liked the part when we were playing the drums because we got a chance to play what we wanted to play and not only what ...other people wanted to play", said Zarius, 9, from Bell Lane School. For him, the music playing tied into a larger lesson: "I learned that every child has their own rights. Not only can a person tell a child what to do, it's also about the children deciding if they want to do [it]."
"The UNCRC underpins each and every aspect of our work at 11 MILLION [the name given to the Children's Commission to represent the 11 million children and young people in England] as we strive to strive to create a society in which children and young people have a voice, feel safe and are given the opportunities to have a good life, said Sir Al Aynsley-Green. "I welcome Save the Children's efforts to raise awareness of the UNCRC amongst children and young people."
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