International Bulletin - August 2002
Report on UN Conference For Children
Attitudes towards children in every country of the world are different! And nowhere could this be more clearly seen and understood than at the United Nations Conference for Children which I attended in May this year.
It is no news that we are ruled by what "seems" far more than by what is - It would seem that children in this world are nurtured and valued whereas in fact, the reality is quite different - after listening to the voices of children of the world I realized that this issue is far more important that one can imagine.
Nelson Mandela in his summary of the first year of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund said "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul then the way in which it treats its children"
These words say it all! They ring out the message loud and clear! But it seems as if the world is deaf! There is no one to hear. I listened carefully to the children who came with the many NGOs who attended the Conference and I was deeply touched by the thoughts and ideas they expressed. The pride in some of the young voices as they spoke of their countries, reflected the value in which the children of that country are held. Then to hear the tragic voices of Africa, telling of their overwhelming anguish was heart breaking. To know that children die at the rate of every 14 seconds is astounding! Even more tragic that some 2.3 million children under 15 became orphans in the year 2000 alone due to aids related deaths.
Gracia Machel spoke on children in armed conflict, which for some one living in the South Pacific seems unbelievable; the children speaking with her begged for armed conflict to be prevented first otherwise the cycle of war would never end.
Eliza from Sergovia said with great pain in her voice.."when there is war your world disappears. Being a friend is the best thing you can do, for children are always the losers though war is an adults game" Ambassador Patricia Durant, the Jamaican Permanent Representative to the UN spoke of international peace and the need for new ideas and ways to bring it about - Her hope was that children would be our first investment and that the conference would act as a catalyst to a momentous effort for children - that we would ultimately design a world fit for children.
So many voices, so many words - children from Uganda, India, US, Mexico, Hong Kong, Columbia, Taiwan, Pakistan and Africa spoke of the tragedy of their lives without peace. Perhaps the saddest of all were the words spoken by a young Jewish girl "I don't want to be hated, I just want to live" Another poignant message came from an Indian girl who cried - "It should be wonderful to be a woman!" Her words generated a dynamic discussion on "education for girls" "how to empower girls" "global education for girls" over and over again the issue of the responsibility to engender interest in the situation of the girl child and the challenges facing the girl child were discussed.
At one point during the conference Kofi Annan (Secretary General of United Nations) opened a discussion on the Rights of the Child - his message was that we need the political will to action the Rights of the Child.
I heard the words "be world embracing in your thinking" and I was inspired and considered the saying as one we should all take into account - There is a real need to be concerned and compassionate about the people of the world whose needs are so great that they live on the edge of survival!
This is not the time to sit in judgement but to exert leadership and build a world fit for children. The main factor will be that we will take forward a plan that involves children in a meaningful way.
We need to listen to the children. We need to generate awareness of the value of young peoples contribution to peace. The children of this world know well the fear that is created by the vicious circle of poverty. Millions of children know about the lack of health care, malnutrition, lack of water and proper education - they know about armed conflict and the agony of children being sold - often into prostitution. We all know poverty maims the minds and bodies of children - What can we do? We all know that to save the world we must save the children.
To quote from "On the Record" a UNICEF paper circulated during the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children
"How the World has changed since 1990"" -->
PPSEAWA International Bulletin - International Bulletin - August 2002
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International Bulletin - August 2002
Report on UN Conference For Children
On paper the purpose of this Special Session is to review progress made since the 1990 World Summit on Children. In practice its goals must be totally different. This is because from the perspective of children, the world has changed dramatically since 1990 - often for the worse.
The challenges that faced governments in 1990 were to curb infant mortality and morbidity; the challenge facing the Special Session is dramatically different. Of course infant mortality and morbidity remain grotesque and unacceptable. They can and must be fought. But the real focus of this meeting must be on adolescence - that marvellous, unsettling period of life when promise and risk go hand in hand.
The last 12 years have not been kind to adolescents. HIV/AIDS was barely known in 1990, but today it poses a mortal threat to our children - 25 million Africans are infected with the virus, and half are aged between 15-24. The majority are young women, put at risk by sexual violence, polygamy ignorance and poverty.
Two million children are thought to have died in wars since 1990 and as many as 300,000 are currently in armed conflict, most recruited against their will. Each year millions of adolescents are sold and trafficked into sexual slavery. Millions more toll in dangerous jobs, or risk violence and disease to scrape a living on the streets. The pressures are relentless but the response is often heartless.
All children need protection but adolescents are particularly vulnerable in today's world. This calls for a completely different approach from the one adopted at the "World Summit in 1990."
In February 2001 UNCIFEC launched a Global Movement for Children, aimed at Changing the World with Children.
As the Secretary General's report so aptly puts it "the potential of adolescents as creative energetic actors and leaders for positive change has been widely under estimated.
This was the message that emerged clearly from this Special Session on Children. The message heard clearly was that we need to involve our young people in all our efforts to generate peace -
At the local level first, and ultimately through our efforts, governments would see the great value of listening to the children and follow suit. For anyone who asks - "why is it necessary to have children participate?" - The answer lies in the fact that so far we have been totally unsuccessful in our efforts towards peace - now we need a new path - a new way - and I would suggest Children are the Pathway to Peace. The teachers of peace - and perhaps then we will have a world fit for children.
"Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppression, helpless old people a burden to their children and the whole world of lonliness, poverty and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil but I cannot, and I too suffer."
Last Modified: November 29, 2002