Children Activism
The Special Session on Children is an unprecedented meeting of the UN General Assembly dedicated to the children and adolescents of the world. It will bring together government leaders and Heads of State, NGOs, children's advocates and young people themselves from 19-21 September 2001 at the United Nations in New York City. The gathering will present a great opportunity to change the way the world views and treats children. A follow-up to the 1990 World Summit for Children In 1990, at the World Summit for Children, 71 Heads of State and Government and other leaders signed the World Declaration on Survival, Protection and Development of Children and adopted a Plan of Action to achieve a set of precise, time-bound goals. These goals included:
· Improving living conditions for children and their chances for survival by increasing access to health services for women and children
· Reducing the spread of preventable diseases
· Creating more opportunities for education
· Providing better sanitation and greater food supply; and protecting children in danger.
The commitment to realizing the World Summit goals has helped move children and child rights to a place high on the world's agenda. The Special Session is an important follow-up to the 1990 World Summit.
What does the Special Session on Children hope to accomplish?
· A review of the progress made for children in the decade since the 1990 World Summit for Children and the World Declaration and Plan of Action.
The end-of-decade review will combine national, regional and global reports. The review will not only chart the achievements of the last decade; it will also serve to inform world leaders as they plan future actions for children.
· A renewed commitment and a pledge for specific actions for the coming decade.
World leaders will explore the long-standing challenges of serving and protecting children, as well as the issues emerging in this rapidly changing world. They will be asked to identify strategic solutions to the problems facing children and to commit the critical human and economic resources that will be called for.
Expected outcomes of the Special Session
The Special Session is expected to produce a global agenda with a set of goals and a plan of action devoted to ensuring three essential outcomes:
· The best possible start in life for all children.
• International treaty covering the rights of all children, through 54 articles, including the right of the child to express his/her views in relation to decisions being made that may affect them and their
When working with children it is vital we have a good understanding of the principles and values such as United Nations Children’s Rights Convention. The Foundation Phase curriculum promotes equality of opportunity and values, and celebrates diversity.’ (Foundation Phase revised curriculum, 2015) whereas the UNCRC focuses on the rights of the child, these rights underpins everything that practitioners do in the setting. Alternatively the Foundation Phase is a framework that is used to plan for children’s play and learning but gives us many opportunities to celebrate diversity and promote an inclusive and equal setting.
the conditions that many children had to endure and to tell the public that children have
...ay for a better tomorrow for children around the world. Vote, support and demand that we give the children what they need as our moral duty to help those who cannot help themselves.
Researching children is in no way a new phenomenon however there has been a considerable shift in paradigm which has led to increasing amounts of research being carried out ‘with’ children rather than ‘on’ children (Christensen and James, 2008). This could be because of the growing interest in children’s rights to participate (James and Prout, 1997), which as suggested by O’kane (2008) occurred in the late 1980’s. However it is difficult to determine whether this shift in paradigm occurred as a result of natural changes in researcher’s attitudes or as a direct result of new legislation (2008). As at a similar time, in 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) (UNCRC ) was enforced, giving children the right to participate and be heard in matters affecting their lives. This difficulty is evident by Schaffer (1990) suggesting developmental theories have strongly influenced policies thus indicating, as researcher’s knowledge on children and childhood develop attitudes and policy change. In contrast O’Kane (2008, p.125) states “changes reflect an acknowledgement of children’s rights”.
22. African Charter on the Right and Welfare of the Child (n.p.: Organization of African Unity, 1990), 5-6, accessed May 21, 2014, http://www.au.int/en/sites/default/files/Charter_En_African_Charter_on_the_Rights_and_Wlefare_of_the_Child_AddisAbaba_July1990.pdf.
Free the Children is a charity that aims to develop a sustainable way for youth in third world countries to have access to basic rights such as food, shelter, and education. It empowers youth to join programs, help raise awareness, and create change for the less fortunate (Wingrove, 2010). The organization was created by Craig Kielburger in 1995 at the age of 12 with 11 classmates from school (Kielburger, 2006). Over the years Free the Children has been responsible for building over 650 schools in over 45 countries, and took in $15,683,212 in Canada alone during the 2009 fiscal year (“Results and Impacts”). Craig Kielburger exemplified extremely strong leadership qualities from a very young age, and continues to do so to this day. Along with his brother, Marc Kielburger, created a very strong set of principles that allows their organization to flourish. Craig Kielburger’s strong leadership qualities drive him to strive for revolutionary change and this directly results in the organizational success of Free the Children, which is admired worldwide.
...ce of mortality, education can also be given to them about healthy child development and what to expect when they deliver their child. This can help reduce the amount of children becoming ill. A program such as the one described can have a positive impact and has the potential of saving millions of lives.
United Nations (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child.[online] Available at: [Accessed 1 April 2014].
Wells, Karen C.. "rescuing children and children's rights." Childhood in a global perspective. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2009. 168-169. Print.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report (2000) Human Rights and Human Development (New York) p.19 [online] Available from: [Accessed 2 March 2011]
United Nations Publications. Commission for Social Development: Report on the Forty-fourth Session 18 February 2005 And 8-17 February And 22 March 2006. New York: United Nations Publications, 2006. Print.
American Society has always been described as being extremely focused on children, and their well-being. Almost every election there is a politician that stands up and gives a speech about how our kids are our future, how we need to protect and provide for our children, in order for them to succeed in life. Children are our future is repeated over and over again. “This idealized image seems, however, contradicted by various destructive aspects of child life in the United States such as widespread poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and exploitation” (Gil 637). The image about keeping our children safe isn’t as perfect or easy, as polit...
Julia S., Children's Rights in Africa: A Legal Perspective. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. 2013. Print.