Shishu Prakash: a news agency with child journalists

Shishu Prokash, a news agency with child journalists, launched its website www.shishuprokash.com last week during the1st Child Journalist Convention in Bangladesh.

The convention was organised by Mass-Line Media Center (MMC) and UNICEF. MMC has trained more than 1,000 child journalists, under its Children’s Express Project. These child journalists have published about 1,024 reports since the inception of Shishu Prokash. The subjects of the reports include many child rights issues; one even about a village in Bangladesh where there is not a single school. Many of these reports have been published in local, regional and national papers, reports asiamedia.ucla.edu.

Stages and areas of child development

Physical: Refers to the child’s body, Physical development includes the child growing bigger and changes in the body due to the development of the internal and external sex organs and associated secondary sexual characteristics (e. g. facial hair and deeper voice for boys, development of breasts and menstruation for girls). Physical sexual development includes changes in hormones (chemicals in the body) which can strongly affect an adolescent’s emotional state.

Cognitive: Refers to what a person of child knows and understands it refers to the mental process of knowing, thinking, remembering, reasoning, understanding, problem solving, evaluating, and using judgment. It is in contrast to emotional processes. As children get older, their ability in all of these areas increases.

Emotional: Refers to feelings rather than knowledge. As a child gets older, he or she gains increasing control over his/her emotions, learning – through social interactions – what is considered ‘appropriate’ emotional behavior in different circumstances and within the context of his/her culture.

Moral: Refers to knowing what is right and wrong. As a child gets older, his/her understanding of this increase, but it depends very much on what environment he/she is in and who his/her role models are.

If children do not get right kind of input and they grow up in an environment where their rights are not respected or fulfilled, then their development will be affected and can be ‘unbalanced’. For example:

• If a child does not get enough nutritious food he or she will not develop proper physically.
• If a child does not get enough stimulation or education, his or her cognitive development will be affected.
• If a child does not grow up in a loving and supportive environment, or if they grow up in a situation of neglect and emotional abuse, then their emotional and moral development will be less advanced than that of a child who has better opportunities.

The difference between wants, needs and rights

• I want a bubbly drink.
• I need a drink of water.
• I have a right to clean drinking water.

NEED VS RIGHT

Needs are common to many children and are often essential a child’s survival, protection, development and/or participation.

• Common and essential needs of every child have been translated into the rights of children and written down in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, agreed by every country in the world except Somalia and the USA. Child rights are those things that the international community consider are fair and just for every child to have, or to be able to do. For example:
• To have education, health and nutrition, name, nationality and identity, care of parents, protection from violence etc.
• To be able to do play, access information, express opinion, participate in decision-making, participate in cultural activities, form or join associations etc.

NEEDS VS RIGHTS

The basic needs of children are sometimes referred to as children’s rights (or ‘child rights’). However, children’s rights implies something more than just the ‘needs’ of children. For example:

• Child rights are universal and apply to every child; needs are not necessarily universal;
• Child rights – unlike needs – always imply obligations and responsibilities;
• Rights are entitlements which can be demanded; needs cannot be demanded.

There is no hierarchy or prioritization in the observance of children’s rights as no right is more important than the other. In case of conflicting rights, decisions are made based, not on the hierarchy or rights, but based on the principle of the best interests of the child. Children’s right is interdependent and indivisible. The enjoyment or non-enjoyment of one child right affects the enjoyment or non-enjoyment of another child’s right.

Child Participation

What is children‘s participation

In the most obvious sense, participation means taking part. In order to participate, children need to have a meaningful role – to do something they think is worthwhile, to play a role that shows people care for them and overall to have their rights to dignity, safety, protection and comfort respected.

According to the UN Convention on Child Rights, all children are equal, and have human rights such as the right to food, shelter, health care, education and freedom from violence, neglect and exploitation.  The Convention also states that children have the right to participate in decision-making and due weight should be given to their opinions, according to their age and maturity.
This means that children and young people have the right to participate in family decisions, in school and class decisions, in faith communities, in their cultural and sporting organisations, and also in local and national government, and in the UN and other international bodies.

Children and young people often represent over 40 percent of the societies in which they live, yet they have traditionally been excluded from decision-making all over the world.

Children have the right to freedom of expression, to form and join associations and to seek and receive appropriate information. These rights should empower children to bring about changes in their own lives, to build a better future.

What participation is not

Children do not participate by merely attending a function. That is decoration and not participation.

They do not participate by being merely consulted when adults make all the decisions (For example the children have no say concerning what questions they will be asked, how they will express their answers, and what will be done with the results.)

They do not participate if they are manipulated so that they express views that are not genuinely their own, nor rooted in their own experience.

It is merely tokenism if they are asked to give their opinion as representing “the children” when they are not properly briefed nor have the opportunity to discuss the issues with the very peers they are meant to be representing.To be meaningful, participation must involve at least some degree of power- sharing and some involvement in at least some of the processes. Participation is not autonomy – children cannot always have what they want. Limits have to be set to children’s power as adults have the responsibility to ensure that they are safe, healthy and educated. There may also be financial and practical limits which adults will need to apply. Adults cannot stand by and let children make irreversible mistakes that would cause serious harm or loss to themselves or others.

Asking children and young people what works, what doesn’t and what could work better, and involving them on an ongoing basis, in the design, delivery and evaluation of services helps to develop new skills and promote links within communities.
Why should children participate?
There are benefits to children and young people themselves, to adults and to society when children participate.

They become more clear about and understand their own wants and needs, in the light of the values of the community and the rights of the child.

They explore the possibilities of their lives by being offered choices and having to prioritise them. Also by realising the constraints or limitations to their development or happiness children are able to come to terms with the inequities of life. And by being offered a way forward to overcome them and attain a happier life for themselves and others too.

They also learn to consider the needs of others and to gain social skills as they negotiate, debate and problem-solve together.

Their developmental needs are met, particularly the need for responsibility, respect and recognition, which increases their confidence and self-esteem.

Because they are part of the process by which decisions are reached, they feel more committed to make those decisions work.Adults and society benefit

Children can help shape policy and practice. Insights gained from children and young people help adults to be more effective in meeting their changing needs. These needs are best defined by children from their everyday interests and problems, because what they actually experience may be different from what we had intended or expected.

Children can change our perception of ourselves as adults and help us to avoid assumptions about what we think “childhood” is. We will be more effective if we do not generalise, for example we should not say that “all children are helpless against violence” or “cannot reason until they turn seven”.

Children who participate are more likely to go on to become capable and involved citizens as they grow up. They learn democratic procedures and responsibilities by participating.UNICEF has a long-standing commitment to ethical and meaningful participation of children as a guiding principle of all it’s work. UNICEF’s mandate to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child necessitates that all children under 18 are included in its programming.  UNICEF is committed to building partnerships that promote meaningful participation of children and adolescents in programmes and decision-making processes that affect their lives.As the world’s leading agency on children, UNICEF has organized and participated in various high level events involving meaningful child participation, including the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children Junior 8 Summit (July 2006, St. Petersburg), UN Youth Leadership Summit (November 2006, New York).

To learn more about child participation, visit Children’s Corner.

Compiled by Jyoti Rao

Child Reporters Take Up Social Issues in Rajasthan Villages
The project, entitled “Gram Shakti”, uses an integrated village-based approach and was launched in May 2007 in all the 1,030 villages in Tonk district, situated about 120 km from the state capital Jaipur.

Sishu Prativa Utsav….charting new territory
In one corner of the school’s large playfield, the stall was drawing a steady stream of children. At the entrance, a desk with a big voluminous book with blank pages seemed the centre of attraction for children.

Not Just Entertainers
In just 30 minutes flat they not only put up the make-shift stage under the banyan tree, installed the temporary sound system, spread the flooring, tied banners on the walls of hutments

ICDB 2007: The World We Want

A World Fit for Children + 5
In May of 2002, the United Nations General Assembly held its first Special Session devoted entirely to children, where assembled world leaders made a solemn commitment to protect and promote children’s rights…

Child Rights and Development

The UN Conventions says that:

• All children have the right to a good education that is free at least up to the elementary level.
• Schools should be places where children are respected and treated with dignity. Children should be able to develop their personality and talents.
• All Children have the right to learn and use the language and customs of their family.
• All children have the right to relax and play.
• The government must protect children from work that is dangerous or prevents their development.

But do all children get these rights?

40 million children in India work as child laboureres,  never going to school and having no chance do develop.

Most children in India who do get a chance to go to school go to government-run schools which are often dirty, where they are not taught well, where don’t have books or toys or learning aid, and where they are not treated with respect. Only a very small percentage of children go to good schools where they are cared for and taught well. Are you one of the lucky ones?