Start the conversation: Children's rights

Tuesday 14 May 2019

Local schools and organisations are working together to teach children about their rights and the rights of others.

Ahead of the introduction of Guernsey's equality and non-discrimination legislation, the Children and Young People's Plan joined together with Equality Guernsey to deliver a workshop on what the next generation of island citizens are learning about their rights.

Parents, professionals and deputies had the chance to learn from organisations and children themselves about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is soon to be rolled out in Guernsey.

The UNCRC ensures young people have rights within policy, services and society. That includes their right to essential services like health and education as well as protection from abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Pictured: Students from Hautes Capelles school spoke to professionals about what they had been learning.

"There's a variety of different activities that we've designed and activities that we've got through UNICEF which really start from a very early age," said Lead Officer for the Children and Young People's Plan, Nick Hynes. "We have a picture book that they use for children as young as four and five that starts to think about the right to play, the right for recreation, the right to education.

"Children from a really young age get a really good understanding about what a want is and what need is and that is really the core of what the UNCRC are. The articles set out what you need not what you want and I think it has really started to make children think about how fortunate they are in the Bailiwick, because some children don't event have all the needs let alone the wants, which they also have in our schools."

Pictured: Nick Hynes and Aaron Davis.

The workshop was part of the Equality Guernsey #starttheconversation project, aiming to increase awareness and understanding of equalities and human rights.

Aaron Davis from the Youth Commission added: "We're really lucky where we live in a society where most of our children and young people will be having most of their rights met. What this is about is making that an entitlement so those rights can't be taken away at any point. They're going to be enshrined in legislation which is awesome!

"It is really about planning at this stage - starting to get children and young people thinking about their rights before this thing hits and once it does, getting them to use it and be aware of their rights and hold people to account."

Pictured top: File image.