Rights, Responsibilities And Realities

Rights, Responsibilities and Realities Keynote Address by Vanisha Mishra Votualevu College, Nadi 15 April 2009 – Fiji Children’s Day – The Media Voice for our Children

[Greetings] Happy Children’s Day to you all! [Thank you] – Management, Staff and Students of Votualevu College [The Blue Ribbon Project] Thank the student council for the initiative Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which I shall speak more on later, states that children must be kept safe from harm and protected against violence. They must be given proper care from those looking after them. If you think you or anyone is in real danger then you should speak to an adult you trust. I could not have thought of a better, more worthwhile place to begin a program such as this, then in a school. Article 29 states that schools should help children develop their skills and personality fully, teach them about their own and other people’s rights, and prepare them for adult life. Personal and social development programs in schools as well as drama, music and art help raise awareness of the message to respect other cultures and to respect each other. In committing to a program such as the Blue Ribbon Project you are helping achieve the goals indicated in this article. The truth is, adults don’t just think of boring things but also want you to enjoy yourself. It is really important to remember to have a balance in your life no matter how young or old you are. This is also a message that my parents keep relaying to me! [Where did it all begin for Fiji?] The Government of the Fiji Islands ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993. The CRC as it is commonly called is for all those of you who are under the age of 18. The CRC describes the commitment that our Government and other governments have made to recognize the rights of children. The Convention has 54 articles, mostly relating to the rights of children, but also articles about how the United Nations checks up on what the Government has done. Some people find the idea of “children’s rights” quite difficult. They think it is about children and young people getting everything they want and not having to listen to adults. But this is not

so. With rights come responsibilities and children (just like adults) need to learn about their rights and the responsibilities that they entail. In essence, children’s rights are human rights. For example, Article 6 – you have the right to be alive, survive and develop through life. Article 13 demonstrates the co-existence of rights and responsibilities, under Article 13 of the CRC you have the right to say whatever you believe as long as it does not harm or offend other people. You also have the responsibility to respect the rights and freedom of others. Similarly Article 15 – You have the right to join and form groups and to make friends – as long as it’s not harmful to other people. In exercising your right, you have the responsibility to respect the rights and freedom of others. [Where did it all begin for me? A Story for the Students] It took a twelve year old to inspire a twelve year old. At the age of 12, without even realizing it, I became aware of my destiny. I heard of a young boy no older than I who traveled through India speaking to child laborers and bringing to light their stories. Craig Kielburger later founded an organization called Free the Children the largest organization of children helping children. This ignited my interest in issues affecting children and young people. That was the beginning of my journey, a journey that began ten years ago… My trip to India allowed me to see similar things to what Craig saw. I saw children going to school in their brightly colored uniforms but as the same time I saw children working in an assortment of jobs. Article 32 of the CRC states that governments must protect you from doing work which would be dangerous or which could harm your health or interfere with your education. Article 34 states that you have a right to be protected from sexual abuse. And Article 35 states that you have a right to be protected from being abducted or sold. There are also things that people should never make you do against your will, like make you marry someone. However, later I was to realize that I did not need to travel as far as India to see these things, they were happening in my own country! Up in the hills of Naitasiri, in Taveuni, Kadavu – places closer to home. I started off small – researching issues on the internet, sharing them with my friends at school and through the Girl Guides movement in Fiji and with my family. Article 42 states that you have a right to know your rights – make a conscious decision to learn about your rights and their accompanying responsibilities. Upon reaching secondary school, I wanted to make more of an impact, so I started an organization called Girls in Action, which aimed to help children in our country. We worked to help the children of prisoners through the Prisoners Fellowship. It was at this time that I became involved in youth issues internationally. I was the international children’s representative for the

African Child Foundation but very quickly realized the work I wanted to do was rooted firmly in Fiji. There is a marked difference between the ways youth work is done in Fiji now compared to ten years ago. In ten years, I’ve experienced more active youth involvement in issues affecting young people. Young people are now given more of a voice, or rather demanding to be heard. We are demanding that there is “nothing about us without us”. Look at us today – you have initiated a project to protect children in your school and you have invited me (someone closer to your age) to deliver this message. This was unheard of ten years ago. In the last ten years, there has been an increase in organizations and individuals working with youth and actually including youths in consultative processes. I have myself experienced this change; I am approached more and more to give my views on policies and programs. No one asked me ten years ago. And now children at the age of 12 are included in decision making processes. Young people are demanding that their participation be seen more than symbolic and tokenistic in nature. I would know - I am one of them! [And where do adults fit it?] Sometimes in working with young people and advocating their rights, we tend to become very defensive about our young people and forget the worth of the adults involved. I think educators and instructors have a great role to play. Sometimes young people forget this – we think we know it all. I however, will tell you that at 18 you think you know it all – at 22 you realize that you know nothing at all! And that adult that you may not want to listen to – guess what – they usually are right. (I’m probably going to be reminded of saying this by my parents the next time I try to argue with them!) With the adults present here today, I encourage you to think back to an experience, an opportunity or a relationship that you had as a child that helped you become successful or overcome adversity. It was probably through the help and guidance of someone older, now these young people need you to be that person for them. The truth is that our society feels less chaotic, less volatile, and less controversial when young people assume the role of silent sponges. Students in my class who sit in lectures, take notes, and don’t ask for clarification make it easier for me to complete the lesson. That’s how it was for the first few lectures I ever gave. You’ll probably agree that children who follow the rules without questioning them cause less stress – but what are they learning? It is our role as instructors to teach children how to think, not what to think. We would then just be creating a generation of future leaders who don’t question, we are creating a generation of voters who will not be critical, we are creating a generation that in the past let awful things happen to innocent people. Adolf Hitler who was responsible for the deaths of

millions of people said, evil men succeed because the good do nothing. If we don’t encourage our young people to question and have engaging minds, what are we heading towards? While I was in the United States of America, I visited the holocaust museum, it was a heart breaking experience. I saw paintings done by children, the paintings done by younger children were full of color and vibrant hope. The paintings however, done by older children were more sad, and used a lot of dull colors. I left the museum thinking, I’m going to do what I can to help make sure something like this never happens again – let’s do this together. Adults and children. I read once that there are three types of adult attitudes toward young people – young people as objects, as recipients, and as resources – these lie along a continuum. Style 1 – young people viewed as objects – when adults are in control, with no intention of youth involvement. Style 2 – young people viewed as recipients – when adults are in control and allow youth involvement. Style 3 – young people viewed as resources – when youths and adults work in partnership and there is shared control. Ideally, we would all like Style 3, where youths and adults work together in partnership and there is shared control. This is a little harder to achieve in reality. But youth will only learn leadership by being leaders. Although mock leadership situations may effectively teach basic skills, youth need real-life opportunities to address genuine needs. If they aren’t allowed to lead on their own, young leaders will lose interest. And in the most genuine youth development experiences, where youth are truly viewed as resources, both youth and adults learn. I’ve learnt from old and young alike. My 12 year old brother continues to school me every day! And I am constantly kept on my toes by my colleagues at work, who are all much older than I am. When adults open themselves to the possibility of sharing leadership and power with youth they can experience personal growth as well. When we say or hear other people say that youth are the leaders of tomorrow, it seems like youth are just “practicing” at the moment and that their input is really meaningless right now. But youth can positively impact the community as well, now and in the future. Many adults struggle to see youth leadership experiences as anything more than positive youth development. I think the educators in this school are doing a wonderful job at realizing these things, all of it being witnessed by the launch of this project today. If we change the way we view youth, we change the way we utilize youth. [Where to from here?] This year the Pacific Youth Festival will be held in Suva and I am terribly excited! This festival brings together over 800 young people from over 25 different Pacific Island nations. The Ministry of Youth and all the relevant stakeholders are working tirelessly to ensure that the

Festival is a successful and productive one. I’ve tried to take an active role as part of the National Organizing Committee, looking specifically at the symposium aspect of the festival. Applications and expression of interests for the Fiji delegation for the Pacific Youth Festival opened a few days ago and will close on April 20th. I look forward to seeing you there, there is so much I am looking forward to learning from you all! I am also eager to tell you about an exciting research that is in the process of being conducted in Fiji by my colleague Dr. Patrick Vakaoti and I, with the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA), on youth leadership models in Fiji (this is the first time our leadership models will be documented – I can see your school featuring in this report!) under the Pacific Leadership Program (an AusAID Initiative). I hope to share the results of this research with you at the festival! I look forward to seeing you all in July; I look forward to your input, your innovative ideas and enthusiasm to improve the situation for children and youth in the Pacific. My journey began ten years ago, when I was but a child, and it’s continued into my youth and I am sure it will continue for many years to come! We are the generation the world has been waiting for - let your voice be heard! In the spirit of youth, Thank You.