‘Believe in Zero’ campaign aims to end violence against children in South Africa

© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0491crop/Mchunu
A police officer and social worker speak to students at Lyndhurst Primary School, in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. A student was recently raped while walking home from school.

By Katarzyna Pawelczyk

PRETORIA, South Africa, 2 May 2012 – UNICEF is calling on all South Africans to unite behind the goal of reducing violence against children to zero.

In the run-up to Child Protection Week, which will occur from 28 May to 3 June, the newly launched ‘Believe in Zero’ campaign highlights the role that everyone has to play in the protection of children.

Among the world’s highest abuse rates

“South Africa’s levels of violence against children are among the highest in the world. Tens of thousands of children are victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation every year – and offenders often go unpunished,” said UNICEF Representative in South Africa Aida Girma.

Statistics from the South African Police Service show there were more than 54,000 reported crimes against children between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2011. However, crimes against children are grossly underreported and the real figure is believed to be much higher.

Sexual offences make up about half the reported figure. Around 30 per cent of these victims are under 10 years old. Research has shown that in most abuse cases, the offenders are known to the children.

Support for Believe in Zero

UNICEF Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka has added her voice to the Believe in Zero campaign. “Child protection starts with every one of us, as individuals – no matter who we are and where we live,” she said.

UNICEF is driving the Believe in Zero initiative online. A specially designed Facebook app urges people to express their support, upload photos or videos, post messages and engage their friends on the goal of eliminating child abuse.

Among those who share their views through the app, one passionate supporter from South Africa will be given the chance to take a field trip with UNICEF to see first-hand how the organization works with partners – and children themselves – towards the fulfillment of child rights.

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Article source: http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/southafrica_62328.rhtml

South Sudan marks International Mine Awareness Day, focuses on reducing landmine risks

© UNICEF South Sudan/2012/Uma
Gatluak Kual, the survivor of a landmine blast, plays basketball in South Sudan. The match, with other landmine survivors, commemorated this year’s International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

By Uma Julius and Swangin Bismarck

JUBA, South Sudan, 18 April 2012 – Gatluak Kual dribbled the ball past two opponents and smiled before passing it to his teammate. To him, disability is not inability – with determination, he says, people can still achieve their future dreams.

“I lost my leg at the war front in 1999 while fighting to liberate South Sudan,” the 29-year-old said, during a match with other landmine survivors. The match commemorated International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, which took place on 4 April 4.

“First it was a bullet, which ripped through my arm,” he recalled, showing the scars on his left arm. “Later on, I was hit by a landmine, which eventually destroyed my right leg.”

Explosive threats in South Sudan

This year, International Day for Mine Awareness was marked for the first time since South Sudan gained independence, on 9 July 2011.

Independence came six years after the end of a two-decade-long conflict, fought mainly between Sudan and the south. Mines were planted during the hostilities, largely in South Sudan, where most of the war was fought.

The South Sudan Mine Action Authority indicates that there were 108 incidences involving landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in 2011 alone, including some fatalities. The authority also estimates that more than 57,000 devices — consisting of anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines and other UXO — were destroyed by demining authorities in 2011. There are 3,217 known cases of people surviving landmine or UXO blasts in the country, but because of incomplete reporting, the actual number of casualties is expected to be much higher.

It is not known how many landmines and UXO remain in the country’s soil, but it is clear that it hinders settlement, agriculture and other forms of development by making valuable land dangerous and unusable.

Lending a leg for mine awareness

People around the world commemorated International Day for Mine Awareness with this year’s global theme: ‘Lend Your Leg’. To express solidarity with victims of landmines and call for an end to the use of these indiscriminate weapons, UNICEF staff in South Sudan gathered to lift a leg and loudly say, “No to landmines.”

© UNICEF South Sudan/2012/Swangin
UNICEF staff in South Sudan lift their legs to show solidarity with landmine victims. This is the first year that South Sudan has commemorated International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

Jurkuch Barach Jurkuch, the Chairperson of the South Sudan Mine Action Authority, warned that landmines still pose a threat in the region, especially in Eastern Equatoria state, the worst affected area.

“We still have a lot of work to be done, most especially in relation to creating awareness on the dangers and risks associated with landmines. Our people need to be sensitized on these issues,” Mr. Jurkuch said during mine awareness activities at Juba One Primary School.

Reducing mine risk

The mine action programme currently covers each of the 10 South Sudan states, but concentrates on the seven states considered to be worst affected, Mr. Jurkuch said. These are Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, Western Bahr El Ghazel and Warrap states.

The South Sudan Mine Action Authority works with UNICEF, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners to reduce the threat of landmines and UXO. UNICEF, which works within the framework of the United Nations Mine Action Office (UNMAO), coordinates and provides technical support to Mine Risk Education (MRE) in schools and communities throughout South Sudan.

UNICEF’s support includes development of training materials, promotion of best practices, especially in schools, as well as supporting the MRE advisory group. The advisory group is composed of expert agencies and individuals that provide guidance and identifies ways to improve effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of MRE within the broader mine action community.

But with the emergence of militias in some parts of South Sudan, there is growing fear that more landmines and other explosives may be planted, which would draw back the progress that has been made to clear mines and keep children safe.

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<!– Updated 20 April 2012 –>

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Article source: http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/southsudan_62229.rhtml

But you don’t actually need to take a week’s vacation to build houses for the poor (unless you want to, of course). Small actions can have a big impact. Here’s how you can make a difference in just a few minutes.

One Minute
You’ve got one minute in the morning while your kids are brushing their teeth. You could:

a) subscribe to World Vision Canada’s Justice Network Newsletter to stay up to date on the latest advocacy news.
b) become more informed about humanitarian crises worldwide by scanning the headlines at www.alertnet.org.
c) make www.WorldVision.ca your homepage.

Five Minutes
You’ve got five minutes left on your lunch hour. You could:

a) learn more about the famine affecting millions in Ethiopia with World Vision’s 5-minute Guide.
b) write a note to someone you care about—your child, your mom, your neighbour—for no other reason than to tell them they’re important to you.
c) sponsor a child through World Vision.
 
Ten Minutes
You’ve got 10 minutes before supper hits the table. You could:

a) phone your colleague who just had a baby and ask if there’s anything she needs
b) help vulnerable children worldwide by becoming a Crisis Child Partner.
c) snuggle on the sofa with your kids and read a book 

45 Minutes
You’ve got 45 minutes before you have to pick up the kids at karate. In 45 minutes you could:

a) stop at the grocery store and fill a bag for the food bank.
b) hike over to your local park and help keep it clean by picking up trash.
c) research a new charity you’re considering supporting. Click here to find out how the federal government regulates registered charities.

One Hour
You’ve got an hour before dropping the kids off at grandma’s for a sleepover. In 60 minutes you could:

a) have a conversation with your kids about how they can make a difference in the world.
b) bake some muffins for your neighbour.
c) get a jump start on your Christmas and birthday shopping by making a list of everyone you want to buy for. Then peruse World Vision’s Gift Catalogue for gifts that can change people’s lives.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Learn how you can find serenity in the middle of to-do lists and deadlines.

Article source: http://www.worldvision.ca/ContentArchives/content-stories/Pages/1MinuteataTime.aspx

While some 11-year old girls dream of their future weddings, few expect to be sold into marriage while still in primary school.

In Afghanistan, in the onslaught of serious drought and a global food crisis, families are resorting to desperate measures, selling daughters as young as seven to ease their debt and pay for food.

“We had to sell Fatima”
Fatima* is only eleven. She is in grade 3. Her favorite class is Dari, her mother tongue. In the presence of guests, she is a shy and quiet child. Grasping her headscarf to her mouth, she lowers her eyes whenever she is addressed.

“I like school,” she says almost in a whisper. “I am a good student. One day, I would like to be a doctor.”

But it’s unlikely that Fatima will achieve her dream. Recently, her father engaged her to a local man in exchange for 300,000 Afghanis, the equivalent of $6,000.

“We had to do this,” says 35-year-old Sausan*, Fatima’s mother. Showing little emotion, her placid expression is not a sign of carelessness but of weariness. She recently gave birth to her seventh child and is suffering from anemia, as a result of nutritional deficiency and blood loss.

“We have no money,” she explains. “How can nine of us eat on two, maybe three dollars a day, with all the other expenses? We had to sell Fatima in order to pay all the people we owed.”

Families across Afghanistan are buckling under the double blows of both a global food shortage and severe drought. The underserved provinces of Badghis and Ghor are particularly hard hit.

The people here are in desperate need.

Effects of Food Crisis

The main staple for most Afghans is wheat flour, used in making bread.

One year ago, the price of an eight-kilogram bag of wheat flour was 80 Afghani. Today in Badghis, it’s 400 Afghani. As wheat prices skyrocket and fodder disappears, animals are being sold to subsidize family incomes.

Fatima’s family does not have any land or livestock to sell. Half of their monthly income covers rent for the small two-room mud house they share. What remains is not enough for wheat flour. Fatima is among the last of their “assets”.

“I wish we had a developed country.”
While Sausan speaks, Fatima sits quietly by the window. She is as expressionless as her mother.

Sausan says that Fatima won’t be forced to marry immediately. She can live at home and continue school for four more years. “In the agreement, we said she must.”

“All I ever dreamed of having was a good house, enough food and a healthy family—a peaceful country, too, where my children could get an education,” says Sausan.

Fatima shares much of her mother’s dream. “I wish we had a developed country. One that was peaceful and green.”

What World Vision Is Doing
In an effort to keep Afghan families from having to sell their daughters into engagement, World Vision is preparing to provide food rations to the most desperate families in Badghis and Ghor provinces.

To prevent the depletion of herds, a source of income for families, animal fodder will be provided to families with livestock. Agriculture specialists are concerned the continued depletion of herd also could lead to a collapse of the domestic meat market, worsening the food crisis.

In addition to these measures, non-food-item household kits will be pre-positioned in centers likely to experience an increase in migration as the situation worsens.

What You Can Do
It is a sad reality that female children are more vulnerable in a crisis. You can make a donation that will help ensure that girls at risk receive an education, skills training, emergency assistance and other important resources.  

For more information, click here. 

* Names have been changed to protect the individual.

Article source: http://www.worldvision.ca/ContentArchives/content-stories/Pages/$6,000ThePriceofaDaughter.aspx

Owl Kids’ World Watch
See how kids live in other parts of the world. Created by the publishers of Owl and Chickadee magazines, this site includes information, fun quizzes and challenges for kids to conduct at home or at school.

Themes include Water for Life (how water shortages affect the lives of people in Africa), People Power (how Canadian engineers are helping improve the lives of African girls and women), Art with a Heart (how producing art makes a difference in the lives of children in developing countries), and Pitching In (how children and families in Sierra Leone are caring for the environment).

Visit http://owlkids.com/owl/world.html

EcoKids
Billed as Canada’s environmental destination for kids, the site includes an eco-fact of the day (for instance, did you know that the world’s oldest trees are 4,600-year-old Bristlecone pines in the US?), games (build a pizza and find out where each ingredient comes from) and other activities that teach children about climate change, waste, land use, energy and wildlife.

Visit http://www.ecokids.ca

United Nations Cyberschoolbus
Your kids can learn how to respond to natural disasters through the cool disaster simulation game on this site. Children can also download Food Force, an interactive game that sends visitors on a simulated mission to help feed millions of hungry people on the fictitious island of Sheylan.

The site also includes other interactive games (match the country to its flag) and quizzes designed to teach kids about life in other countries and the issues facing children and families in the developing world.

Visit http://www.un.org/pubs/cyberschoolbus

Kids Around the World
This site introduces elementary school-age children to the lives of children in the developing world. Kids can click on various countries to read interviews with children from around the world about what their daily lives are like. The site fosters curiosity, creates awareness and encourages an understanding of other cultures.

Visit http://www.katw.org

Afro-America Kids’ Zone
Kids can test their knowledge of African animals and geography and read myths and fables from around the world on this site. Many of the site’s games are related to African geography, ecology and history.

Visit http://www.afro.com/children/children.html

Article source: http://www.worldvision.ca/ContentArchives/content-stories/Pages/5FunSitesforKids.aspx

Focus on water, sanitation and hygiene improves child health and nutrition in Pakistan

By David Youngmeyer

World Water Day, commemorated each year on 22 March, focuses attention on the importance of freshwater to sustainable development. World Water Day 2012 emphasizes the importance of water to global food security.

MUZAFFARGARH DISTRICT, Punjab, Pakistan, 21 March 2012 – Inside a dusty farm house compound in rural Punjab, 7-year-old Ume Hani helps her aunt Ume Hassan, 16, prepare flat bread. Ume Hassan sits on the ground, dipping her hands in clean water as she kneads the dough.

Bread is an important staple across Pakistan. Although clean water is only a small part of the bread making process, it is central to protecting Pakistan’s children from deadly diarrhoea and malnutrition.

Water and malnutrition

Like millions of others, Ume Hani’s family was badly affected by the monsoon floods that struck the country in 2010. They evacuated their home to escape the surging floodwaters, and returned to find damage to their home and crops. The floodwaters had also contaminated the ground water.

“When we returned home, the water from the hand pump was smelly and not safe to drink,” says Ume Hassan. “People would go to far off areas which were not affected by floods to fetch water. We also used to get water from the canals for drinking. Many of the children had diarrhoea, including my niece, Ume Hani, and many children became very thin.”

UNICEF provided emergency assistance including safe water, water purification tablets and jerry cans, and also supported sustainable, community-led safe water, sanitation and hygiene-related interventions.

© UNICEF Pakistan/2012/Zaidi
Ume Hassan, 16, uses safe water to prepare flat bread at her home on the outskirts of Chakar Dari Village, Pakistan.

“Safe drinking water is vital to avoiding water-related diseases, like diarrhoea, that can prove fatal for young children,” said UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist Sabahat Ambreen. “Repeated episodes of diarrhoeal disease also makes children vulnerable to other diseases and malnutrition.”
Diarrhoea is a leading cause of malnutrition in children under five years old. Over time, children can experience serious health effects including growth stunting and intellectual impairment. According to a national nutrition survey carried out in 2011, 46.3 per cent of rural children under age five were stunted and 33.3 per cent were underweight.

The floods also caused widespread damage to crops, contributing to food insecurity.

Hygiene and sanitation save lives

Improving sanitation and hygiene is essential to protecting the health and nutrition of children. In Chakar Dari Village, a behaviour change programme has encouraged families to construct or upgrade toilets and discouraged open defecation. Hygiene classes have taught children and their families the importance of washing hands with soap.

© UNICEF Pakistan/2012/Zaidi
Villagers collect safe drinking water from the UNICEF-supported water filtration plant in Chakar Dari Village, Pakistan.

“The hygiene promoters came to our school and we learned about hand washing, the importance of using toilets, and keeping safe from diseases,” said Ume Hani.

The campaign was so successful that the community was certified as open-defecation free. Muhammad Ibrahim, a medical technician who heads the village’s water, sanitation and hygiene committee says that children’s health has improved since the campaign.

“Children are not getting as sick. For every 10 patients before, now there are one or two,” Mr. Ibrahim said. Local shopkeepers say soap sales are increasing. “I’m proud of what has been achieved for the village.”

With the support of UNICEF and partners Punjab Rural Support Programme (PRSP) and the Hisaar Foundation, a water filtration plant was also installed in the village. The plant treats groundwater, making it safe to drink for the 300 families in the village and surrounding areas. A local committee oversees the operation of the plant and will take responsibility for its maintenance after the first year of operation.

Projects to boost income, food production

In nearby Pattal Village, which is also open-defecation free, UNICEF is supporting a pilot water processing project that will improve sanitation, agriculture and community income.

The community-run project will create a ‘wetland’ where sewage is treated through a series of large ponds. It will reduce the issue of uncontrolled sewage, and the treated water will be used to fertilize crops to boost food production.The project will also support income-generation projects, including a grove of citrus trees; chicken, cattle and fish farming; mushroom farming; and a biogas project.

“The contaminated water was a source of disease for children and their families, but following treatment, it will promote good health, increased income and food for the community, and contribute to better nutritional status for young children,” said Ms. Ambreen. “With all these interventions we can see positive health improvements in the community.”

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<!– Updated 22 March 2012 –>

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Article source: http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/pakistan_62057.rhtml

Now she is an activist against forced evictions, and Secretary of Nairobi’s Rapid Response Team, a city-wide group of informal settlement residents and local human rights defenders.

Listen to Minicah’s account of a forced eviction which took place in February 2012, during which three people died:

Kenyan activist and former slum dweller Minicah Otieno on witnessing a forced eviction in Nairobi

Today, Thursday 22 March, Minicah joined other slum activists at a public forum organized by Amnesty International and partners, a parallel event to the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development which is taking place this week in Nairobi.

In an online chat activists described how living without security of tenure makes them feel as if they are “sitting on a timebomb” and “like a patient in intensive care”.

Asked how their governments treat people living in slums, a Kenyan activist commented “In Kenya, slum dwellers are treated as fourth-hand citizens, ignorant, illiterate, poor and desperate criminals”.

To support people living in slums and informal settlements across Africa who are calling for an end to forced evictions and for governments to fulfil their right to adequate housing, please sign the petition.

Article source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/video-and-audio/slum-residents-across-africa-tell-governments-respect-rights-2012-0

Activists in Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and Zimbabwe will call on their governments to stop forced evictions and make sure that people living in slums have equal access to water, education, health care and other essential services.

“Hundreds of thousands of people across the continent are left homeless each year by forced evictions. In most cases, these evictions are conducted with complete disregard for international law and even the most basic human rights standards,” said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International’s Director for Africa.

“African leaders must do more to end forced evictions and prioritize the needs of people living in poverty in their housing and land policies.”

The continent-wide rallies coincide with the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD), which takes place in Nairobi 20-23 March.

On Wednesday, some 1,000 slum residents will march through Ghana’s capital Accra with a brass band to make their demands heard.

In the Kenyan capital, 54 slum dwellers, each symbolically representing a country from the African Union, will take part in a parallel conference on Thursday entitled “People Live Here”, mirroring the official AMCHUD meeting taking place in the same venue in Nairobi.

In attendance will be representatives from Nairobi’s slum communities and also a representative from informal settlements in Zimbabwe, Ghana and Nigeria. The activists will take part in a live Facebook chat at 11am GMT.

On the same day in the Egyptian city of Giza, children’s art troupes from several informal settlements will present theatre, dancing, singing and poetry performances at Al-Samer Theatre in Al-Mohandessin.

Also on Thursday, hundreds of residents from five different waterfront communities in Port Harcourt, Nigeria will recount their experience of threats of forced eviction and consequences of demolitions.

In Zimbabwe, a theatre and music festival in the capital city of Harare will see three theatre groups performing specially-written plays about forced evictions dramatizing slum communities’ demands for housing rights.

Finally, a roadshow truck with entertainers and local celebrities including Kenyan rapper Juliani will travel to the Nairobi slums of Korogocho, Kibera, Mathare and Mukuru Kwa Njenga this weekend.

“Time after time, governments across Africa have acted in violation of international law, rendering millions homeless and destitute,” said Erwin van der Borght.

“The authorities in these countries must actively involve those people who are most affected in developing solutions that help break the vicious cycle of poverty and human rights violations that many are caught up in.”

Join the week of action – sign the petition to end forced evictions

Article source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/slum-dwellers-across-africa-urge-governments-improve-housing-conditions-2012-03-20

In Mauritania, help needed to protect children from emerging malnutrition crisis

By Shantha Bloemen

GAET TEIDOUMA, Mauritania, 15 February – Each year, the period between the rains and the new harvest is a lean season, when mothers like Fatima Mohammed struggle to feed their children – in Ms. Mohammed’s case, seven of them.

But last year, there was no rain, and this year’s lean season has come three months early.

Without rain, the pasture for livestock disappears, and the goats produce less milk. Families compete with birds and locusts for what crops manage to survive. Family members, often men and older boys, are already leaving to search for better pastoral land or work. 

UNICEF estimates that in 2012, across the eight countries of the Sahel region, more than a million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which, untreated, can quickly lead to death. The Government of Mauritania and humanitarian agencies are hoping to respond now to avoid mass starvation, worsening poverty and social dislocation.

Working to forestall crisis

In Hodh El Gharbi Region, home mainly to pastoral nomads, carcasses of dead animals line the road. The region is a major supplier of meat to urban areas; should today’s food insecurity become a full-blown crisis, the potential loss of livestock would devastate households here and nationwide.

Efforts are underway to build community resilience through investments in agricultural, health and nutrition services. They are part of a joint initiative by four UN agencies – UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – along with the government and partner NGOS. Over the last three years, the initiative has successfully reached some of the remotest communities in the country.

UNICEF has helped a local health centre in Hodh El Gharbi stay stocked with vaccines, essential medicines and therapeutic food to treat severe malnutrition. And nutrition centres in many villages are now stocked with corn soya blend, oil and sugar supplied by WFP. Mothers can take their moderately malnourished children to these centres for evaluation and treatment, and return home with vital food supplies.

© UNICEF Mauritania/2012/Palitza
Aichelon, 21 months old, with her mother at a health center in Kifa, Mauritania. The arm band shows that she is malnourished.

Other programmes are helping as well. With extensive community education, country-wide rates of exclusive breastfeeding – a critical first line defence for young infants – has shot up to from 35 per cent in 2009 to 46 per cent. 

But with no rain and an early lean season, these signs of resilience are not enough. Families are running out of food.

Cannot survive without help

“There is no doubt the investments in development have paid off, but today, we have an emergency, and local communities cannot survive without more help,” said Dr. Ahmed Ould Aida, a UNICEF nutrition specialist.

Dr. Aida visited a tented home in Hodh El Gharbi, where a 70-year-old woman was mixing a bowl of millet meal for her malnourished twin grandchildren. The children’s father has left to find work.

“Even the adults are feeble,” the grandmother said angrily. “When it rains, we normally have something, but now it is not just the children but all of us who suffer from hunger and no food.” The family has been forced to rely on neighbours for meals.

Amadou Demba, his wife and his 21-month-old daughter are staying with relatives in Kiffa, a town in Assaba Region, 77 km from their remote village home. Mr. Demba borrowed US$20 to bring his family to Kiffa so his daughter could be treated for malnutrition at the local health centre. “There is nothing left for us there,” he said of his home. 

Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Representative in Mauritania, said there are three immediate challenges: logistics, security and human capacity. In 2012, UNICEF will need at least $3.2 million dollars to prepare for a large-scale response to acute malnutrition and to invest in health, water and sanitation services. Additional funds will be needed to sustain these efforts.

“There is no doubt it will be difficult to reach children in a country this large and with populations so spread out,” Ms. Elmi said. “But if our responsibility and mandate is to make sure every child counts, then it is critical we respond now, especially to reach the poorest and most vulnerable, wherever they are.”

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<!– Updated 16 February 2012 –>

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Article source: http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/mauritania_61737.rhtml

In Turkey, a conference gives children a voice in the drafting of new constitution

© UNICEF/Turkey/2011/Oktay Ustun
Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States, stands with child advocates at the children’s consultation on Turkey’s new constitution.

By Lely Djuhari

ANKARA, Turkey, 2 February, 2012 – Turkey is at pivotal point in its history. Parliamentarians are poised to make fundamental changes to the country’s constitution, and children will have a rare chance to leave their stamp on it.

A two-day consultation, ‘Children`s Opinions on the Process for a New Constitution’, was organized by the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, the Parliament and UNICEF Turkey. The event began this week, bringing together 162 children from child-rights committees from all the nation’s provinces. 

Thriving democracy

With the conference, Turkey will become one of the few countries in the world where children have been consulted in the drafting of a constitution, the basis of all national laws.

The new constitution will influence the country`s future as a thriving democracy.

Amendments could pave the way for greater freedom of expression, and will change the relationship between the judiciary and political parties, allowing the President and Parliament to have a say in the composition of the constitutional court.

In addition to consulting Turkey’s child representatives, academics, non-governmental organizations and disadvantaged groups were also asked to submit their opinions.

Empowering youth

The conference is part of broader efforts to empower the country’s youth to take on active roles as citizens.

© UNICEF/Turkey/2011/Oktay Ustun
Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States, speaks at the children’s consultation on Turkey’s new constitution. Child rights advocates Sevval Lafçi and Mirkan Özdemir stand behind her.

Too many children in the country– especially those living in poverty – are missing out on health services, nutrition and education accessible to others. Tens of thousands of children of primary school age are not in school, and many children – particularly girls – may be in danger of dropping out.

Child rights committees, which meet at the province and national level, were established in 2000 to help young people advocate for the rights of those vulnerable children.

“Many of my friends don`t understand what child rights are, let alone why a constitution is important for them,” child advocate Berkay Saygin said. “It`s exciting to see this issue on TV and in the newspapers. The more I learn about it, the more I want to understand how it impacts my life.”

“We want the government to set their policy with child rights at the centre,” said 16-year-old child committee representative Sevval Lafçi. “Getting child rights into the Constitution will make it easier to for us to advocate for children`s rights in laws and making sure that resources are given.”

Participating in the future

“We need to have a constitution that includes the voices of all people,” said Fatma Şahin, Minister of Family and Social Policies, whose office is responsible for facilitating the children’s participation. “In the past, our constitutions were drafted during times of hardship. This is the first time that we are able to do it during peacetime. We need to capture the spirit of these new times.”
 
“I extend my wholehearted congratulations to the Government of Turkey for having accomplished this invaluable work,” said Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States.

“The lesson I take from today is inspirational,” she continued. “I will take this as an example to the Governments of Europe and Central Asia of what can be achieved through children participating in the future.”

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<!– Updated 06 February 2012 –>

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Article source: http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/Turkey_61566.rhtml