The lack of knowledge regarding the rights of the child

emma rouse - saint vincent and the Grenadines

When I was first informed about this program and my soon-to-be role as a child rights correspondent for St. Vincent and the Grenadines through CORIA, I was honestly a bit perplexed. Although we hear, quite frequently, of matters regarding the rights of the child, this opportunity seemed so out of my reach, so unfamiliar. Thinking back on my uncertainty I realise that I should not have felt this way, at sixteen years old. I should have had a strong foundation in my understanding of the rights of the child; along with every other child and adolescent in my country.

Article 42 states that governments should actively tell children and adults about the convention of the rights of the child so that everyone knows about children’s rights. Most children that I know, however, are unaware of the fundamental rights guaranteed to them at birth. After asking classmates and friends (at the tertiary level of their education between 16 and 18 years old), the general consensus that I received from them all was that they knew about the convention of the rights of the child and the fact that they had human rights; but they did not understand what that truly entailed.

Knowledge of one’s rights and freedoms should be commonplace. Children should have age appropriate introductions to these important topics at school and in the home. Quite frankly, the fact that so many well educated and intelligent young people have no knowledge of something so important is unacceptable. This is especially concerning when accounting for the fact that these are people who come from a place of privilege, and have had all of their educational needs met. It is hard to imagine the dangerous position that it puts people who are less fortunate in.

It is especially important that young people have as much access to this knowledge as possible given the ever-changing state of the world that we live in. A good friend once said “We are so used to reading about history in classrooms and textbooks but when we become a part of history, what are we to do?” As young people who have witnessed so many extremely impactful events in our short lifetimes, as well as facing our own transformative experiences, a deep understanding of the world around us is essential. Children are our future and will inherit our world; and should be educated in a way that will allow them to eventually become functioning adults, productive members of society and overall good people.

Keeping children and adolescents ignorant only endangers the most vulnerable members of our population. It is imperative that our young people, the future of our nations and our world, are aware of their rights and the rights of everybody around us. How else can we be the change we want to see?