I Would First Like to Express My Admiration for the Work That Has Come out of the Human

[*]CHILDREN, CITIZENSHIP & GOVERNANCE: a new dynamic for claiming the rights and

well-being of children.

Discussion Paper for the South Asia Conference on the

“Legacy of Mahbub ul Haq – Human Development”.

John Parry-Williams, Save the Children (UK)

“While taking decisions about any adult group, decisions are taken with the participation of those directly concerned. But when it comes to taking decisions about children's lives, adults consider themselves most eligible to make the decisions. All the mistakes in the world are a result of the decisions made by adults. When adults hand over this world to children, I hope that they will be modest enough to ask us about what kind of a world we would like to live in.” (‘From Our Story Our Dreams’ by Nagaraja Kolkere, President, Namma Sabha, Kundapur, India).

1. Introduction.

I would first like to express my admiration for the work that has come out of the Human Development Centre in Islamabad. I came to S. Asia 3 years ago from a working experience with and for children and young people in Africa and UK. The 1997 Human Development in South Asia report by Mahbub ul Haq was a major learning for me in my starting to understand the issues and challenges facing this region and I doubt if I could have had a more incisive, instructive and comprehensive written guide.

I wish to quote one critical sentence from the overview in that publication, as I want in this paper to look at one aspect of it more deeply. It states, “But

1

one issue is paramount and must figure on every policy agenda: an adequate investment in the people of South Asia, so that they are converted from a liability to an asset”. This paper is about one group that makes up the people of S. Asia whose views, capacities and creativity is all too frequently ignored – its children.

This paper looks at:

-the situation of children (under 18 years) in S. Asia and any discernible trends,

-the unlikelihood of change unless certain new approaches are vigorously adopted,

-the basis there is for improvement and how this can be catalysed,

-the role of adults and children in making this happen, examples of where it is happening, what lessons can be learnt from this and

-how can a new environment accepting of children as rights-holders and as citizens be established.

2. A brief summary of the situation of children in S. Asia.

The 1997 Human Development report points out that of all the main regions of the world the S. Asia region is:

-the poorest;

-the most illiterate;

-the most malnourished;

-the least gender sensitive;

-the region with the highest human deprivation; and

-the most militarized.

In these circumstances it is not surprising that the situation of most children, as the most vulnerable to the consequences of these factors, is one of extreme hardship.

To give a few examples from Mahbub ul Haq’s report of the situation of children in S.Asia:

-500+ million people out of 1,168 million are according to the World Bank in absolute poverty, so at least 40% of these will be children;

-50% of the world’s malnourished children are found in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and 50% of the region’s children are underweight;

-Only 50% of school-aged children enroll in school and of these 42% drop out before grade 5, of which 66% are girls;

-An estimated 134 million children are employed as child labourers (in India official figures in 1996 for work that kept children out of school was 20 million, unofficially 55 million; in Pakistan the HRC estimated a figure of 11-12 million and the figure in Bangladesh is similar);

-There are 94 females to 100 males, as opposed to 106 women to 100 men in the rest of the world, as a result of foeticide, infanticide and neglect;

Other issues that also marginalise children, which it is hard to quantify concern:

-sexual abuse, child prostitution, child trafficking, children used for pornography, general discrimination against girls ;

-HIV/AIDS where 50% of new infections are in the 15-24 age range and its growing impact on children’s lives with the illness and death of parents/carers;

-the effect of conflict with the displacement of children and their families, the resulting deprivation and abuse and the recruiting of children into armed forces;

-the considerable number of refugee children, eg 50,000 in Nepal;

-children in institutions, eg 8,000 in Sri Lanka.

Children are further disadvantaged as they are voteless, voiceless and a largely invisible section of S.Asia society. Their interests are thought to be looked after by those institutions they belong to: like the family, the community and the schools, or by the government departments, which are responsible for the various social sectors. It has been generally thought that these institutions know what is best for children. Unfortunately, although there has been some improvement over the last 30 years, especially in infrastructural development, eg the dramatic rise in school buildings, it will at the present rate be generations before children have the minimum rights that all the countries in the region have ratified they should have by their signing the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).

With S. Asia’s rapidly expanding population (up 3 times between 1960-1993) and the growing gap between the rich and the poor, the situation is becoming worse and is not helped by structural adjustment programmes that bring in user fees, which the poor cannot afford, so they become further marginalized. If the current solutions to these difficulties continue there will be a large sub-stratum of society, maybe as high as 50% that will be totally left out of the development process. S.Asia cannot afford and should not allow such a grotesque waste of its human resource.

3. The human rights of children.

A new approach is required. A new approach is beginning to be demanded. In 1989, human rights, that had since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and the International Covenants on Political & Civil and Economic, Social & Cultural Rights in 1966 been cast in universalist terms, were specifically formulated for all children.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which had its roots in the Rights of the Child compiled by Eglantyne Jebb the founder of Save the Children and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924 as the Geneva Convention, has been ratified by all but two countries in the world. In principle, therefore, it is universally accepted that children are rights holders. Children thus have the right to actively and fully claim these rights from those who control how they are provided or protected. The right of children to proactively organise themselves to obtain the better delivery of these rights is described specifically in Article 12-15 of the CRC.

1. State Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Article 12 is one of the general principles of the CRC. It states the right of children to express their views freely in matters that affect them, including their being provided the opportunity to do this in the various fora, which have a responsibility for their affairs. Save the Children Alliance members and others have laid great emphasis on children’s participation rights (Articles 12-15), as they assure children of their right to organise themselves, formulate their own agenda and work to influence adult decision-making. Children’s participatory involvement in the process to improve their collective situation and those within their community exemplifies their role as citizens. It should be recognised that this is a new way of thinking for both the North and the South.

The significance of the CRC has grown considerably since 1989, with governments and other competent bodies (NGOs and children’s organizations) fulfilling their reporting requirements to the CRC Committee in Geneva. The competent bodies in their independent reports have highlighted the deficiencies in the progress to achieving the rights of children. Despite formal concerns being expressed by the Committee in its Observations & Conclusions at the end of the reporting process these have remained the knowledge of the few rather than of the public and children in general.

Many organizations have in various ways tried to publicise a Children’s Agenda or aspects of one; but its impact has been slight as they are often uncoordinated and isolated examples and have been adult led. There is a need for the Children’s Agenda to be defined and compiled by children. However, to be more effective both children and concerned adults need to work together and through that symbiosis a more powerful and appropriate message will represent children’s needs. This will stand more chance of convincing those working at the international level, in all sectors of society, governmental and civil, and within the family.

4. The beginnings of a new perspective.

For children to have the opportunity to define their agenda the way they are perceived has to change, so that they can interact in an environment, where adults, especially those with power, actively seek their opinions and participation, and value and respect their comments and proposals. This makes for good rhetoric but is anything happening in practice?

There are some positive signs that thinking concerning children’s needs and rights are beginning to change. As already mentioned the CRC is a vital platform for change but as yet has had only peripheral influence, taking usually a paper form in terms of legislation, policy and plans. There have been important statements and plans made, such as Education for All by 2000 from Jomtien in 1990, Health for All agreed at Almaty, the World Summit Goals for Children in New York in1990, etc. SAARC has made numerous declarations, including the Rawalpindi Declaration on Children. However, their pronounced optimistic goals have been shown to be singularly unrealistic and currently unachievable and will remain so, if the present approaches are used, for at least another generation if not many more.

There are examples and moves around the world by concerned adults to set up formal systems in countries to better protect and involve children with:-

-Ministers or Ombudspersons to represent children’s interests centrally (Norway, Bosnia, Mongolia & S.Africa), and for similar ombudspersons down to the lowest levels of government, eg in Uganda,

-National Commissions for Children to monitor the provision of children’s rights and of the obligation of councils in England to have plans of action for children and Youth Councils,

-the power to School Councils in PTA meetings in Austria and Germany,

-Citizenship Education in schools, common in European Union countries, recently introduced into UK[1].

Some structures similar to these have been taken forward very creatively in S. Asia.

The number of books and journals, workshops and seminars, concerning children involving academics and child specialists has increased considerably over the last decade.

Children are also beginning to be consulted throughout the world, sometimes as a result of outside pressure as in the Oslo conference on Child Labour but also through invitation by the CRC Committee in Geneva to thematic days, where children from S.Asia spoke effectively on HIV/AIDS and Child Labour and have also presented their views in the country report sessions, eg children from India, as well as in various other international fora.

Children’s organizations are increasingly involving children in their activities, for example in the Global March against Child Labour, in the development of their projects from the research and design phases to implementation, monitoring and evaluation, in some cases incorporating them on their organizational Boards and in many other creative ways.

A major problem that needs to be guarded against in all these developments is the manipulation of children and the tokenism and exploitation that can result. To prevent this children are beginning to organize themselves. This is happening in S. Asia as I will describe later.

However, the positive examples given above that exist are only small oases in the desert of ignorance and inertia concerning children’s rights, and the vast majority of children are totally unaffected.

5. What can catalyse action?

Obviously there is not one factor that is going exclusively to make the difference or be the panacea for children’s deprivations. An environment that respects and values children and their contribution will be the result of multiple initiatives. These would include:

-seeking out and including children’s views;

-valuing children as partners and agents of change by international bodies, governments and all other organizations, whose work affects children;

-promoting children’s rights/needs networks and these should include children and young people, students, development practitioners, the media, academics, professional groups, NGOs, government bodies, UN agencies, etc;

-the use of the media to give a public face to children’s issues;

-the documentation and accessibility of materials through child documentation centers, at present there is no university department concerned with children’s active participation in either research or programming;

-the need for clarity and transparency in communication with children so that they take part in activities through informed consent, regularly renegotiated;

-the willingness to try new ways of interacting with children, which requires flexibility and openness. (Pages 291-299, Stepping Forward).

These and other processes will require those in control to divest themselves of some of their power and to be prepared for the status quo to change. This inclusion of children, a previously invisible group, especially the most marginalized, should make our communities and societies more functional and effective.

The area that has been most neglected in this process is the participation of children themselves, as their own advocates as to what they feel would be most helpful to them in their own development. Too often adults decide what is best for children. They come to such decisions through a lens of ingrained conceptions, prejudices and vested interests. What is seen at least in development circles as good practice, namely the participation of adults in projects that affect them, has hardly percolated down to children. I particularly want to address how children can, if they so wish, become the social actors in their own development. I believe that children’s participation could provide a new force and impetus in removing some of the present inertia. It is how this can happen and be stimulated both by adults and children that needs our attention.

Interestingly, child psychologists are increasingly stressing that children become individuals through social interaction.[2] That development is something children do, that they are not passive recipients of experience but active contributors to it, and interact with their own environment so as to promote their own development. That children do actively participate in their own development and the creation of their own environment suggests that they would wish and should be included as advocates and activists in issues that concern them. The failure of children to learn is particularly affected by their exclusion from participation. While the empowerment participation brings seems to be inseparable from enjoyment

Children’s participation leads to more effective learning and empowerment, and is part of the process by which they can become better citizens.

6. The role of adults.

For children to be able to participate and contribute more broadly and effectively to the issues that effect them they need encouragement from adults. Many children’s experience is actually the reverse. The habit of rote learning in schools, the ‘be seen and not heard’ sentiments and the many other instances of affronts to children’s intelligence and creativity are well known to them and us. They are examples of our adult fear of losing control or being forced to reconsider our opinions. If only political leaders and decision makers were to acknowledge the contribution of children, which for example in their labour for the economic survival of their families in developing countries is so self-evident, and publicly seek their opinion on policy and practical issues at all levels it would greatly enhance children’s self-confidence and set up a more enabling environment for them. It would also bring many useful recommendations at community and higher levels. The problem is that if adults say this they must mean it and listen and respect what is said.