Keep Us Safe

KIDPROJ UNICEF03
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From W.J.Parks@durham.ac.uk Mon Dec 20 03:16:53 1993
 
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WEEK 3: KEEP US SAFE
 
Aim:  to  introduce  kids  and adults to the problems of child labour,
armed  conflict,  refugees,  discrimination,   abuse,   neglect,   and
exploitation, and the law.
 
"IT IS BETTER TO LIGHT A CANDLE THAN TO CURSE THE DARKNESS."
 
Over  the last two lessons we have thought and talked about the United
Nations Child Rights Convention and the problems  of  water  supplies,
the  ways  we use water, and the ways we waste water. I hope that last
lesson's range of topics fired your imagination and perhaps  you  were
able  to  start  a  community-based  project  e.g. cleaning up a local
riverbank, writing to your local newspaper...?
 
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N.B:
 
I am concerned that kids and teachers should realize the importance of
creating  awareness  and sensitivity about many of the topics covered.
The first two lessons allowed kids to  express  their  opinions  about
relatively  uncontraversial  issues which were nevertheless important.
However, in the exploration of issues within  this  lesson  plan,  the
sensitivity  of  the  teacher  to  these  issues  and  to the personal
circumstances of your pupils is a crucial element.  The  use  of  this
lesson  plan  may  disturb  and  upset; further it may arouse negative
feelings such as impotence, apathy, even cynicism. To  counteract  the
tendency  towards  negative  attitudes  children  should be encouraged
DURING EVERY LESSON OF THIS UNICEF PROJECT:
 
     a)   to   realize   the   importance  of  gaining  knowledge  and
     understanding the concerns and problems of this nature;
 
     b)   to   reflect  upon  the  feelings  and  attitude  that  this
     understanding engenders; to realize that this also is a  form  of
     learning;
 
     c)  to  engage  in  forms  of  action which could make a positive
     contribution to the ameriolation of the  conditions  that  create
     difficult  situations for children. The forms of action available
     might involve contacting organizations  and  agencies  which  are
     concerned  with these varying aspects of children's lives; making
     more direct contact with the 'field situation' and  especially  a
     closer  identification with the children themselves and those who
     work to help them; uncovering and gathering more information  and
     *sharing*  this  with  a  wider  audience  in  the  school's  own
     community through such means as  parents'  meetings,  open  days,
     exhibitions  and  displays,  association  with local agencies and
     organizations (churches, charities, humanitarian associations and
     persons); using facilities of the local media to  draw  attention
     to  these  concerns  through the active involvement of the school
     itself, thus performing an advocacy and pressure  group  role  to
     bring  the attention of the community to the plight and suffering
     of these children. Many of the traditional learning activities of
     the school are able to be employed  in  the  promotion  of  these
     activities  -  artwork,  craftwork,  language work, music, drama,
     together with support from the more  cognitive  elements  in  the
     curriculum - the sciences, the social studies and the humanities.
 
I hope you enjoy this discussion...
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(1) CHILD LABOUR.
 
The  legislation  governing  the  age  limits  for  employment  varies
according to the country  and  type  of  occupation.  In  general  the
minimum age for light work (not likely to harm the child or prevent it
from  going  to  school) is 12 years. For hazardous work, the limit is
between 16 and 18 years.  Though  child  labour  has  officially  been
prohibited  in most countries, there is a wide gap between the law and
practice. It is generally accepted that there  are  over  100  million
children at work, worldwide.
 
Which  Article  of the Convention refers to the protection of children
from child labour?
 
What sort of jobs do you do around the house (cleaning/washing up)?
 
Organize  a class survey to see who does what and show your results on
a graph. Do you do weekend jobs e.g. paper rounds? Compare your  wages
with  that  of  an adult by looking at the 'Situations Vacant' page in
your local newspaper or Job Centre.
 
Discuss the differences between being employed and being exploited?
 
Do employers, for example, exploit children by underpaying them?
 
Why  do  children in some countries *have* to work? What do you see as
the underlying cause of child labour?
 
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(2) CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT.
 
Let us consider both the general effects of war and civil disturbances
on children and family life, and specific instances of children taking
a  direct  part  in  armed conflicts. This may be beyond the immediate
experiences of most pupils in schools in the USA, UK and in some other
European countries, but this exercise may show that warlike values are
closely ingrained in the culture they are growing up in,  through  the
media of comics and television programs.
 
What  effects  do  war-like images on television and in comics have on
children and what views they form of violence, war  and  killing.  Are
your views realistic?
 
Are there certian games you play that encourage you to be aggressive?
 
Are there certain games which do not encourage you to be aggressive?
 
What are the differences between competitive and cooperative games?
 
Interview  your grandparents or other elderly members of the community
who were children during World War II. Collect experiences of  bombing
raids, being evacuated, bomb shelters etc.
 
Make  a  collection  of  promotional  literature from your local armed
forces recruitment offices  and  discuss  the  implications  of  their
effect upon young people.
 
Which  Article/s  in  the  UN  convention  refer to children and armed
conflict?
 
What are your opinions about the purpose of war?
 
In  some countries children have joined or been recruited into armies.
Is this right? Why do you think they have had to start fighting?  What
effects has armed conflict had on them?
 
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(3) CHILDREN AS REFUGEES.
 
Refugees  are  not  something new. A brief look back to past ages will
show that there have always been refugees. There are  many  people  in
different  parts  of the world today who have left their homes because
life has become impossible because they are afraid of being persecuted
for who they are or what they believe. They become refugees when  this
fear  forces  them  to leave their country and find refuge in another.
When the situation in their home country improves and they  no  longer
have  reason  to  be  afraid they can return home. Others, who are not
able to go home often stay in a nearby country.  For  others  who  can
neither  go  home nor stay nearby another solution must be found; they
need to be resettled.
 
Today  there  are  an  estimated  10  million refugees in the world, a
figure which changes constantly. In this time of global disturbance it
is more likely to increase than to diminish.  Refugees  are  scattered
all  over the globe and there is no continent where they are not to be
found. It is not easy to comprehend these numbers  -  the  human  mind
retreats  from  millions.  Yet  every  single  one  of  these  numbers
represents a human being - they are men, women and  children  -  young
and old - who want as much as anyone else to lead a settled and useful
life.
 
What does it mean to be afraid? What things do you fear and why?
What does safety and security mean to you?
How many of you have ever moved home? What as the journey like? What
would be most important to take with you if you had to leave home now?
If you could only take a plastic carrier bag away with you, what
personal belongings would you take in the carrier bag and why?
 
Imagine you were a refugee. What does the future hold for you? Discuss
your  experiences  and  the  hazards  and  problems  you have faced in
escaping or settling into a new country. Write, draw, paint,  act  and
make music on aspects of the refugee experience.
 
Find   out  if  there  are  any  voluntary  agencies  or  humanitarian
organizations in your area which work with refugees. Find out also  if
there   are   any   refugees  living  in  the  area.  Find  out  using
questionnaires, interviews and surveys, what attitudes about  refugees
exist  in  your  local  community  and  in  the  school. Research your
country's involvement with refugees throughout history.
 
When  Socrates  was asked to which country he belonged, he replied: "I
am a citizen of the world". Write, draw, paint or create a play on the
theme "We are all citizens of the world".
 
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(4) CHILDREN AND DISCRIMINATION.
 
Think back to the toys you used to play with and the games you used to
play  when  you were younger. See what differences emerge between boys
and girls and how age determines the type of toy or game played.  Make
a  list  of 'so called' boys' games and girls' games. How many of them
could be played by either boys or girls? Is there any reason why girls
shouldn't play football? Why shouldn't boys play netball?  What  about
basketball?  Is  tennis  a  boys' game or a girls' game? Why may these
gender differentiations have developed in the first place? How can  we
change   the   attitudes  of  people  who  believe  in  strong  gender
stereotypes?
 
Answer the following riddle:
       There is a road accident. A lorry ran over a man and his son.
       The father was killed outright. The boy was taken into
       hospital. The surgeon at the hospital recognized him. "My son!"
       cried the surgeon, horrified, "that's my son".
   Who is the surgeon?
   What assumptions did you make in trying to solve this riddle? What
   does this tell you about discrimination in employment?
 
*****The NEVSTAR/REMSAT Exercise for Teachers:*****
 
     You  might  like to carry out the 'Nevstar/Remsat' exercise taken
     from the Human Rights Activity File, by  the  Centre  for  Global
     Education,  which  focuses children's attention on discrimination
     by  putting  them,  in  turn,  in  the  position  of  being  both
     discriminator and discriminated against.
 
     Allow a whole morning or afternoon for this. You will need:
 
     a  set of badges/labels with "NEVSTAR" written on each badge with
     a number (1 to half the number of your class) next  to  the  word
     NEVSTAR,  and  another  set of badges/labels with "REMSAT" (and a
     number) for the other half. Put  out  art  and  craft  materials,
     puzzles, games, computers and any other appropriate resources for
     creative,   enjoyable   activities.   Also  prepare  some  formal
     mathematics and English worksheets. Give out the badges  randomly
     and ask the children to wear them. Tell them that Nevstars are to
     do  as  Remsats  tell  them  at  all times and that you will help
     ensure they comply. Each child should then  find  their  opposite
     number  (e.g.  Nevstar  8 would pair up with Remsat 8 and so on).
     Remsats are given a routine activity (e.g. a formal workcard) and
     encouraged to pass it to  their  Nevstar  to  do.  Meanwhile  the
     Remsats can choose a more enjoyable activity from those available
     (as listed above), occasionally checking that the routine task is
     being  carried  out  satisfactorily by their Nevstar. You should,
     from time to time, shower praise on Remsats  for  their  creative
     work  and  for their supervision of the Nevstar; any disagreement
     between Remsat and Nevstar should always be settled in favour  of
     the  Remsat. When a Nevstar completes a set task, (s)he passes it
     to the Remsat who presents the work to you. Praise the Remsat for
     the work done and give some reward!
 
     At  breaktime,  Remsats  should be allowed to leave the classroom
     first; Nevstars are forbidden to talk to Remsats, or to play with
     them, and should be restricted to a small area of the playground.
     After break, announce that an error has been made  and  that  the
     Remsats  should henceforth undertake the routine tasks. The class
     - with roles thus reversed - continues as before until you  judge
     it to be time to debrief the activity.
 
     Ask  the  children  to share their feelings. How did the Nevstars
     feel before break? What were their feelings about  their  Remsat?
     What  did  they  dislike most? How did Remsats feel before break?
     What did both groups feel about the role of the teacher? How  did
     it  feel  in  the playground? How did both groups feel after role
     reversal  occurred?  Did  the  newly  privileged   group   behave
     differently  from  their pre- break counterparts because of their
     earlier experience? Did any member of the privileged group either
     before  or  after   break   help   or   co-operate   with   their
     underprivileged  opposite  number?  How?  Why?  What  rights were
     violated  during  the  activity?  What  could  those   who   were
     discriminated against have done about their situation? Discussion
     will   thus   increasingly   focus  upon  the  issues  of  power/
     powerlessness, privilege, discrimination and injustice raised  by
     the  activity.  The  class can then be encouraged to reflect upon
     and discuss the extent to  which  the  activity  mirrored  actual
     situations obtaining information locally, nationally and in other
     parts of the world.
 
***************
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(5) CHILDREN AND ABUSE AND NEGLECT.
 
*******
 
The  area  of  child  abuse  is  VERY  SENSITIVE,  and  should only be
undertaken with GREAT CARE and FORETHOUGHT. Make sure you find out  in
advance  what  your  Local Education Authority or school policy is and
make sure that there is plenty of information for the children to read
around the classroom (including the telephone  number  of  'Childline'
for example).
 
*******
 
On  15th  January 1987 the Norwegian Parliament passed a law expressly
forbidding the use of any form of violence against children, including
physical punishment. This  action  set  a  precedent  and  a  wave  of
publicity   followed.  Headlines  in  a  leading  Norwegian  newspaper
included: "Are you ever satisfied in hitting a teenager?" "What do you
do when your child is caught  stealing  or  does  something  illegal?"
Should  the  Norwegian law be passed in your country? What constitutes
appropriate punishment of children by adults? What is  the  difference
between accidents (which are not the result of violence) and inflicted
injury (violence)?
 
Most children will be aware from the media of cases of maltreatment of
children  by  adults.  What  is  meant  by  'maltreatment'? Is it only
children  who  suffer  maltreatment  (violence  and  neglect)  in  the
household (e.g. pets)?
 
Bullying is one of the commonest forms of violence with which children
will be familiar, both in and out of school. In their 1990 conference,
the  UK  Union  of Assistant Masters and Mistresses suggested that one
and a half million children are being bullied in UK schools today.  It
is  a  form  of  maltreatment  against  which children have a right to
protection by adults. Physical assault of varying degrees of  severity
is distressing but the main weapons of the bully are threats and fear.
Name-calling,  teasing  and  verbal  abuse  can be just as emotionally
bruising as any physical abuse. Racial harassment  is  a  particularly
insidious  form.  Extortion  of  money and goods is increasing because
children tend to carry more money  and  consumables  today  than  ever
before.  Many  schools  are  now  developing  whole school policies on
bullying. One thing is clear - there needs to be a climate of openness
and receptiveness. Adults need to be  prepared  to  accept  children's
allegations  and  act  upon  them; children themselves can protect and
support each other if there is an open acknowledgement  that  bullying
does occur.
 
Why  do  you  think some children become bullies? In what ways can you
help eachother if any kind of bullying is occurring? If you were  ever
afraid  of  someone  in school, think why you were afraid and what did
you do about it. If one of your friends was being bullied, what  would
you do about it?
 
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(6) CHILDREN AND THE LAW.
 
Treatment  of  individuals in our society depends to a large extent on
government legislation which lays down what is and is not allowed, and
protects the vulnerable from those who are powerful, both economically
and physically. Which Article/s in the UN convention  refer/s  to  the
subject of 'children and the law'?
 
Match up the crimes (listed as numbers) with what you think to be
the most suitable punishment (listed as letters):
 1. Painting graffiti on bus      A. 150 hours' work in a public
    shelters.                        library.
 2. Using threatening behaviour   B. A week spent painting an old
    towards an old lady.             folks home.
 3. Being rowdy and getting into  C. 100 hours' voluntary work in
    a fight.                         an old people's home.
 4. Vandalising public places.    D. Doing the shopping once a
                                     week for a house-bound person.
 5. Stealing sweets from a        E. 50 hours cleaning public
    super-store.                     buildings.
 6. Glue sniffing.                F. 200 hours voluntary work in a
                                     local hospital.
 
Did  you notice that prison is not listed here as a punishment? Do you
think that prison would be a  better  punishment  for  some  of  these
offences? Why?
 
Look  at  Article  37.  One  of  the best-documented contraventions of
Article 37, the prohibition of torture, cruel  treatment,  punishment,
capital   punishment  and  life  imprisonment,  is  the  execution  of
juveniles in the USA. As recently as June 1989 the  US  Supreme  Court
ruled  that  states  are  free  to  execute juveniles and the mentally
retarded. Although few of those executed in the US are under 18 at the
time of execution, they can be executed for  a  crime  they  committed
while  under  18.  A  noted  case  in 1990 was the execution of Dalton
Prejean, who shot a state trooper (policeman) when he was 17  (he  was
30  at  the  time  of  execution)  but the jury never heard mitigating
evidence that he had a mental age of 13 and that he was  sexually  and
psychologically abused throughout his childhood.
 
***** While this issue may not be suitable for discussion with younger
children  the  issue of capital punishment is one which older children
usually discuss with fervour****
 
Is  capital  punishment  appropriate  for certain crimes? If so, which
ones? How should cases  such  as  Dalton's  be  dealt  with  to  avoid
evidence being missed in the future?
 
Remember, it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
 
Get thinking, writing and acting for your local community. Next lesson
we will discuss food, nutrition and lifestyles.

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Patricia A. Weeg
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