UNICEF and Children's Rights

Keep Us Safe

KIDPROJ UNICEF03 ---------------- From W.J.Parks@durham.ac.uk Mon Dec 20 03:16:53 1993 ====================================================================== 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...? ********************************************************************** 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... ********************************************************************** (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? - - - - - - - - (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? - - - - - - - - (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". - - - - - - - - (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. *************** - - - - - - - - (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? - - - - - - - - (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.