Read pages 309 - 312 of your Counterpoints textbook discussing Children's Rights.
What year did the United Nations adopt the Convention on the Rights of the Child? Why do you think this convention has become the most universally accepted human rights document?
Visit http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm and read through the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Why do we need a separate this document when we already have the Unversal Declaration of Human Rights (Counterpoints p. 295)?
Check out some of these photo essays http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=photoessays
In May 2002, two Optional Protocols were adopted to strengthen the existing provisions within the Convention. These protocols included new guidelines on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and new guidelines on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
New protocol on armed conflict: The Convention states that no child under fifteen years of age should participate in armed conflict; the new protocol raises this age to eighteen. Currently, over 300,000 children worldwide are engaged in armed conflict.
New protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography: This protocol gives special emphasis to the criminalization of serious violations of children's rights - namely sale of children, illegal adoption, child prostitution and pornography. Similarly, the protocol seeks increased international cooperation, public awareness, and education campaigns in order to better protect children from the violations of these rights. Currently, an estimated 1 million children are employed in the commercial sex-trade.
New protocol on armed conflict: The Convention states that no child under fifteen years of age should participate in armed conflict; the new protocol raises this age to eighteen. Currently, over 300,000 children worldwide are engaged in armed conflict.
New protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography: This protocol gives special emphasis to the criminalization of serious violations of children's rights - namely sale of children, illegal adoption, child prostitution and pornography. Similarly, the protocol seeks increased international cooperation, public awareness, and education campaigns in order to better protect children from the violations of these rights. Currently, an estimated 1 million children are employed in the commercial sex-trade.
What do you think is the most important issue facing children around the world today? Where do you think the United Nations should center its focus in coming years? What kind of steps should be taken to combat this problem?
Visit http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/crp/index.htm to see more information on child soldiers.
28 comments:
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. This is the most accepted human right document because it involves children. Everyone wants children to be safe because they are part of the future generation, and the ones that will eventually take over. Mostly everyone likes children, and they don't want them to be hurt unnecessarily because of negligence.
We need a separate document to cover the rights of children because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights doesn't specify that it includes children in those rights. Children need to be recognized as having their own set of rights because they are minors and are more vulnerable if they are under the age of 18. I think children need to feel as if they are an important part of society, and having their own rights made for them is a step in the right direction.
I think the most important issue facing children all over the world are all of them: armed conflict, sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography. I think these should all be stopped somehow, although it would be difficult to try to stop them all at once. I think the order that these atrocities should be stopped are 1)children being used for war, 2)sale of children, 3)child prostitution, and 4)child porn. Having the United Nations stop children being used for killing is hard to stop. There are children everywhere, and once they have a child, what are they going to do with him/her? They're drug addicts and all they know is to kill because they've been brainwashed that way. It is quite a tricky subject to put an end to. I think one way that all four of these deeds can be stopped is if we have spies and undercover cops on the lookout for child prostitutes and for child porn.
Thats it I guess!
Pauli :)
Socials 11 H Block A
The Convention of the Child was adopted in 1989. It is the most universally accepted human rights document because everybody wants to protect thier kids and it would sound horrible if you didint want to protect children who are in need. We need to seperate tis document because it is specified for children and their needs-> the universal declaration oh human rights is for everybody in general but childrens needs are different than adult needs and so it makes sense that it is different. The most important issue facing children around the world today is the lack of schooling and lack of having actual schools. So many kids around the world if they are able to go to school they have to walk miles in dangerous territory and have a high chance of being killed or captured by rebel forces. I think the United Nations should center their focus in coming years is Africa. There other places that have similar cercumstances but for Africa, it is the entire continent that is in need. Because of the civil wars and genocides that are happening everyday. Without a doubt Africa has the highest number of child soldiers throughout the world, something should be done over there. The steps that should be taken is keeop making schools, hospitals, focus on the children who want to do something with thier life so they can in years help running the places that were built in our time. We also have to worry about the inport/export of illegal narcotics. They should tighten border patrols and then there should be less diamonds and drugs being smuggled into other countries. But all countries in the world should put a ban on conflict diamnonds and other assets form Africa that are basically funding rebel war efforts.
MB!!!
The United Nations adopted the Convention of the Rights of a Child in 1989. I think this has been the most universally aceppted human rights document because it deals with the rights of a child. Children make up more than half of the population of the world. They are our next generation as so many people like to say and we need to protect them and their rights.
I think we need a separate document when we already have the Universal Decleration of Human Rights because again, this deals with children. Many people in the world think of children as inferior and just things that are there, so many times children aren't even considered human beings with rights. I disagree with that. Adults always say that we're the next generation and that we have the power to change the world, but when we get treated like crap because we're not "legally adults" then to me that's just not fair. We have as many rights as any adult, if not more and they should be respected. Children are not the same thing as adults and yeah, we may be a little bit shorter and younger than adults but that doesn't mean that we should be treated like we're worthless.
I think the most important issue facing a child today is the use of children as "weapons of mass distruction". Drugging children like no tomorrow, giving them machine guns and telling them to go shoot anyone around them. I think the U.N. should focus it's problem in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and parts of Africa, because that's where the most fighting happens. We don't think much of it because it doesn't affect us. We don't have five-year-olds in Canada blowing people up so we can't begin to imagine that. We don't think it's THAT big of a deal. Yet in my opinion we should be paying more attention to it. I think that North America and parts of Western Europe should allow more children to become refugees to escape the fighting that happens where they now live. I also think that bringing more workers that care about the rights of chilren into places that are destroying these rights would help control the situation. The problem will be finding volunteers to go there and actually help. Most people are so focused in their owns lives and their own problems that quite frankly are nothing compared to the actually problems of the world, that they don't even care about what happens to children around the world. Yet we're so hypoctrical saying that chilren are so important but when it comes to actually making a difference in the life of a child, we do nothing. That is the part that really saddens me in the world, we say that something is SO important, yet we do nothing about it.
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in a unanimous decision in 1989. I think this has become the most universally accepted document because the problems of child poverty and abuse have greatly increased, and solution is needed.
I think we need a separate children's document because children require more attention since they are not as independent. Young children need to be able to get an education and have rights that free them from abuse. Children must get special care and assistance, and should be protected from harm.
I think the most important issue facing children today is abuse. Abuse happens to many children all over the world, whether it is physical abuse, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse. It sickens me that children are treated as disposable war machines or sources of labour in Africa. Abuse like this can scar a person for life.
I think the United Nations should raise awareness of child abuse. The world needs to be aware of how horribly the children are treated in Africa. This way, action can be made to put this terrible treatment of children to an end.
In the coming years, the United Nations should focus on making the governments of nations aware of the abuse that goes on today. Rights for children should be passed to ensure that they are not being continually mistreated.
M.E. - Block A
Oh! I thought of something we can do to somehow get children around the world to sto being associated with badness.
We could build schools, or have programs that support children after school or during the day. Having schools would be a distraction, and the kids could learn something as well, something that would be better.
Pauli :)
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
I think this convention has become the most universally accepted human rights document because it covers all of the childrens rights in a way that is easy to understand. Also, this document protects our future generations.
We need a separate set of rights for children because children have different and more specific rights then adults.
The most important issue facing children around the world today is being drafted to war and hooked on god know what to make them a weapon of mass destruction.
The United Nations should focus on educating people and acutally going the the worst countries and giving help there.
The Government should play a bigger role in enforcing Childrens rights in the worst countries and people of the western world should help more because what if we were in that kind of situation? There would be no shadow of a soubt that this would be dealt with right away.
-- DM
the Convention of Childwas adopted in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly. When you see a hurt child, its just in your heart to feel bad and feel sorry for them (hense why the kids always use the puppy eyes). Thats why people always... usually always feel bad for the kids, cause we have a place in our hearts. :D
We have to separarte this document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) because kids aren't exactly like adults and the UDHR is more for the adults. The adults differ from the kids not only in age and knowledge but also we get treated differently, we don't get to vote, drive get married, pay taxes, etc., so we get put under a completely different law from adults.(i got that from the political debate I watched last night and i thought it went along well with my rambling. :)
*C*A*S*S*I*D*Y*
Blk A
blog thing isnt workin
Children are should NOT be used as disposable war pawns. They are the future. So if those 17 countries keep getting children cracked out and then giving them machine guns, those countries are definitely not going to have a future, much less a population. and as for child pornography and sex-trade... That's just wrong, not matter what excuse you make. Children should be growing up in a safe, friendly, lovable environment, not one where they are forced to kill people or be used for things that should not even exist in this world. There is my little rant, I should probably answer the questions, eh?
The most important facing children around the world today is abuse of children's rights. War lords and perverts get chuldren while they are young and ignorant so they really have no clue what is going on. United nations should definitely focus on protecting the rights of children. They can go about doing that by making sure they aren't used in war and arrest those who use them in sex-trade or pornography
LS
I think the most important issue facing children around the world is them being soldiers. They are being forced into killing and being killed. These children are being taken from their families and becoming disposible weapons of war. These little children, addicted to crack, to these drug lords and government its the perfect weapon. I think that this is terrible and disgusting to be doing to anyone especialy little kids.
The united nations should center its focus on the little soldiers of the world.
Some steps that should be made to combat this problems. I think are all the countries that are well off like us should all come together and come up with a plan to fix this problem once and for sll.
C.R.
Block A
The United Nations adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the year of 1989. I think this is the most universally accepted human rights document because it lists the rights of children which, in most cultures, are held dearest of all other people. children must be protected becouse they hold the future of the world in their hands. They will also be the ones caring for the old fogies later so the adult population now wants to make sure their children are happy so when they get old and can't do anything any more they will be in good care.
We need a separate document when we already have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights deals with peopl in general. The problem with this is that many people don't consider kids as people because we haven't enterd adulthood which means to many people that we are inferior beings, incapable of anything other than tedious physical labour. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms says that everyone is equal under the law without discrimination of age, ect. so children can't be treated unequally just because they aren't adults yet.
There are many isuues that plague the children around the world today. Poverty in general creates the most problems and drives children into homelessnes where their parents abandon them and leave them on the street or sell them to a pimp. Poverty is ultimately the cause of most child pornography and prostitution and also children soldeirs. These issues are the ones that need to be dealt with the most.
The U.N. should center their focus in coming years to helping parents afford houses so them and especially their children don't end up on the street and make education easier to attain for the less fortunate so children will be able to see a brighter future.
some steps that should be taken are instead of countries of the U.N. spending money on wars or things like legalizing pot and carbon taxes they should take the tax money that is being used for meaningless things and support the poor in their own countries and then other countries.
B.H.
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. I think this convention has become the most universally accepted human rights document because countries that accept this convention have a legal and moral obligation to protect children's rights so that children can live in freedom and peace.
We need to separate this document even though we already have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because the Convention on the Rights of the Child goes in depth about what children have the right of and this way there is no confusion. The Convention on the Rights of the Child also lists rights that aren't mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human rights and children under the age of 18 have different rights than adults.
I think the most important issue facing children around the world today is the fact that so many kids have nothing. They don't have a school to go to everyday or even a home. Lots of kids are even being used as child soldiers and are being killed off like nothing by the government in third world countries. I think one of the most important things that
the United Nations should do to help these kids is to stop the use of child soldiers. The government is subjecting these kids to brutal violence and they are forced to participate in all aspects of warfare. It is horrible how these kids don't have any idea of what it is like to live a normal life. The only thing they know is violence and guns. I think that another important thing that the UN should stress is the importances of letting the western world know what is happening over on countries like Nepal and Uganda. There are lots of people that are totally oblivious to the idea of using children as soldiers. I think that if people were more aware of this problem that there would be more steps taken to solve it. The United Nations could do things like set up conferences to make the people aware of the problems that these children are facing day to day. Most people don’t realize what a big issue this is and I feel that more people should know about it.
B.P
block A
In 1989 the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I think that this convention has become the most universally accepted human rights
document because we want our children to have better lives than we did. Without children, we have no future. If we allow the children of today to grow up without an education, or in poverty, we are letting the children of
tomorrow down. All of our efforts to keep this a peaceful, eco-friendly world will have gone to waste.
We need a separate document for children's rights even though we have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because children are more vulnerable and still developing, and so they need special consideration in regards to their rights. It also signals them out, makes people take notice; people tend to forget about the children when making trade deals, etc.
JG, Block A
The Untited Nations adopted the Conventionc onthe Rights of the Child in 1989. This has slowly become the universally accepted human rights document as everyone wants their childs life to be the best that it can be. Children are the future, so we want to protect them with all that we have.
THis is a separate document because children are more vulnerable to their parent's ideas and teachings. Children do not know any better, so they assume that waht they say is right.
Kids these days are seen as 'disposable war weapons'. How can we change our world and social morals if people just turn a blind eye to the horrors that these little children are being put through as an everyday norm?
Our society needs to focus on the future and change how we think.
What kind of steps should be taken to combat this problem?
Oops, forgot to add this part to my first comment. I think that the most important issue facing children today is the lack of education. Without an education, children can't get jobs, forcing them into the streets, where they can be taken for military service, and sold into slavery or the sex trade. I think the United Nations should focus on spreading awareness about child poverty, and raising funds to build schools. Steps that should be taken to solve this problem are: spreading the message, building more schools, raising money to get school supplies for these children, cracking down on the sex trade with longer jail terms for those running it. In the worst places, peacekeeping soldiers should go in and take some of the kids out to a safer place.
JG, Block A
The Convention on the Rights of the Child became effective in 193 countries on September 2nd, 1990. The CRC defines children as separate from adults, and applies specific rights to them, such as the rights to education and identity. This document is almost globally accepted due to the recent widespread recognition of the need for children's rights to be protected. Because children require many years to become mentally and physically mature and make decisions for themselves, the CRC was created separately from the UDHR specifically to define the rights of children in this vulnerable stage of development.
Personally, I believe that the most important issue facing children around the world today is overpopulation and resource scarcity. Although these problems are often not evident in western society, thousands of children in Africa, China, India, and other underdeveloped areas of the world die every day from starvation, dehydration, and disease resulting from overcrowding and unavailability of medical care. The UN and countries around the world should be focusing primarily on solving these problems of overpopulation and scarcity using all means possible. Children born in these impoverished countries, if they survive, will form the next generation of workers and leaders. The conditions in which these children grow up, I believe, directly affect the overall leadership and productivity of a country. If we want a better world, we must help and support those who are growing up to control and lead the world.
The United Nations signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, and it became effective in 1990. The reason for its near-universal acceptance is due to the fact that the children are the next generation. They are our future and they should be in good hands. It should be a separate document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because it deals with issues that only children are suffering from, some of which are things that are only legal for adults.
One of the most important issues facing children today is poverty. It is a problem even in Canada, where 12% of children are in poverty. The bad conditions in which impoverished children live force them to take up illegal activities, such as the drug trade, child labor, child pornography, prostitution, or armed conflict. There are many ways to solve this problem. The most direct way would be to give them donated money, clothing, and other items they may need. To solve the problem indirectly, the children should be educated.
--Jordan Elder, Block A
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the rights of the child on November 20 1889. This has become the most universally accepted human rights document because it has to do with children which are reconized as not only our future but a majorly suffering portion of our population.
We need a seperate document to cover the rights of children for several reasons which include but are not limted to. Children can't fight for there own rights. In some countries they might not be seen as "people" until they come of age. Children are easier to use than grown ups. Nobody represents the children in many countries and there needs are secondary.
The most important issue facing children all around the world today is overpopulation and poverty/underschooling. They are over pouplated because they are being used to do work for next to nothing. Also the death rate for children in some countries is so high that familes have lot's of kids because of the chances of some dying. Underschooling is due to poverty which the soultion to is simply they need to go to school because of this never ending circle the best thing that we can do as a country is either provide money or schools. My soultion to the problem would be to pass a law in the united nations which required every nation to put at least a tenth of there taxes towards things such as schools and child health care.
p.s did you know we give on average 45.5 % of our income to the goverment in the form of taxes!!!!!!!! think about it
C.T
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the rights of the child on November 20 1889. This has become the most universally accepted human rights document because it has to do with children which are reconized as not only our future but a majorly suffering portion of our population.
We need a seperate document to cover the rights of children for several reasons which include but are not limted to. Children can't fight for there own rights. In some countries they might not be seen as "people" until they come of age. Children are easier to use than grown ups. Nobody represents the children in many countries and there needs are secondary.
The most important issue facing children all around the world today is overpopulation and poverty/underschooling. They are over pouplated because they are being used to do work for next to nothing. Also the death rate for children in some countries is so high that familes have lot's of kids because of the chances of some dying. Underschooling is due to poverty which the soultion to is simply they need to go to school because of this never ending circle the best thing that we can do as a country is either provide money or schools. My soultion to the problem would be to pass a law in the united nations which required every nation to put at least a tenth of there taxes towards things such as schools and child health care.
p.s did you know we give on average 45.5 % of our income to the goverment in the form of taxes!!!!!!!! think about it
C.T
The UN adopted the convention on the rights of the child in 1989.I think this convention has become the most universally accepted human rights document because when people here about children it is way worse then hearing about adults.
I think the most important issue facing these children is armed conflict. For a child to kill a person would be the worst thing to deal with. As the child grows up and has that thought in his head it would ruin there future. perhaps if there is enough of this in the country then the whole countries future would be at stake also.
I think the UN should focus there attention on this armed conflict problem. It is dangerous for people entering these countries because they have kids high on drugs trying to kill people. It is also horrible for the kids. Imagine killing someone as a child and having to live with that for your whole life.
What kind of steps should be taken to combat this problem?
To stop this problem and others like it including child pornograhpy and child prostitution, i think the UN should watch these countries governments more closely, and even set some laws for this country,in the best interest of the world.
RM
The United Nations signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, and it became effective in 1990. The reason for its near-universal acceptance is due to the fact that the children are the next generation. They are our future and they should be in good hands. It should be a separate document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because it deals with issues that only children are suffering from, some of which are things that are only legal for adults.
One of the most important issues facing children today is poverty. It is a problem even in Canada, where 12% of children are in poverty. The bad conditions in which impoverished children live force them to take up illegal activities, such as the drug trade, child labor, child pornography, prostitution, or armed conflict. There are many ways to solve this problem. The most direct way would be to give them donated money, clothing, and other items they may need. To solve the problem indirectly, the children should be educated.
TM (SS honors))
The United Nations signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The reason for its universal acceptance is because childern are they way of future. They should be well protected and looked after. It should be a separate document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because it deals with issues that only children can relate to and that only affect them and not their adult counter-parts.
One of the most important issues facing children today is poverty. Poverty is an extreme porblem in almost all third world countries and even countries that aren't third world. Most kids that live in poverty don't get the chance to go to school and most have one or no family membes such as a dad or mom at all. This leads kids into doind crimes, drugs and later even becmoing involved in armed combat. The Un could help this porblem by giving kids a source of eduction or a useful past time. This would keep kids minds off doing bad things and teach them something useful.
D.D.
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. I think this convention has become the most universally accepted human rights document because children are so important to the future. The countries that have confirmed this convention have a legal and moral obligation to the cause of children's rights. I think all countries should have accepted this convention, for the better of the children and their future.
We need to separate the Children's Rights Document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because there are more and different rights that a children under the age of 18 are given. They also go into more depth about the rights and make them more clear for the benefit of the children.
There are so many important issues facing children around the world today. One I would like to stress is the use of children in war. I feel very strongly that using a child as a soldier is going against there rights and there freedom. It is taking away many kids lives, there childhoods. I don't believe putting a gun in a child’s hand is safe or even fare to the children.
I think the United Nations should center its focus in coming years on the education for children. If kids had a uniform to wear, then they could go to school, and then be taught important life lessons. To combat this problem we should be sending money towards that, and creating rights for the children in countries it does not exist.
The United Nations adopted the convention on the rights of the child in 1989. The convention has become the most universally accepted human rights document because it outlines the well being of the next generation. Children are extremely important to society and the future of the country. We need a separate document because the the rights of the child are not universal to the rest of society. These rights need to be agknowledged and not just passed off as another general right.
JJ ss11
I was a Social Libertarian/Authoritarian and was compared to obama and ghandi and i think that it is acurate
Apparently I'm Nelson Mandela. I don't know who that is, but hes close to the Dalhi Lama. So he must be peaceful.
S.F
My country is basically screwed. We're a bunch of ghandis. Crime is very low.
S.F
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