Hear me, hear what I say!: Children’s rights on the perspectives of children themselves
Children’s most basic rights to food, drinking water, shelter and right of life are being denied (2003). For this reason, children’s rights is said to be among the rights that are supported by existing policies worldwide similar to those of adults. The latest social studies on childhood give importance to childhood and children’s own social relationships in their own right (2003). The changing conditions of modern societies necessitate the need to protect children and their rights in a more humanistic and explicit in response to the growing children’s rights movement. As policy and law makers recognized the growing importance of protecting the rights of children in the world, it is aptly important that they also consider the views and opinions of children on their own rights. In this case, how do children view their own rights? According to the study conducted by (1999), children’s rights according to children’s own perception mainly calls for inclusion and participation as well as a simple wish for respect and dignity on the process of decision-making at home, school and community in which they belong.
The international growth of children’s rights support is rooted on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) that clearly sets out the global recognition for children’s rights to protection, provision and participation and the need to integrate and apply these within economic, social and political policy making (1999, 2003). It might be sensational to express yet the fact remains that most good things come in the innocent thoughts and actions of children. The rights of children are straightforward yet adult tend to complicate it particularly on process of execution. On the cases presented, children’s rights means inclusion and participation on decision-making processes granted that there is a distinction on the extent of inclusion and participation and the consideration on what are the subjects or matters that need to be decided. The simple wish of dignity and respect is reflected on their humble intentions of participating on matters that occur in the environment they belong granted that this wish for respect and dignity is associated on decisions concerning or may affect their total welfare and conditions.
Children are aware that they are excluded and not able to participate or lack in participation in decision-making. In here, they wanted to be consulted or talked to in order to ask for their point of views. Children believe that they need to speak up and air their views and opinions regarding issues that are at hand. They wanted to be included and participate not directly in making decisions on their own but on considering their views and opinions related to the issues at hand. However, the study stated that there are variations on gender and ethnicity. In the Project 1 and 2 studied on the case, children are to be included and allowed to participate in the decision-making but does not necessarily means that they make the decision themselves and dependent “on what is being decided”.
As other research studies exploring children’s rights are given to be more complex in context and application, the study of practically relates to the day-to-day experiences and situations. However, children in the two studies have issues and problems of being accorded with little dignity or respect, and having modest chance to plainly speak up and contribute to discussions. The children’s economic, welfare and cultural rights are deemed to be violated when they are often neglected. Their lack of participation and inclusion on matters that may have direct or indirect effect on them is a sheer manifestation of negligence of their rights. More often than not, children are just treated as nothing but ‘kids’ or someone that is needed to be taken cared of or guided. On conservative traditions like in the Oriental parts of the world, children are not allowed to meddle on things or circumstances as directed by the value of respect. They are not allowed to speak up unless they are asked by the adults or elders. Ironically, children wish for simple respect and some dignity in reference to their rights especially on sharing their point of views. On the study of , many of the children’s “comments reflected a simple wish to be accorded some dignity and respect”. With this finding, the message is clear that children want to share their viewpoints with given respect to their rights and adults too.
In conclusion, children’s rights according to their own perspective is not fully practiced or respected particularly on the presented cases in Morrow’s study. In decision-making processes, children see that they are not included or lack in participation. They wanted to be accorded with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Children look into their rights in simple terms. It does not require standard and formal policies or laws imposed by the community or state they belong but mainly reflected on the roles they play in it. There are many considerations in looking through the rights of children. In view of children themselves, as main consideration, is basic and will lead to the full understanding of their nature, thoughts, actions and overall interests. Children’s rights in their own eyes reflect on what they can and cannot do regardless of age criteria. As concluded, the manner in which children conceptualise their rights needed to be based on cultural/social context as children themselves should be aware of that fact that they are effectively denied a range of rights that adults take for granted” (1999). This becomes more problematic as they grow up. Thus, children’s rights must be fully established and recognized by adults.
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