Although declarations on children’s rights were made by the League of Nations as early as 1924, it was not until 1989 that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was concluded. The convention provides that “States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her views to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child”. Yet, most of the thinking about children’s rights comes from adults. Adults make all kinds of agreements about the world we live in, on the environment, the climate, global warming, migration, diseases like covid 19, the economy, war and peace. These agreements are about a world in which children will live and their views are often not taken into account. The crucial challenge that the Convention on the Rights of the Child poses to adults is to listen to children, consult them and make them active partners in shaping humanity’s common future. With the project “The Child Speaks”, Rescue Our Future Foundation intends to create a global platform for children to express their views on the world they want to live in. The video was first shown at the 2021 Nairobi conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research. You are kindly invited to give your suggestions for the development of this project and if you are a child let us know whether you would like to participate.
Prof. Dr. Cees J. Hamelink
President of the Rescue Our Future Foundation
Watch: The Child Speaks