Adults must respect the voices of children and young people: Unicef
Adults must respect the voices of children and young people who should be given the opportunity to participate in decisions-making process that affect their lives and wellbeing, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said Friday in the lead up to cel
Participation is a fundamental right of all children, enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – the world’s most widely ratified convention, which 196 countries including Thailand have ratified to date. As stated in the CRC, children have a right to freely express their opinions on issues that affect them and their views must be heard and taken into account in the decision-making process within the family, school or community.
By ratifying the CRC, a state commits to taking all actions necessary to protect and ensure the rights of all children, without discrimination in any form.
“Adults must create a conducive atmosphere where children can truly share their views,” said Bijaya Rajbhandari, Unicef Representative for Thailand. “We should be better at listening and respecting children’s views. It doesn’t mean that what children want must happen, but their views should not be ignored.”
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