Gwenda Thomas:
“Wales has become the first UK nation to embed the convention on the Rights of the Child in law. A lot of work is being done to back up our belief that every child in Wales should be entitled to a good start in life and the best possible chances to grow up free from poverty and harm.”

Prof. Yanghee Lee, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, London, 2010:
“UK is one of the most powerful leaders in the world. Commensurate to its global position, the Committee ‘raises the bar’, so to speak. It is my hope that the UK will continue to raise the bar so that other countries can learn and follow. Also:
“Although there have been many positive developments since 2008, there are some areas that the Committee remains concerned. I am concerned that there is still no systematic awareness-raising about the Convention and that the CRC is still not a part of the training of all those who work most closely with and for children here. Nor is it incorporated in the school curriculum – although there is the exciting UNICEF rights-respecting schools initiative”

LEIGHTON ANDREWS AM Minister for Education and Skills

My top priorities in education are to improve the literacy and numeracy of all children. I believe every child in Wales should be taught in good schools and by the best teachers and ensure we close the gap in deprivation of learning.

'I want every child in Wales to be given all the opportunities and support they need to achieve their best in school and for children to be able to access their rights in all schools.'

Cardiff County Councillor Julia Magill, was elected to represent the people in the ward of Llanishen. She is also the cabinet member responsible for Education & Lifelong Learning including Libraries in Cardiff. She met some of the children at the Healthy Schools Award presentation and said "I think it's important to listen to the views of young people so I particularly like article 12 of the UNCRC so my wish is that

“Every child in the world gets to have a say what they think about anything that affects them, and that their views are considered and taken seriously.”

Save the Children works in 120 countries. "We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential." 

They are very active in Wales and we have been very lucky to have children learn about the UNCRC from Save the Children.

"When the UK government signed the UNCRC it made a commitment to incorporate children rights into every day UK law so that young people living in the UK could realise their rights in their day to day life.

There is still much to be done but the UNCRC has led to some positive changes, for example.

~ Children’s rights to be protected and have their best wishes put first.
~ To have their views and wishes heard is part of UK law under the Children Act.
~ To make complaints in their own right.
~ Children in prison are no longer held with adult prisoners.
~ Many more people have now heard of the UNCRC and children’s rights.

Wales was the first to have a Children’s Commissioner but now all areas of the UK have them – independent adults who will champion children’s rights.

In Wales the UNCRC has led to Article 12 – children’s participation and the duty on local authorities to make sure that every school and community have a school council and a youth forum and to Article 32 – the right to play – where every local area has to make sure all children have access to good play facilities.

There is also a brand new law in Wales – the Rights of Children and Young Persons Measure which means that the Welsh Government have to show respect and consideration of children’s rights every time they make a new law or policy.

Our Wish for the would be that

"The UK Government would put the UNCRC into a law so that all children in the UK can enjoy their full rights."

Brigitte Gater, Operational Director of Children’s Services, at Action for Children said:

“Over the past 21 years, people have become more aware of children’s rights and how important they are.  Action for Children works hard to make sure children in the UK are protected, listened to and respected. Since 2011, we have had a law in Wales which says our government has to think about children’s rights when making its decisions. There is still a long way to go until all children have everything they need to reach their potential, and so children’s rights are just as important today as they were 21 years ago.”

" Action for Children wishes for all children to be protected, listened to and respected, and to have everything they need to reach their potential. "

The United Nations Association Wales (UNA Wales) supports the UN’s vision of a world that is peaceful, just and sustainable and in which human rights are fully respected.

UNA activists form the campaigning and advocacy backbone of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA)’s work. As with UNA bodies throughout the world, UNA Wales is a voluntary membership organisation and is completely independent of the UN system.

Chris Thompson the Education and Engagement Officer at UNA Wales said,

"UNA Wales aims to promote informed debate on international issues, including the UN system itself. Our mission is to work to secure public and governmental support for the ideals of the United Nations and its agencies through campaigning, organising events and supporting the Association's local branches. At a time of continuing inequalities within and between nations, this work is more important than ever."

“The United Nations Association of Wales’s wish is that the United Kingdom, which is currently in second last place of 30 developed OECD nations in the UNICEF’s index of child well-being, to become the most child-happy place in the world.”

UNA Cardiff and District Branch is part of UNA-Wales and is affiliated to UNA-UK. UNA supports the work of the United Nations but but like UNA Wales is independent of it. 

"UNA campaigns and educates to make the ideals of the UN a reality. Those ideals were summed up by Ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in his Millennium Report as a world free from want, free from fear, and with a sustainable future. At a time when our world is characterised by gross inequalities within and between nations, and the UN Charter itself is threatened by unilateral actions of member states, this work is more important than ever." One of the ways they hope to do this is through educating young people about the UN.

Prof. Robin Attfield Chairman of the Cardiff and District Branch of the UNA said that his wish would be that,

"No child goes hungry in Wales."

 

Prof Michael Freeman recently retired from the University College London and is another hugely important figure in the field of children's Human Rights. He has publish a huge amount of literature on children's Rights. So we were delighted that he took the time to reply

"I wish for a world in which no child is smacked."

Miss Allen our headteacher.

"As a teacher I would wish that every child should be able to use their Right
to go to school (Article 28) to develop all their talents and abilities (Article 29) . It's also very important that everyone understands the benefits that education can bring."

The Cardiff Healthy Schools team do a huge amount of work with our local schools to promote and protect the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Their wish is…..

"We want children to be treated fairly and have a voice that is heard so that they can enjoy their childhood and grow into happy and secure adults."

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are additional Human Rights specifically for the needs of children. These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential. They apply equally to every child, regardless of who they are, or where they are from.

The UNCRC took over 10 years to put together. On 20 November 1989, the governments represented at the General Assembly of the United Nations (which included the UK) agreed to adopt the Convention into international law. The UK government signed the Convention on 19 April 1990, Parliament ratified it on 16 December 1991 (with several declarations and reservations about bits they did not want to agree to) & it came into force on 15 January 1992. So this year - 2013 it'll be 21 years since the UNCRC actually came into force in the whole of the UK. "Whilst all laws, policies and practices that relate to children must be compatible with the rights in the UNCRC the UNCRC has still not been directly incorporated into UK law and this leaves gaps in the protection of rights for children in the UK."

The Rights of Children and Young people (Wales) measure 2011 places a duty on the Welsh Ministers (including the First Minister) to have regard to the UNCRC. We celebrated that when it partly came into force last year, and next year will applywhen they are exercising any of their functions. It includes a duty on Welsh Ministers to take appropriate steps to promote knowledge and understanding of the UNCRC amongst the public, including children. We can see that this happened when the Welsh Government's Transport Minister Carl Sargeant came into Millbank to launch the Active Travel Bill for Wales. Before the bill was placed before the Welsh Assembly they did a littlereport on how the bill would impact on Children and young people's rights in Wales.

The infants love making Maximouse the little Rights MOUSE'cots from their milk bottles. And as they chat away about the children's right that they want the little banner to carry they hardly realise that they are learning about Rights. Classes, library, tuckshops have Charters instead of rules. And we have high expectations of our School Council who act as Rights Leaders promoting the UNCRC along with our Children's Commissioner Ambassadors.

Each week we try and include a Right of the week in the parent's newsletter to try and spread the word that families and especially important in the UNCRC. And we try and explain a little bit about some of the many activities that the children are involved in, so parents can better support their child's learning.