CISA News
BELGIUM: Media to Fight for Children’s RightsWritten By:CISA , Posted: Mon, Nov 23, 2009
THAILAND, November 20, 2009 (CISA) -Ceremonies are taking place around the world to mark the 20th anniversary of a landmark agreement protecting children. The UN says the Convention on the Rights of the Child has transformed the way children are treated.
But it says a billion children in the world still go without food, shelter or healthcare and that millions are facing lives of poverty and abuse. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), signed in 1989, guarantees children the right to life, education, the right to play and to be protected from abuse.
It has the widest international support of any human rights treaty - ratified by 193 countries, with only the US and Somalia yet to give their backing.
On the eve of events the worldwide association of Catholic Communicators and Media professionals has re-affirmed their commitment to make children’s rights an ongoing priority in their work.
This was during the anniversary celebrations in Chiang Mai, Thailand under the theme: Media for a Culture of Peace – Children’s Rights, Tomorrow’s Promise.
According to a statement from SIGNIS the communicators and media professionals said, “We re-affirm our commitment, in partnership with other organizations and agencies, such as the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE), the International Coalition for the Decade, 6th World Summit on Media for Children (Karlstad 2010), and others to promote children’s rights in and through the media.”
“Children are growing up in a digital world and we as Catholic media professionals have a special responsibility to ensure their rights are respected and their voices heard,” said SIGNIS President Augustine Loorthusamy.
The statement said that the Worldwide Association of Catholic communicators pledged to:
Support the child’s right of access to the media, including digital media, and to freedom of expression (Convention, Art.13).
Promote and support media education at all levels and at every age so that children can learn to use the media wisely and creatively (Convention, Art.17).
Strengthen efforts to protect children from harm and violence in the media (Convention, Art.17, 34, 36).
Monitor the coverage of children in the media and promote wider implementation of UNICEF’s Principles for Ethical Reporting on Children (Convention, Art 17).
Encourage and enable children to participate in the media so that their voices may be heard and their faces seen (Convention, Art. 12, 31).
Encourage the media to pay greater attention to child rights and to work to publicize and combat violations of children’s rights (Convention, Art 17).
The event with over 650 participants featured the energetic contribution of 10 young video journalists from several Asian countries as well as a hundred children from three schools in the Chiang Mai area.
World Catholic Association for Communication, November 20th marks the 50th anniversary on which the United Nations Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, and the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
For more information: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm
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