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Awareness Programme on the UNCRC
By promoting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Sri Lanka, this initiative hopes to see - and indeed has seen - more children in education in the target areas, less child labour, and a focus on bringing children up in a non-violent environment. When the children of today become the decision-makers of tomorrow, they will take with them a doctrine of peace.
Description
The initiative started in 2005 to promote awareness on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in war affected areas and will come to an end in 2007. It consists of four components: an awareness programme for parents and adults, a street drama programme, children’s clubs, and children’s festivals.
By using all these methods we are able to promote awareness on the UNCRC and are able to reach a wider audience than we would if we were to use only one approach.
Aims / Objectives
The initiative aims to promote awareness of the UNCRC and, through that, to reduce child abuse, child labour, and violence against children in war areas.
Children are entitled to a life of peace and - even in war - life without humiliation. When they grow up being subjected to all kinds of violence it is difficult for children to hope for or act towards peace. Therefore it is important for the younger generation to be treated with respect and without violence if they are to bring peace to the country one day.
How it is Articulated
The initiative has four components designed to reach a wide audience: programmes for adults, street drama, children’s clubs, and children’s festivals.
The awareness programmes work by inviting adults and parents in the selected areas to one-day programmes on the UNCRC, and on the actions that we need to take based on the Convention. There will be 180 of these programmes, each consisting of 30 participants.
A group of 20 interested and talented youth were trained for 12 days in street drama and the promotion of awareness of the UNCRC through drama. Through the period of the initiative they will do 120 performances. Over 75% of village populations turn up to be in the audience.
There are 40 children’s clubs functioning in the selected areas, each of which receive two days training in peace building, and the UNCRC and peace building. Across the 40 clubs, over 1,000 children take part.
At the children’s festivals we organise sports, cultural events, children’s parliaments, and peace walks, all of which happens in collaboration with the children’s clubs.
Achievements / Learning Points
Most of the parents in these areas were not interested in sending children to school, instead keeping their children at home to support their livelihoods, which meant that levels of child labour were high. Following the initiative’s awareness programmes, however, parents are more willing to send their children to school and children are more interested in learning. Schools encourage the children to come every day and the community leaders, such as religious leaders, have taken a personal interest in making sure the children receive education. In spite of the war, the next generation now has the opportunity to receive education.
The children’s clubs are active in the villages, conducting village-level 'shramadana' (people getting together and donating their labour to a task needing manual labour) and cultural activities including Muslim, Tamil, and Sinhalese children. This improves ethnic unity and co-operation and encourages adults to do the same.
The initiative has resulted in a change in the habits of parents in the region and a deeper understanding of equality, justice, and respect towards each other amongst the children.
For the children to function effectively as a group: they need places where they can gather safely and easily, it is better if they have a shared place for themselves. They show more creativity when in a place designed specifically for them, with a common hall, library, and play things.
Also, if the children’s clubs can be united to form a children’s federation, linking all the clubs together it would increase the importance of the initiative.
In the future, the children of today will be in decision-making positions with regard to the ethnic conflict and the decisions they choose to make will reflect the lessons they have learnt in life. Therefore, creating an environment to enable children to be treated with respect, which allows them to be free, and which emphasises the value of co-operation and multi-ethnic co-existence is extremely important.
Geographical Area of Operation
Vauniya, Mannar, Anuradhapura, and Puttlam.
Funding Resources
Unicef.
Organisations Involved
FORUT, SHADE.