Ahead of 30th Child Convention Anniversary, PH Advocates Child Rights Education
Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Evan P. Garcia (second from right) speaks at the Panel Discussion held at the Palais Des Nations on 20 June 2018. Also in the picture are (from left) Maldives Permanent Representative to the UN and former Minister for Gender and Family of Maldives Ambassador Hala Hameed, UNICEF Consultant on Child Rights Education Marie Wernham, and Philippine Department of Education’s Office of the Undersecretary (Legal) OIC Josephine Maribojoc. (Geneva PM photo)
GENEVA 06 July 2018 – The Philippines called for the comprehensive implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child with greater efforts on child rights education, at a panel discussion held on the sidelines of the ongoing 38thSession of the Human Rights Council on 20 June 2018.
Speaking at “Almost Thirty Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Approaches to Child Rights Education,” Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva Evan P. Garcia emphasized that the concept of rights is innate to the Filipino culture, and that the faithful observance of the Convention by all parties becomes more urgent with the challenges being faced by children all over the world, such as exploitation, abuse, neglect, and trafficking, as well as those in the refugee and migration contexts.
According to the Ambassador, all States around the world except one have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and have thereby committed to “make the principles and provisions of the Convention widely known, by appropriate and active means, to adults and children alike”.
UNICEF Consultant on Child Rights Education (CRE) Marie Wernham pointed out that child rights education is a fundamental first step towards the implementation of the Convention, which will mark the 30th year of its entry into force in 2019.
Wernham pointed out that CRE involves both children and adults, including other caretakers and authorities, and “should be systematically incorporated in formal education systems, as well as learned by children by experience” in their daily lives.
Philippine Education Assistant Secretary Josephine Maribojoc made a presentation on how Filipino children in primary school learn about their rights in the K-12 curriculum and how they learn through experiencing these rights, for example by the participation of students in student governments, in decision-making through their membership in the Parent Teachers’ Association, and through various DepEd programs on leadership development of young people and on special education.
Assistant Secretary Maribojoc emphasized that the Philippine Constitution and Ambisyon 2040 provide key guidance in the Department of Education’s efforts to improve CRE programs as it improves the quality of education for the benefit of 26 million Filipino students enrolled from kindergarten to senior high school, citing further that this number comprises a quarter of the total population of the country.
Maldives Permanent Representative and former Maldives Minister for Gender and Family Ambassador Hala Hameed underlined the holistic approach in Maldives on CRE, which pays attention to community-based programs that recognize that “it takes a village to raise a child,” to make sure that no child is left behind. She noted technical and logistical challenges, given limited resources and Maldives’ geography.
The panel was also enriched by discussions on the importance of education, social accountability mechanisms to ensure adherence and address violations of the rights of the child, and CRE approaches in challenging contexts, such as migration and refugee situations where rights of the child are compromised.
The panel discussion was organized by the Philippine Mission in Geneva together with the Permanent Mission of Maldives, UNICEF, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and Caritas International, in support of activities to mark the 70thanniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights this year, and ahead of UN activities to observe the 30th anniversary of the Convention of Rights of the Child in 2019. END
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