| Under the auspices of the Prime Minister, Dr. Salam Fayyad, Defence for Children International - Palestine Section, in cooperation with DCI International Executive Council and DCI - International Secretariat - Geneva, is conducting its international child conference: Under the Motto
"Together We Build and Change"
10-11 November 2010
Bethlehem Child participation is one of the four basic principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Planning in the field of child rights stems from the importance of treating children not as objects of interest, as a target for intervention in the area of welfare, or as a group in need of help, but rather as bearers of rights: thus, caregivers must abide by moral and legal obligations to ensure the realization of those rights.
Theorizing in this context has developed considerably more than the actual practice of its principles. In many cases, child participation is nothing more than an attempt to involve children in some events and activities, and has not been framed as course of action for children to take part in the decision making or as a means of empowerment to ensure the fulfillment of their rights.
When talking about child protection, it is rare to see children actively involve in planning, implementing and evaluating projects and programmes that target them. Child protection is typically a topic for adults who are interested in securing protection for children - who are, in turn, considered a group in need of protection, and not as active social actors capable of making sound decisions. Stereotyping children as the most vulnerable group in society has strengthened this trend, inactivating children’s agency and portraying them as victims of circumstances rather than bearers of rights.
In societies that live in a state of occupation and armed conflict such as in Palestine, children are the victims of political decisions. Their particular interests and needs as a group are not taken into account in the overall political process and they are not given priority in the negotiations and peace talks. More than one year after the cessation of Israeli military operations against the Gaza Strip, Palestinian children are still suffering from the blockade imposed by Israel in Gaza, which clearly paralyzed the realization of their rights guaranteed by international human rights instruments. This suppression of rights was compounded by the unwillingness of the international community to take effective measures that would break the siege.
Paradoxically, in many countries, children under the age of 18 participate in hostilities, but they are denied some of the most fundemental rights such as political participation and voting in elections.
The conference "Protective Environment - Active Participation" attempts to set things straight by emphasizing that the problems children face are basically social problems. More over, it stresses that it is possible for children to play active role in solving those problems if the community believes in their abilities and potential and finds space for children to express their concerns and change their reality. This change is thus brought about by a shift in the way the community views its children: not only as bearers of rights, but also as a group that is able to defend those rights. Such an approach, then, must focus not only on emphasizing the importance of child participation, but also encouraging children and facilitating their active participation by finding the spaces for them to carry it out.
Objectives of the Conference:
- Providing a platform for experts and activists in the field of child rights to describe and share experiences and discuss the best ways to promote active child participation without affecting the children's enjoyment of their right to protection.
- Shedding light on the reality of child protection and participation in their communities, as well as the obstacles that inhibit the achievement of active child participation.
- Providing an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between institutions and local and international organizations active in the field of child rights.
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